This January, 16 graduate students from a range of disciplines participated in the Harvard Kennedy School field study course, Frontline Humanitarian Negotiations in the Middle East (IGA-353M) with support from the Middle East Initiative. Designed to examine strategic and practical approaches for navigating the challenges of the most complex political and humanitarian issues in the Middle East, this year's course explored the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Based in the Old City of Jerusalem, students traveled throughout Israel and Palestine conducting interviews with the main actors of recent and emblematic humanitarian negotiations. Students led meetings with United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, health care providers, political and military officials, and representatives from the global community to gain a comprehensive understanding of this unique political and geographic context.
This presentation will give students the opportunity to share their experience with the broader Harvard community and discuss course methodology, trends identified through engagement with on-the-ground stakeholders and activists, the evolution of our group perspective, and the importance of field study experiences to enhance academic study.
The event will moderated by course leader, Claude Bruderlein, a Middle East Initiative Faculty Affiliate and Senior Advisor to the President, International Committee for the Red Cross.
Student Participants
Canice Ahearn
Brittany Card
Gabrielle Chefitz
Alex Clark
Liz Coffin-Karlin
Megan Isaac
Lyndon James
Christy Lowe
Ariana Marnicio
Jack Pead
Kim Quarantello
Ziad Reslan
William Seligman
Anna Thomas
Jillian Turner
Nina Yang
