Each year Jackson School students work in teams on real-world issues as part of the Donald C. Hellmann Task Force Program, a program that has become a cornerstone of the Jackson School’s undergraduate experience. Task Force is the capstone project undertaken by students in the International Studies Program. Groups of students work with a faculty advisor as a team, within intense time constraints, to produce policy reports about current, international events. The recommendations developed are then evaluated by outside specialists.
This year, Robert J. Pekkanen is serving as Faculty Adviser for the upcoming Task Force he has titled Populism: Global Spread and Policy Implications, which focuses on the modern international context, definition, and potential responses to populism in the world. Specifically, questions are centered on the implications for foreign policy, as well as international economic policy. Sarah Repucci, the Senior Director of Global Publications for Freedom House, will serve as evaluator.
Additionally, R. Pekkanen will be giving a talk entitled Japan as part of the Jackson School’s 2018 Trump in the World lecture called series in on March 27th. (See JSIS calendar for more details.)