About the Program
The Global Issues Seminars (GIS) are an outreach program of The Fletcher School. The seminars are held two to three times a year. Lectures by Fletcher professors and more pedagogically-oriented sessions by local high school teachers provide an intellectually stimulating day for some 50-60 Boston area high school history teachers.
Current Program
The current year’s program focus is on “Why are We at War?: Lessons Learned, Current Policy and Future Directions in Afghanistan and Iraq”
- Nov. 14, 2009, “Afghanistan: Changing Strategic Objectives”
- Feb. 27, 2010, Iraq: Democracy, Division and Disengagement”
Previous Programs
In past years, the seminars have focused on civil wars, World Wars I and II, the Cold War and the Post-Cold War.
2008-09: "The Politics of the Environment"
- October, 18, 2008: The Global Politics of Water and Climate Change
- February 28, 2009: The Politics of Petroleum
2007-2008: Globalization: Its Impact on the U.S. and the World
- October 27, 2007 - Globalization: The U.S. and the World
- February 5, 2008 - Globalization: Europe and the Americas
- April 5, 2008 - Globalization: Asia's Interaction with the World
2006-2007: Human Rights and Security Issues
- November 4, 2006 - The U.S. as a Case Study
- February 3, 2007 - The Middle East and Africa
- April 7, 2007 - China and Russia
2005-2006: Contemporary World Leaders
- November 5, 2005 - Focus on Europe
- February 4, 2006 - Focus on Africa
- April 1, 2006 - Focus on the Middle East and South Asia
2004-2005: The Post-Cold War Era: New World Disorders and American Responses
- November 6, 2004 - Focus on the Middle East and Central Asia
- February 5, 2005 - Focus on East Asia
- April 2, 2005 - Focus on Latin America
2003-2004: Cold War Personalities and Their Policies
- November 1, 2003 - Part I: Kennedy and Khrushchev
- February 7, 2004 - Part II: Non-Aligned Nations
- April 3, 2004 - Part III: The Final Years
2002-2003: World War II and Its Aftermath
- November 2, 2002: Origins and Early Years of the Cold War
- February 8, 2003: Cold War: The Middle Years
- April 5, 2003: Cold War: The Final Years
2001-2002: Comparative Civil Wars
- Fall 2001: The United States as a Case Study
- Winter 2002: Civil Wars in Europe
- Spring 2002: Civil Wars in Africa
2000-2001: World War I and its Aftermath
- Fall 2000: Guns of August: World War I and Central and Eastern Europe
- Winter 2001: Old Conflicts with Current Echoes
- Spring 2001: The Breakup of Empires
1999-2000: Comparative Revolutions
- November 1999: People, Nations, and Cultures in Revolutionary Change
- February 2000: Revolution from Within: France and Russia
- April 2000: Revolutions in China, Latin America and Africa