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Robert F. Byrnes
Russian and East European Institute

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  • REEI in Austria: The 2018 Milton Wolf Seminar

REEI in Austria: The 2018 Milton Wolf Seminar

By: Megan Burnham

Friday, June 29, 2018

Students and faculty smile while in Austria
Megan Burnham (Left-Middle Row) with her fellow Emerging Scholars and MA students. The photo was captured by Angus Robertson (Bottom Right), former BBC Correspondent and Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party.

As part of a series launched in 2001, Milton Wolf Seminars are organized yearly at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna to encourage dialogue on issues of diplomacy and journalism. The seminars are jointly sponsored by the Diplomatic Academy, the Austrian American Foundation, and University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. Attendees are drawn from a wide variety of sectors and organizations, and around 10 graduate students are selected from a pool of applicants annually to present their research as Emerging Scholars. My application was one selected for the Emerging Scholars program, which provided me with the opportunity this April to travel to Vienna and participate in this forum with other experts and inquisitive scholars.

The theme of the Milton Wolf Seminar varies every year, and the 2018 theme was “Public Diplomacy in Moments of Geopolitical Transformation.” In contrast to traditional diplomacy’s state-to-state exchanges, public diplomacy focuses its strategies on the public opinions of foreign audiences. This was a particularly engaging theme for a Russian Studies student, as many of the panels and discussions centered on Russia’s information operations and use of propaganda in the near and far abroad. Two contributors to this discussion included Igor Roskladaj, a lawyer at Kiev’s Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law who spoke on Ukraine’s efforts to combat recent Russian propaganda, and Konstantin von Eggert, a journalist at TV Dozhd who spoke on Russian media practices. As part of the requirements of being selected an Emerging Scholar, I also contributed to this theme with a presentation on Russian information operations in Estonia and Latvia.

The atmosphere of the Milton Wolf Seminar was warm and engaging, providing a wonderful opportunity to network with and learn from a variety of experts and emerging academics on media and diplomacy. The productive discussions of the Seminar continued beyond the panels and into tea breaks and evening activities held at the residence of the Deputy US Chief of Mission and a local Viennese heurigen. Emerging Scholars receive complimentary airfare and accomodations in exchange for contributing to the Seminar through short presentations and blog posts. Applications for the 2019 Seminar will open in January.

Megan Burnham is a first year M.A. student and RSW Fellow. For more information, please visit the Milton Wolf website: https://miltonwolfseminar.wordpress.com/emerging-scholars-program/

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Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies

  • About
    • Director's message
    • Affiliate Faculty
    • Visiting Faculty and Scholars
    • Staff
    • Graduate Students
    • Regions of Study
    • About Bloomington
  • Undergraduate
    • REEI Minor & Language Certificate
    • REEI Area Studies Certificate
    • 4+1 Pathways
    • Polish Studies Minor
    • Courses
    • Advising
    • IU Funding Opportunities
    • Funding Opportunities
    • External Funding
    • Summer Language Study at IU
    • Study Abroad
    • Student Experience
    • Career Preparation
      • Career Advising
  • Graduate
    • Degrees
    • 4+1 Pathways
    • Courses
    • Academic Opportunities
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Summer Language Study
    • Study Abroad
    • Student Experience
    • Essays & Dissertations
    • Career Preparation
      • Career Resources
      • Job Placements
      • Internships
    • How to Apply
      • FAQs
  • Outreach & Resources
    • RUSSIA'S ATTACK ON UKRAINE: RESOURCES
    • Pre K and K-12 Education
    • Resource Library
    • IU Library Research Guides for Russian and East European Studies
    • Russian Studies Workshop
    • Other Resources at IU
  • Alumni & Giving
    • Giving Opportunities
    • Get Involved
  • News & Events
    • Institute News
    • Calendar of Events
    • Language Conversation Hours
    • Past Events
    • REEIfication Newsletter
      • Newsletter Archive
        • Fall 2021
          • Director's Message
        • Spring 2021
        • Fall 2020
        • Spring 2020
    • Subscribe to REEI Listserv / Submit an Event for Listing
  • Contact