Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Analyze global conflict and defend a foreign-policy position in this 2-week program for high school students on Georgetown University’s campus.
Course Description
Why do states cooperate in some moments and compete in others? Students are introduced to nations as actors in an international system and to the forces shaping their choices. Core concepts include anarchy, power, authority, levels of analysis, balance of power, and the theories used to explain conflict and cooperation.
Historical and current cases give the concepts weight. Students consider nuclear deterrence, the World Wars, the Cold War, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, international organizations, and global environmental issues. Readings and discussion ask them to compare explanations rather than treat one account as complete.
A foreign-policy discussion assignment turns analysis into advocacy. Working in groups or individually, students represent a political actor, use data to construct a coherent position, and present that argument persuasively. Final assessment and reflection ask them to connect concepts, evidence, and communication while recognizing the interests and constraints different actors face.
This two-week course takes place at Georgetown University. The course is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study or pursue next. The program is developed by Georgetown University and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
What Will You Do?
• Apply levels of analysis to an international event
• Compare theories of conflict, power, and cooperation
• Examine balance of power and nuclear deterrence
• Analyze the role of international organizations
• Investigate a global environmental or security issue
• Build and present a data-supported foreign-policy position
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Use international-relations concepts to explain state behavior
• Compare competing interpretations of a global conflict or policy problem
• Construct and defend a coherent foreign-policy argument using evidence
Students leave with a completed policy discussion project and a stronger framework for interpreting global events and institutions.
Why International Relations Skills Matter?
International relations helps students analyze events that rarely have a single cause. Levels of analysis separate individual leaders, domestic politics, and the international system, while theories highlight different explanations for power, institutions, and cooperation. Students learn to compare frameworks against evidence.
Representing a political actor also develops perspective-taking without requiring agreement. Students must identify interests, constraints, and likely responses, then communicate a position responsibly. These habits support research, civic understanding, and future study in politics, history, economics, law, or global affairs.
Who Should Attend?
This course is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and follow world events or are interested in politics, history, diplomacy, conflict, environmental issues, or international organizations. It suits students who want analytical tools for understanding why global actors make different choices.
Participants should be ready to read, discuss contested events, work with classmates, use data, and represent a perspective they may not personally hold. Respectful debate and willingness to compare explanations are essential.
Recommended by More Than 4 out of 5 Students
Based on students surveyed in 2026 about Summer Discovery High School programs at Georgetown University campus.
Why Georgetown University?
Studying international relations on Georgetown University’s campus places students in Washington, D.C., where embassies, diplomatic missions, policy organizations, and the institutions of U.S. foreign affairs shape conversations across the city. This environment gives geopolitics and diplomacy a concrete backdrop, helping students connect theories of power, negotiation, security, and global cooperation to a place where those questions are debated every day.
Students learn alongside peers with similar interests, navigate a new environment, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class helps them experience the broader rhythm of university life while considering which regions, issues, and possible directions hold their attention. For families, the program offers substantive academic exploration, personal growth, and clearer insight into whether international affairs, policy, government, economics, or diplomacy may deserve deeper study.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive