News Archive

For a decade, a committee of faculty, students and staff has brought more than 40 diverse exhibitions to Brown’s Watson Institute, amplifying the institute’s mission of promoting a just and peaceful world.

In his first campus visit since taking office, the new U.S. representative described the urgency of confronting domestic terrorism and advised students to take advantage of their proximity to Rhode Island’s elected officials.

Watson Postdoctoral Fellow Genevieve Bates introduces Brown International and Public Affairs students to the concept of "transitional justice."

The Watson Institute hosted the inaugural Digital Trust Summit, which brought together leaders from industry, government and academics to examine the impact of algorithmic data practices on public trust.

Watson Postdoctoral Fellow Carissa Tudor is teaching her popular gender and capitalism seminar for a second consecutive year.

CNN Senior Reporter and Watson Senior Fellow Isaac Dovere is teaching an International and Public Affairs class on politics and the media.

Watson Postdoctoral Fellow Blair Sackett tackles the issue of displacement in her International and Public Affairs seminar.

The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies (CHRHS) and the Center for Middle East Studies (CMES) co-sponsored a teach-in to address the humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria following the earthquakes that began on Feb. 6.

Twenty years later, it is clear that despite U.S. promises of liberation and democracy, the invasion resulted in massive death, destruction and ongoing political instability in Iraq.

In a February 13, 2023, press release, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced the finalists in its Class of 2023 Presidential Management Fellows program.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and its centers, institutes and programs have a dynamic roster of thought-provoking events planned for the spring semester.

These not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real world challenges. Enrollment in each group is limited to 25 students. 

After serving as a U.S. Representative for Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District for 11 terms, James Langevin retired from the House in 2023. Now living full-time in Rhode Island, Langevin has been named a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. 

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the midterm elections, 2022 was indeed newsworthy. This year’s top 10 news stories from the Watson Institute appear below.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs has chosen its latest group of post-doctoral fellows.

Former Ambassador Suzi LeVine ’93 A.B. and Sc.B leads a study group at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs this fall.

In a conversation held at the Watson Institute, the director of “Summer of Soul” shared how he resurrected 50-year-old, never-before-seen Harlem concert footage — and revealed what he left on the cutting room floor.

At a panel discussion following Election Day, political scientists from Brown discussed what the midterms revealed about Americans’ views, traditional polling practices and the two major parties.

Ten Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs master's of public affairs students were selected to work on the Director’s Fellowship Program for the 2022-2023 academic year.

As a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, Theodore “Doc” Shanks has spent years readying people and equipment for airlifts, medical evacuations and humanitarian responses. 

A course in the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs master's of public affairs program aims to teach students how policy is shaped by various factors and how those factors differ—or not—in settings around the world. It also exposes them to the breadth of subject and regional expertise at the Institute by engaging Watson faculty as guest lecturers.

In an event hosted by academic centers at Brown and Columbia universities, researchers discussed how protests in Iran connect with a long freedom struggle and relate to the global fight for women’s bodily autonomy.

This October 12-28, the Center for Middle East Studies will host a series of events marking 60 years of Algeria’s independence.

This fall, the Watson Institute celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and invites members of the community to join us for an opportunity to engage and learn more about the traditions, people, and contributions of Latino/x communities.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs welcomes its latest cohort of officers to its Military Fellows Program.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, its centers, institutes and programs have planned a dynamic roster of thought-provoking events for the fall 2022 semester. Speakers include a wide range of experts – scholars and artists, lawmakers and filmmakers, artists and attorneys – discussing the historical events and current issues societies are grappling with across the globe.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs offers study groups through its Senior Fellows Program. This year's fellows include former Ambassador Suzan (Suzi) LeVine ’93, Leon Rodriguez ’84 and Dr. Arun Seraphin. 

Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real-world challenges. Enrollment in each group is limited to 25 students. 

Professor David Kertzer and his research team delved into the controversial question of Pius XII during WW-II, specifically tackling his failure to publicly condemn the Holocaust.

The Watson Institute’s Climate Solutions Lab is launching a new interactive website called the Climate Opportunity Map.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs welcomes its 2023 Master of Public Affairs cohort.

For top young scholars in the social sciences, the Watson Postdoctoral Fellows Program offers a supportive, diverse intellectual community and valuable teaching experience. It also affords them two years’ worth of an almost priceless resource: time.

David Kertzer recently released a new book published by Random House.

America's social safety net must be restructured.

Building an interdisciplinary network of experts to understand a giant player on the world stage

Graduate Program in Development offers unique training and support for doctoral candidates.

The exhibition “Breaking Out: Immigrant Art from Stewart Detention Center” offers a first-person perspective on life for individuals from the Caribbean, Latin America and beyond, who have been or are currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA.

With a $10 million gift from Parag Saxena and Usha Saxena P’13, P’14, P’15, Brown University will elevate its groundbreaking teaching and research on South Asia and extend its global reach.

When David Wade a graduate of Brown's class of 1997 was approached about designing a course for Watson’s Master of Public Affairs program, the former chief of staff to the U.S. Department of State asked himself: What did he wish he’d be able to study while at Brown?

Join Military Fellow Theodore Shanks for Delivering a Sustainable Future: US Air Force's Role in Climate Change, February 16 at 12 p.m.

Isabel Gates MPA ’22, Fiona Kastel MPA ’21, and LaTausha Rogers MPA ’21 have all been named finalists in the Presidential Management Fellows program. Each finalist then has up to one year to secure their two-year fellowship with the federal government. Each year, the competitive and prestigious program selects only five percent of its applicants as finalists, some 50 to 60 percent of whom become fellows.

These not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real world challenges.