Discussion questions
POL 151 colleagues—On Monday, November 13, we will have a guest speaker, a retired US diplomat, who will talk to us about the US Department of State and the diplomatic instrument of national power. In preparation for class, explore the State Department website and respond to the tasks.
TASK #1: Who is the Secretary of State? What is the mission of the Department of State?
TASK #2: Explore the “Policy Issues” part of the website. Briefly describe what State is doing in two policy issue areas.
TASK #3: Explore the “Political Affairs” section in the “What We Do” part of the website. Describe the work of one of the geographical bureaus (e.g., Bureau of African Affairs) or the Bureau of International Organization Affairs. (Note: Links to the bureaus are on the left side of the “Political Affairs” section.)
TASK #4: List three questions you would like to ask our guest speaker about the State Department and how it supports US national security policy.
