The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington welcomed its premiere cohort of Ph.D. students to campus last week.
The inaugural class consists of scholars and practitioners in areas such as Chinese military diplomacy and human rights intervention in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. Saadia Pekkanen, Ph.D. program director, said, “They are helping us reshape and redefine the boundaries of international studies in concert with area studies in a way that is really not being done anywhere else.”
The JSIS Ph.D. program combines four foundational fields with world-renowned expertise in area studies. Students tailor the program to their own research interests.
Ph.D. candidates develop deep knowledge of areas in the context of specific contemporary global themes, policy challenges and real-world problems.
Jackson School Director Reşat Kasaba said the Ph.D. program trains students to deal with the complex problems of the world. “Our curriculum combines deep knowledge of major world regions with an interdisciplinary skill set,” he said. “We provide an excellent preparation for an engaged and productive life as a global citizen.”