Spring 2026 practitioner-led study groups

How Does Congress Really Work: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 
Rep. Kathy Manning 
Meeting dates are Tuesdays on 02/03, 02/10, 03/10, 03/17 and 03/31 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. 
Registration closes on Thursday, January 30.

This study group will focus on how the U.S. House of Representatives really works and the challenges presented by our current highly charged political environment. In the first session, we will discuss the challenges of getting elected, including gerrymandering, the cost of running, and voter protection/suppression efforts. In the second session, we will explore the practical steps required to get started in Congress — building a staff, choosing caucuses, jockeying for committees, and introducing legislation. In the third session, we will consider how to be an effective representative. We will talk through what the work actually looks like, including meeting with constituents, the role of lobbyists and earmarks or “community projects.” In the fourth session, we will examine how members of Congress get their messages out and whether these methods are effective. Finally, in our fifth session, we will discuss the challenges to making change through Congressional legislation. We will discuss what happens when Congress fails to act on critical issues or gives its authority away to other branches of government. Students will be asked to propose ways Congress can be more effective.

The Role of Courts in Policymaking
Judge William Smith
Meeting dates are Wednesdays on 02/04, 02/18, 03/04, 03/18, 04/01 and 04/15 from 11:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m.
Registration closes on Thursday, January 30.

The study of public policymaking in the United States typically focuses on the roles of the executive and legislative branches of government. Yet, the judicial branch plays a major, but often less well-understood, role in policymaking. The process of how litigation and the courts shape public policy is the topic of this study group. The goal is to give students an appreciation for how the American legal system is structurally designed to utilize litigation to make law and policy; how policymakers in the legislative and executive branches interact with the courts in an iterative process that has evolved dramatically over the last 70 years; the roles of lawyers and judges in the litigation and policymaking process; and the benefits and limitations of public interest and class action litigation. We will explore this topic through readings and by meeting with prominent academics, judges and lawyers.

Fighting with Allies: Alliances, Coalitions, Proxies in Conflicts post-1989 
J. Liam Wasley 
Meeting dates are Thursdays on 02/12, 02/26, 03/05, 03/19 and 04/02 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. 
Registration closes on Tuesday, February 10.

The post-1989 peace dividend looked nothing like what people expected. The three decades since the end of the U.S.-Soviet Cold War have been characterized by near-constant, medium-intensity conflict. In no case has the U.S. faced an adversary alone. From Iraq to the Balkans, the Global War on Terror, and now in Ukraine, tools that were built for a specific, conventional war in Europe, i.e., NATO, were retooled for a myriad of other missions. In other cases, bespoke coalitions, including a huge range of actors, have come together to address specific adversaries or challenges. This study group will look at the complexity of collective action in today’s rapidly transforming world. We will examine the politics and management of these alliances and coalitions, and discuss how the politics of alliance unity affects options on the ground and, conversely, how some of the military choices have implications for Ally or partner governments.

U.S. Diplomacy: From Policy to Practice
Laurel Rapp ‘06
Meeting dates are 02/02, 02/03, 02/06, 03/13, 03/14 and 03/16 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. 
Registration closes on Monday, February 23.

This study group explores the role of diplomacy in the United States’ national security toolkit, drawing on perspectives from senior policy practitioners, primary sources from government, as well as scholarship from think tanks and academia.  Over five sessions, course participants gain a better understanding of how foreign policy is developed, debated, and implemented; analyze the United States’ evolving role in the world; and build practical skills for exerting influence within large organizations.  Participants explore the unique capabilities and limitations of diplomacy, the interplay between domestic politics and U.S. foreign policy, and the future of diplomacy.  While policymaking from Washington will be the primary focus, the sessions also integrate comparative examples from other countries, including the People’s Republic of China. 

Students interested in learning more about the actors and institutions that shape foreign policy (session 1), grand strategy (session 2), the contest to shape the next global order (session 3), American economic statecraft (session 4), and influence in large organizations and careers in diplomacy (session 5) are encouraged to attend.