Concentrations at SAIS: Middle East Studies

Photo taken in Morocco
by Nicolo' Lanciotti BC11/DC12

The Middle East Studies Program offers a comprehensive approach to the study of the region. It covers topics such as failing states, political transitions, economic development, state-to-state conflict and nuclear proliferation, as well as religions, ethnicity, and tribalism.

Middle East Studies courses take a historical and theoretical approach to study of regional issues and topics. A few courses focus on particular countries, such as Iran and Egypt, but most explore broad regional or topical questions. The geographic range spans from Morocco to Iran to Turkey to Somalia.

Students at SAIS Europe have the opportunity to learn Arabic while taking courses such as Twin Pillars of the Gulf, Political Leadership of the Middle East, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. 

This semester alone, SAIS Europe has hosted lectures on the region by Anis Nacour, Chargé d'Affaires, European Union Delegation to Syria and Gary Sick, former White House aide for Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis.

SAIS Europe’s close proximity to the Middle East provides students with the option of learning about the region through first-hand experience. In past years, students in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict course have traveled to Israel and the Palestinian territories with Professor Del Sarto. Here is a post on the trip.

This past weekend, a group of students traveled to Morocco, while plans are in the works for some students to travel to Egypt, Turkey, and Israel during Winter Break.

For further exposure to the Middle East, SAIS Europe students can participate in the Arabic Language and Food Club. The club was started by four students from various concentrations because of a large demand for more opportunities to learn about the region's culture, food, and music.

Below, Samine Joudat, an M.A. student at SAIS Europe concentrating in Middle East Studies, discusses why he chose his concentration:

The Middle East Studies program at SAIS is amazing in both breadth and rigor. I was initially an American Foreign Policy student, but was convinced to change when I saw the value of our MES program. 

The hiring of Middle East expert Vali Nasr as the Dean coupled with the ongoing events in the Middle East has made the MES program a huge focus at SAIS. 

The professors, the range of classes, the rigor of the requirements in both history and current issues, alongside SAIS's outstanding language program (where you can learn Farsi or Arabic) make the MES one of the best in the IR community.

Chelsea Boorman
SAIS Europe 2015

Catching Up: Midterms and Life Beyond Studying

The first application deadline for Fall 2015 admission to SAIS is Saturday, November 15. 


On November 28, there will be an Open Day. If you are near Bologna, do consider coming to visit us. Open Day is a great way to an insight into SAIS and SAIS Europe.

Below, Chelsea Boorman, tells us what has been going on at SAIS Europe lately.

A lot has happened at SAIS Europe over the last couple of weeks.

Mid-terms are almost behind us. All of us students have been busy reviewing material and forming study groups to get through the papers and exams in economics, core and elective courses and languages.

It's nice to experience first-hand that in times of stress, the SAIS Europe community collaborates to help each other get through the tough times.

In the midst of these hectic two weeks, I realized that life is about balance; in grad school, it's about finding a balance between academics and extra-curricular activities.

In that spirit, here's a taste of what we've been doing apart from studying:

Celebrating Halloween

A group of SAIS Europe students organized a fantastic Halloween party to the theme of Dante's Inferno in Palazzo Gnudi, a former palace in Bologna dating to the 1600s. Students dressed as butchers, murderers, pieces of fruit, farm animals, local Bolognesi and pop-culture/historical figures according to Dante's circles of hell, and then competed for eternal glory in a costume contest judged by Director Michael Plummer and Professors Erik Jones and Marco Cesa. 

Photo by Maximilian Beck

Photo by Maximilian Beck

Photo by Maximilian Beck

Club Fair

Students attended the Student Government Association's Club Fair in October in hopes of honing or developing a new passion. A sampling of the clubs included: the South Asian Cultural Club, Cities & Development Group, Running and Cycling Clubs, Gastrodiplomacy, and Careers in Consulting.

Photo by Grace West

Lectures by BIPR

The Bologna Institute for Policy Research hosted some very interesting lectures in the past few weeks. These included talks by Professor David Ellwood on "Power, Modernity and Identity in Bologna: From the Cold War to Eataly" and Jane Puglierin, Program Officer for the German Council on Foreign Relations, on "NATO and the Ukranian Crisis."

Weekend Trips

We are in Italy, after all. Some SAIS students took advantage of our location and took a weekend trip to Mantua where they indulged in the fall colors, fruit markets, pumpkin ravioli, and the welcoming Italian people. Rumors are that some students are traveling to San Marino, Morocco, and Bucharest next weekend...

Photo by Anthony Gonzalez

Chelsea Boorman
(SAIS Europe 2015)

Admissions: Open Day at SAIS Europe and upcoming online information sessions

On November 28, SAIS Europe will open its doors to prospective students. 

During the day, visitors will meet professors, current students and staff members. It is a great opportunity to get gain insight into SAIS.

There are lots of graduate programs in international relations and choosing the right ones to apply to is not easy. Open Day helps in understanding whether SAIS is the right fit for you.

Visitors can ask questions to professors and to students. Professors will talk about the different programs available at SAIS and members of the Student Government Association (SGA) will be available to answer questions on their experience.

Visitors will be able to attend a class or two. Prof. David Unger, adjunct professor of American Foreign Policy and long time member of the New York Times Editorial Board, will teach his course on the Emergency State; Prof. Edmund Amann will teach his course on the Economics of Latin America.

In addition, there will be Q&A sessions with Career Services, Student Services and Admissions.

For those coming from neighbouring European countries, several budget airlines fly to Bologna.

Some current students have offered to host visitors. If you are interested in staying with a current student, please send an email to aabdiuahab@jhu.edu 

If you plan on attending, we would kindly ask you to register here so that we can be sure to have a welcome pack for everyone and we know how many people we should expect at lunch time and at the Happy Hour at the end of the day.

We understand that most of our prospective applicants live far from Bologna and may not be able to attend. For this purpose, we plan on running a post on the questions that are asked during Open Day shortly after the event.

Moreover, in coming weeks, we will hold a few online information sessions. These sessions are another great way to learn more about SAIS. To connect, you will need a computer and an internet connection.

We have changed the times of the sessions to accommodate as many people as possible in different time zones. Below are the details to connect. You should enter the virtual meeting room as a "guest".

- November 10 at noon Italian time (1100 GMT) 
  Link to connect: https://connect.johnshopkins.edu/r88oxagxggr/

- November 21 at 6 pm Italian time (1700 GMT or noon EST)
  Link to connect: https://connect.johnshopkins.edu/r563ihx7wsk/

- December 5 at 6 pm Italian time (1700 GMT or noon EST)
  Link to connect: https://connect.johnshopkins.edu/r1ixyuec52a/

You can reach us and get information on SAIS also via Skype (jhubc.admissions), via email sais.eu.admissions@jhu.edu or by phone +39 051 2917 849.

Amina Abdiuahab

Concentrations at SAIS: Strategic Studies

The study of national security issues at SAIS dates back to the founding of the school in 1943. The Strategic Studies (STRAT) concentration specifically explores the relationship between politics and the many kinds of military power, but also includes work in closely related fields such as intelligence, cyber war, and leadership studies.

Students at SAIS Europe concentrating in STRAT familiarize themselves with diverse approaches to strategic thought from both Western and Asian perspectives. They gain this knowledge through panel discussions, student clubs, travel opportunities, and coursework such as Strategy and Policy, East Asian Security, Alliances and International Relations, and Thucydides on War. STRAT concentrators in Bologna have the opportunity to visit World War II sites and attend security conferences in Europe.

Olga Belogolova reporting in Congress (2013)

Olga Belogolova is a Strategic Studies concentrator at SAIS Europe. Below, she discusses why she chose Bologna and her specific field of study.

My interest in the Strategic Studies concentration at SAIS stems from my reporting background, my interaction with SAIS alumni and military personnel in Washington D.C., and my personal interest in national security.

Over the last four years, I have worked as a reporter covering energy policy and defense budget in D.C., interviewing policy makers and military officials in Congress and at the Pentagon.

As someone who was born in Ukraine and speaks Russian, I am further interested in pursuing a career of advancing U.S. security interests through an understanding of the Eurasian sphere.

Beyond this background, my time in Washington has also allowed me to meet a number of SAIS students and alumni, who have spoken enthusiastically about SAIS and specifically about the Strategic Studies program.

Spending my first year in Bologna, Italy gives me the opportunity to develop a better grasp of the transatlantic relationship, integral to U.S. national security. And, well, why not spend a year in Italy?

As someone who's lived in Washington for the last four years, I understand the value of getting away from the grind and getting some perspective (with the added benefit of living in the food capital of Italy).

Olga Belogolova
(SAIS Europe 2015)

Admissions: Writing the Analytical Essay

Most graduate programs in international affairs ask applicants to submit a statement of purpose. SAIS goes one step further and asks its applicants to additionally submit an analytical essay.

Below, I've outlined some tips on tackling this essay.

Choosing a Topic
The topic for the analytical essay is completely up to you. The only requirement is that it be related to international relations and under 600 words.

So, how do you choose a topic? Below are three options you can consider:

1. Write about what you know: Leverage your previous experiences to write on a subject you've already worked on or studied.

2. Write about what you want to know: Maybe you don't have an international relations background. In that case, you'll have to do a little more research to define a topic and an argument.
If you're completely unsure of what to write about, a good way to develop a theme is to look at SAIS' policy concentrations as "umbrellas" under which you can narrow your topic: International Economics, American Foreign Policy, Conflict Management, International Law, Strategic Studies, and Energy & the Environment.

Or, take a look at the SAIS course offerings on the Integrated Student Information System. Read the descriptions of classes that sound interesting and begin researching a specific topic.

3. Weave together options 1 and 2:

Valerie Tan, an M.A. student from the Philippines concentrating in International Development, went with option 3. In her essay, she discussed the issues faced by refugees. Understanding issues of migration and the systems in place to deal with those problems is why Valerie wanted to go to grad school, and so it was fitting for her to choose it as her essay topic. Not only was it a way for her to demonstrate her academic interest, but it was a way for her to unpack the challenges of a sector she hopes to work in after SAIS.

Having lived in many places, she has often been branded as "international" or as an expat. This identity, and her experience living in the U.S. on a student visa, also influenced her topic choice. Valerie's essay stood out to the admissions committee because it seamlessly weaved her personal connection to the topic with a high level of professionalism and analysis. Read her essay here.

Making an Argument
The admissions committee wants to see how you structure your thoughts into a coherent essay rather than what type of argument you make. Don't feel as if you have to write something profound. As applicants, you're not expected to have all the answers to the world's problems -- that's why you need a SAIS education!

Structuring your Argument
It's okay to use the first person. If you read Valerie's essay, you'll see that she used the first person POV. That's OK -- just remember to keep the framework of the essay analytical. I too brought in a personal narrative into my essay, but doing so is not necessary.

Write from the "bottom up": Many people make their strongest argument at the end of the essay, but with only 600 words to work with, bringing your main argument to the top will strengthen the analysis.

Concluding your Essay
What's the relevance of your topic? Why should the international community care? This should have been addressed at the beginning of your essay in some way, but ending with a statement on the relevance of your topic to the future of foreign affairs will give the reader something extra to think about.


Good luck!

Chelsea Boorman
(SAIS Europe 2015)

Concentrations at SAIS: Energy, Resources and Environment (ERE)

The Energy, Resources and Environment Program (ERE) is one of the largest and fastest growing programs at SAIS Europe.

Students in this concentration take both energy and environment courses, giving them the knowledge of the deep links between the two areas. An understanding of the "iron triangle" of energy, water and food security, the threats posed by global climate change, and possible solutions to these daunting problems, is a critical component of the ERE graduate's tool kit.

Studying ERE in Europe has its advantages. For one, students get to learn from professors with a unique set of international experiences related to energy and the environment.

Dr. Manfred Hafner, a visiting professor from the International Energy Masters program at Sciences-Po Paris with experience in energy security and technologies in Europe, Russia and the Middle East, is teaching this semester's course on Politics & Economics of International Energy.

Next semester, Dr. Kenneth Keller, former director of SAIS Europe and current senior adjunct professor of science and technology policy, will be teaching a course on Science, Technology & International Affairs.

Waleed Khoury

Students studying ERE in Bologna are well connected to the program in D.C. Waleed Khoury, a current M.A. student at SAIS, is the ERE Student Liaison in Bologna. His main role is relaying the interests of the Bologna ERE cohort to the program based in D.C., and then interfacing between the D.C. and SAIS Europe centers to facilitate a fulfillment of those interests.

According to M.A. student Brianna Lazerwitz, studying ERE in Bologna also allows students to discover new paths within the concentration.

Brianna Lazerwitz

"Before coming to SAIS, my main interests in ERE were with water-related issues. I didn't expect to discover that I'm also interested in energy and risk analysis, which I credit to the Politics & Economics of International Energy and Risk in International Political Economy courses offered in Bologna. Being here has let me explore IR and other academic interests that I can then tie into my focus in ERE in D.C., and into a career after graduation."

To learn more about the ERE concentration and its requirements, visit the program's webpage.

Careers: Making Financial Moves in London

The M.A. program at SAIS is, above all else, a professional development program.

To give its students the best advantage in a competitive job market, Career Services organizes sector-specific treks to cities across the world. At SAIS Europe, those include visits to London, Brussels and Geneva.

On these treks, students are given the opportunity to visit employer sites, hear alumni speak about their careers and gain insight into the hiring requirements of some of the program's top employers.

Last week, students traveled to London to meet with employers working in finance.

Read what Carlotta Munini, an Energy, Resources and Environment (ERE) concentrator at SAIS Europe, has to say about her experience as one of the participants:

The London Finance Career Trek is one of the unique opportunities SAIS offers. Those of us with a strong passion for the financial sector had the opportunity to visit the world's leading financial institutions for two days. 

As "temporary insiders" we were able to approach and engage with some of the SAIS alumni that hold prestigious positions in these institutions. 

The alumni were always excited to address our questions and concerns regarding their jobs, the challenges they face every day and the working opportunities within the field. Getting such straightforward and honest answers was crucial in helping us develop a more accurate idea of what working in the financial field means.

The next career trek planned for SAIS Europe students takes place in Geneva and will focus on UN agencies, trade-and environment-related organizations, think tanks and non-profits.