The LDF Program will provide participants from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the opportunity to complete both an academic coursework and a skill-building internship at a non-governmental organization in Beirut.
The academic component, conducted in Arabic, will focus upon four primary subject headings:
- Comparative Politics and the Development of Democratic Institutions;
- Leading and Managing the Democratic State;
- Citizenship, Private Action, and Private Enterprise; and
- Diversity and Inclusion of Groups in Democratic Institutions.
The academic component employs a variety of pedagogical techniques, such as lectures, faculty led simulations, facilitated discussions, skill- building exercises, self-assessment exercises, and site visits.
The skill-building internship component is an extension of the learning experience initiated by the academic component. All internships are meant to broaden the applied perspective of the program participants, and equip each with solid tools to apply them in his/her respective home country.