Class Schedule:

Monday, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Based on a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, the city diplomacy course is designed to offer a general introduction to the international role of cities. Through an innovative approach cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines (international relations, urban sociology, area studies, history, geography), the course will combine the emerging scholarly literature with a comparative accent linked to the analysis of primary sources from cities and international actors from all regions of the world. As a result, students will learn to connect global and regional macro-dynamics with micro-transformations at the local level, while gaining an in-depth understanding of city diplomacy's core features, management, tangible impact, and evolution.

This course is approved as a Global Core at Columbia.

This course has previously included visits of the Hôtel de Ville de Paris (City Hall) and the Centre des arts d'Enghien-les-Bains. Excursions for Spring 2026 will be confirmed at the beginning of the semester and are subject to availability.

City Diplomacy (Global Core)