News Archive

The fall of 2023 will bring renowned human rights lawyer Malika Saada Saar and former U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin to the Watson Institute as senior fellows who will lead student study groups, along with an array of practitioners who will focus on issues relevant to first-generation and low-income college students.

A new Art at Watson exhibition, "Andrew Nixon: Inventions and Discoveries," opens September 4, 2023, on the first floor of Stephen Robert '62 Hall at 280 Brook Street. An artist talk will be followed by a reception on September 26, 2023, in room 101 of 280 Brook Street at 5:00 p.m.

The start of Brown's new fiscal year on July 1, 2023, brought a number of leadership changes to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and its centers.

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. 

Entering its fourth year, the Climate Solutions Lab has an ambitious plan to expand on its mission to create and distribute solution-oriented climate knowledge at Brown and across the world.

Brown University hosted its inaugural Warrior-Scholar Project Humanities Academic Boot Camp at Watson from June 17-24 with the aid of three Watson-affiliated faculty. The rigorous week-long program is designed to ease the transition between military and academic life for U.S. veterans and active service members.

A team of researchers led by Brown University Associate Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs Rob Blair studied a crime intervention in Cali, Colombia, and found little evidence to support the idea that military policing reduces crime.

The Watson Institute announced its undergraduate awards. The awards recognize academic excellence and provide funding for student research.

Many 2023 graduates of the Watson Institute's Master of Public Affairs program have already accepted jobs in government, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits and industry where they can use their public policy expertise in impactful and fulfilling careers.

Lyn Crost Professor of Social Sciences, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Sociology Patrick Heller received the Graduate School’s Faculty Award for Advising and Mentoring at the University Awards Ceremony on May 1, 2023.

Disbursements from the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence will strengthen libraries at nine PPSD high schools and enable local middle schoolers to decide how their school spends $100,000.

Undergraduate Research and Teaching Awards (UTRAs) support Brown students collaborating with Brown faculty on research projects and are integral to research being conducted at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

As Brown celebrates its 255th Commencement, Kathryn Thompson and Hamidou Sylla will address their peers in separate Ph.D. and master’s ceremonies on College Hill on Sunday, May 28.

This year's outgoing Watson Military Fellows cohort reflects on their experience at Brown.

Watson Senior Fellow and former U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin recently hosted Gen. Paul Nakasone, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, for a "fireside chat" on cybersecurity. 

Co-authored by researchers at Brown and Providence’s Refugee Dream Center, the report includes passages from 32 interviews with Afghan refugees and offers eight recommendations for leaders involved in resettlement.

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.