Georgetown Semester in Jakarta

Gain valuable, hands-on experience in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges through a semester abroad at Georgetown School of Foreign Service (SFS) Asia Pacific in Jakarta.

Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific was created to meet the challenges of the Global South and the Asia Pacific. Designed for students in the SFS two-year master’s programs, the Semester in Jakarta is centered on immersive policy courses, offering you the chance to develop actionable solutions for the Global South’s most critical issues.

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Graduate global experiences

Overview

Eligibility

Students enrolled in a two-year SFS master’s degree

Duration

Fall semester

Available credits

Up to12 credits

Contact

robert.lyons@georgetown.edu

Why take a semester abroad in Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific?

A semester immersed in Asia is the best way for you to experience firsthand the dynamism of the region while acquiring the skills and networks to continue an international career.

The Asia Pacific region has long been at the crossroads of history, but in the 21st century, it has taken on renewed importance in the global economy. Asia’s “Ring of Fire” is more than a metaphor: the region is a bubbling cauldron of new policy ideas, alliances, technologies and ways to confront the world’s challenges.

Indonesia, where Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific is located, is the world’s fourth largest country, its third largest democracy, saw the second most rapid reduction in poverty and is one of the top global centers for tropical and marine biodiversity. Yet it is also a country that must deal with inequality, rapid deforestation and other externalities that face other growing middle-income countries. Spending a semester in Indonesia, you will be immersed in a hands-on experience with all the complexities confronting policymakers in the Global South.

Opportunities during the semester in Jakarta

While taking a semester abroad in Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific, you can:

Join the immersive policy courses
Conduct directed policy research
Take Jakarta-based courses from the Master in Diplomacy and International Affairs (MDIA) on international relations, political economics and diplomacy

Immersive policy courses

Immersive policy courses provide an experiential learning environment that bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world practice.

Each course is taught by an experienced practitioner in the field who has personal experience implementing policy ideas. In these courses, you will assume the role of policy researchers, collaborating with policymakers and practitioners to develop practical solutions for real-world problems.

Benefits of the immersive policy courses

Real-world impact: Contribute to projects influencing policy and practice.
Collaborative learning: Work alongside a diverse team of experts, policymakers, and peers, gaining different perspectives that enhance your approach to problem-solving.
Skill development: Build critical skills in building and managing real-world development projects.
Career preparation: Graduate with a portfolio of applied work and the confidence to lead in international affairs.

Fall semester courses

Mining, minerals and management

Virtually no issue today causes more controversy than mining of critical minerals. This course takes a 360-degree look at the economic, technological, political, social and environmental issues surrounding mining and critical minerals development in Asia. Students will visitlarge and small mines, processing sites, activists and mine managers in Indonesia.

Blue ecology

Gain hands-on understanding of coastal fisheries as ecological, economic and cultural systems. You will learn about the sustainability of coastal fisheries, the constraints of artisanal production, equity along the value chain and how to set priorities for effective intervention. Field trips include appreciative inquiry with fisher communities and optional snorkeling or scuba diving (a required PADI certification will be offered).

Social protection system

This course will review the overall logic of social protection systems and dive into the technical aspects. The class will also conduct field visits in Indonesia to see firsthand how what sounds good in theory does not always work well in practice. Guest lectures by social protection researchers and practitioners from the government, experts from UNICEF and around the globe will give students a 360-degree view of how social policy gets made and assessed.

Livable cities

Asia’s dynamic metropolis must reconcile the colonial legacies of the 19th and 20th centuries with the technical and planning challenges of the 21st century. This course walks students through the core principles of urban planning in Asia, covering urban policy, urban planning, transport economics, service provision and urban environmental management.

Geopolitics, investment and trade

Enhance your understanding of global and regional trade and investment patterns, as well as the impact of geopolitics on these patterns, from the perspective of the Asia-Pacific region. As a student, you will practice using analytical models of trade and investment agreements, understanding political economy trade-offs and drafting economic policy documents.

Directed policy lab research

Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific also offers a 3-credit directed policy lab research course, which includes directed readings and field research under the guidance of our senior faculty.

This is a unique chance to get hands-on mentoring and on-site support for independent studies such as capstones, dissertations or joining an ongoing research program. Directed reading and fieldwork can, in principle, be done anywhere in the Asia Pacific region.

Note: Admission is contingent upon approval from the proposed supervisor and your home faculty.