Celebrities as diplomats? George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Bono et al. in international politics - Einzelansicht

Impportant note: The course starts on April 17 (not on April 10)

Commentary:

The course starts from the observation that celebrities increasingly get involved with international politics. An increasing number of world-famous actors, artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs apparently seek to contribute in one way or another to the management of challenges with which international politics is confronted in the contemporary world. They establish and support charitable foundations, such as the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which was brought into existence by Angelina Jolie. They create and back up campaigning and advocacy organizations, such as ONE, which was cofounded by Bono, or Not On Our Watch, which was founded amongst others by George Clooney, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt. They act as special envoys of United Nations Organizations, e.g. the former Brazilian soccer player Pelé for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Or they organize mega-events that are broadcasted across the world and move certain international challenges to the foreground, e.g, Live Aid, which was organized by Bob Geldof.

These activities raise a number of questions that have only recently attracted theoretical and empirical attention in International Relations. In this research-based course, students will look into the subject of celebrity diplomacy, as it is typically labeled in International Relations. Research-based means that students will initially develop their own research agenda by identifying questions that they deem important or worthy of consideration in the context of celebrity diplomacy. They will then develop self-dependently a suitable research strategy to find answers to these questions. Eventually and most importantly, they will conduct the research by implementing the research strategy with the ultimate aim to answer their questions. The lecturer will give support and input whenever needed, requested, or deemed necessary.