EPIIC is a carefully integrated, multidisciplinary program. Through its innovative and rigorous curricula and projects, EPIIC prepares young people for informed activity in their communities, whether locally, nationally or globally.
Colloquium
At EPIIC's core is the year-long, multidisciplinary course on a global political theme. Undergraduate and graduate students of diverse nationalities, viewpoints, experiences, and interests participate in this rigorous colloquium that stresses critical, analytical, and normative thinking. Students are encouraged to confront the ambiguity and complexity of EPIIC's annual global theme through a multi-disciplinary examination of the issues and controversies that the topic reflects. They are taught the subject under investigation not only by a broad range of distinguished academics and practitioners, but also as active participants in defining the issues through classroom discussions, extensive readings, and independent research. There is an emphasis both on individual progress and on the collaborative effort -- in essence, on growing as an intellectual team. Students produce tangible outcomes of their studies through their individual research papers or projects, the international symposium in late February, and the Inquiry simulation for high-school students in early April.
Symposium
The Norris and Margery Bendetson International EPIIC Symposium is an annual five-day public forum featuring scores of international practitioners, activists, academics, public intellectuals, and journalists. EPIIC's symposia -- consisting of presentations, panel discussions, topical forums, informal gatherings, multimedia and dramatic presentations, and workshops -- are intellectually wide-ranging and accessible. The perspectives of the participants are intentionally diverse, often competing, and at times adversarial.
The 2014-15 EPIIC colloquium will focus on Russia and the international order. The 2015 symposium will be the Institute's 30th annual symposium. More information will be available on these pages soon.
This two-semester effort will attempt to carefully understand Russian society, its culture, its sense of national identity, its economic and political structure, and its strategic imperatives, outlook and foreign policy, as well as the future of its relationship with the U.S.
As part of its EPIIC 2014-2015 Colloquium Russia: In the XXI Century, the Institute for Global Leadership and the EPIIC class hosted the World Boston Ukrainian Delegation.
EPIIC students Caitlin Thompson and Jack Margolin with Garry Kasparov, Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
Carol Saivitz speaks to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Serhii Plokhii speaks on Russia to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium
Mark Kramer speaks to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium
James Hershberg speaks to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Mauricio Artiñano speaks on the United Nations Security Council to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Alex Gladstein speaks on Russia and Human Rights to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
David Kalis speaks on Russia to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
WorldBoston Ukrainian Delegation speaks to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Brigadier General Kevin Ryan speaks on Russia and U.S. Security to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Simon Saradzhyan speaks to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Joshua Rubenstein speaks on Russia and Censorship to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Alexandra Vacroux speaks on the Russian Economy to the 2015 EPIIC Colloquium.
Writer Emily Parker and members of the faculty of the Russian Presidential Academy visited the EPIIC class to discuss the current government and political climate in Russia.
Prof. Oxana Shevel speaking to the EPIIC class on November 13 about challenges in Ukraine.
Ari Axelrod, Senior Fellow for Council on Emerging Market Enterprises at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, speaks to the EPIIC class.
Masha Gessen; Russian-American journalist, author, and activist; speaks to the EPIIC class.
Thomas de Waal shares his expertise on issues in the Caucasus with the EPIIC class.
Mitchell Orenstein, associate of both the Center for European Studies and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, shares his expertise with the EPIIC Class.
Ellen Mickiewicz shares her thoughts on mass media, democratization, and the former Soviet Union with EPIIC students.
Gregory Carleton engages EPIIC students with a dynamic lecture on War Narratives.
