The Mansfield Center frequently offers special courses taught by visiting scholars, Mansfield Fellows, and University of Montana staff. Past courses have included Globalization and Overseas Chinese, and Contemporary Issues of Vietnam. Special courses will be announced as offered.

Classes and Majors

The Mansfield Center frequently offers special courses taught by visiting scholars, Mansfield Fellows, and University of Montana staff. Past courses have included Globalization and Overseas Chinese and Contemporary Issues of Vietnam. Special courses will be announced as offered and appear under the class listings MANS 195, 295, 395 and 495.

Regular Courses

GBLD 194: Global Issues and Public Diplomacy, offered intermittently

Offered fall semester, this class provides the rare opportunity to bring the world to Montana through Zoom conversations with global foreign policy leaders. Diplomacy is managing America's relationships with foreign governments, international organizations, and the people of other countries. While we will learn about diplomacy in general, the focus of this class is public diplomacy. Public diplomacy breaks beyond pop culture to inform the world of who we are as Americans. Our nation's foreign policy is only successful if we use public diplomacy to learn about the people outside our borders and understand how they perceive our policies.

This course is part of the Franke Global Leadership Initiative a four-year University of Montana program to prepare students for roles in an increasingly international world. Global Leadership Program courses are only open to students enrolled in the Franke Global Leadership Initiative.

HONR 391: Art of Leadership

Students will learn from diverse perspectives, explore personal concepts of leadership, and exchange ideas and solutions on issues of local and global significance such as public policy, environmental ethics, international relations, and gender equality.

GLBD 291: Global Virtual Exchange

Global Virtual Exchange 1.0 is a one-credit course that provides University of Montana students with an opportunity to engage in citizen diplomacy, learn about a different culture, build skills in intercultural communication, and practice leadership skills. Through the Mansfield Center’s Global PALS “Peers Across Lands Sharing” program, UM students are paired, one-on-one, with a youth leader from Southeast Asia. Students then engage in cultural exchange activities with their designated peer and create group events to increase global awareness across a virtual border.

Defense Critical Language and Culture Courses

The Mansfield Center's Defense Critical Language and Culture Program provides intensive language and culture training for members of the National Guard, Reserve, and Active Duty (all services). These University of Montana courses are developed and delivered through the DCLCP to help students speak the languages and understand the cultures of strategically significant nations in the world at a time when bilateral and multilateral relations are increasingly complex.