New International and Public Affairs DUG leaders aim to foster community within the concentration

Adetunji and Lac said one of the roles of DUG leaders is to clarify Watson's structure for new concentrators. "The fact that Watson brings together faculty from many different departments isn't always evident to new IAPA concentrators," said Lac. Adetunji said, "It's up to us to serve as liaisons and work on that communication with professors in different departments." Adetunji added that while it occasionally poses challenges, "There is a beauty in the fact that a lot of the professors associated with Watson are in different departments. There are so many things IAPA encompasses and so many opportunities available to undergraduates."

According to Lac, outreach from the DUG is one of the keys to helping students navigate the concentration. "We're expanding our social media presence because that's a big way that students at Brown get their information," she said. Adetunji said the other key is in-person contact between concentrators. "One of our initiatives this school year is to put a face to what the DUG is and what Watson is," she said. "Whether that be through in-person speaker series or mentorship engagement between current concentrators and perspective concentrators, having that in-person interaction allows people to have a clearer view of what Watson does and what resources are available to concentrators." One area Adetunji says mentorship can benefit new concentrators is to reduce anxiety about choosing a track. All IAPA concentrators must choose between three tracks of specialization: development, policy and governance, and security. "I was concerned that whatever track I chose would be set in stone and be really rigid," she said. "But I've found that even though I've chosen the policy and governance track, I've had opportunities to take coursework in the development track and the security track as well. I don't feel confined by my choice," she added.

Another area where student mentors can help, according to Lac, is by introducing newer concentrators to the opportunities that interdisciplinary study can offer. "When I started, I was completely in the dark about what interdisciplinary means and how it informs learning at Watson," she said. "I thought I was just going to take a bunch of classes with political scientists, but Watson encompasses so much more than that." "We have practitioners leading courses who have spent their entire careers in Congress or the private sector, and they bring that practical knowledge to our classes," said Lac. "I think those are really valuable learning opportunities. I didn't know that Brown or Watson offered that in my first year. The more I learned about Watson, the more I realized that it is so much more than what I expected it to be," she said.

Adetunji and Lac said they also want IAPA concentrators to be aware of Watson's practitioner-led study groups. "I wish I had known about Watson study groups my first year," said Lac. "I want to take advantage of all the knowledge that is here in my short time at Brown, and these groups offer unique learning opportunities from people who are leaders in their field." "Last semester, I took Congressman James Langevin's cybersecurity study group, and that was amazing," she said.

Practitioner-led study groups for the Spring 2024 semester will be led by 1990 Brown graduate Edward Luce, who serves as an editor and columnist for the Financial Times, YouTube's Global Head of Human Rights Malika Saada Saar, a 1992 Brown graduate, and documentary filmmaker Vera Krichevskaya.

Adetunji and Lac said a bigger goal of theirs for the DUG is to help make IAPA feel welcoming to everyone. "People in DUG leadership come from many different backgrounds and all of the different tracks," said Adetunji. "There are very few IAPA concentrators that are on the exact same path," added Lac, "we want the DUG to help everyone feel welcome."