Enroll Yourself in Autumn IntroSems with Space Available

IntroSems with Space Available open for self-enrollment in SimpleEnroll the afternoon of September 18th when new students can start to enroll in their other fall classes. Frosh, Sophomores, and New Transfers have priority for open spaces; upper class students should check back after Sept. 18.

All applicants who were admitted to Autumn IntroSems were enrolled by Sept. 16th provided they had space for the seminar units on their study lists and no enrollment holds (excluding New Student Advisement hold).

Autumn, Sophomore, International Relations

INTNLREL 65Q: Soft Power and Geopolitics: the Art of Influence

Application Deadline: August 26

General Education Requirements

Way EDP

Way ER

Course Description

How do countries convince each other to cooperate? What are the nonviolent ways that nation states engage in political and social change? What is Soft Power and how have countries wielded it over time?

Joseph Nye famously stated that “the best propaganda is not propaganda.” This class defines the different aspects of Power, demonstrating the role of culture in shaping policy and public opinion. Analyzing cases from antiquity, to the Cold War, and through the modern era—this course delves into the myriad of ways countries engage in diplomacy, in everyday life.

Class activities range from analyzing Soviet propaganda posters, to reading Japanese Manga, to tracing the impact of Ethiopian Orthodoxy. Students will gain an interdisciplinary understanding of critical geopolitics through the lenses of education, public health, social policy, and the arts. This class will also take field trips within the Bay Area, including a visit to the Silicon Valley African Film Festival.

Meet the Instructor: Hope McCoy

“I am a Lecturer in the COLLEGE program who studies the sociocultural dimensions of development studies, with an emphasis on education, global citizenship, and cultural diplomacy. My research focuses on the ways nations work together (especially countries within the Global South), and the unexpected avenues for social and political change. I am also a two-time Fulbright Award recipient (Russia in 2015, and the British Virgin Islands in 2025). I earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, and a Master’s degree and PhD from UCLA.”