At the founding of the
School of Foreign Service Fr. Walsh stated, “Intellectual superiority involves
service to humanity as surely as the juristic concept of 'right' connotes a corresponding 'duty' on the part of others to respect that right.” The School of Foreign Service
was founded in 1919. It was the first school of its time, preceding even the United
States Foreign Service. After World War I, there was a clear need for private
and public officials who could speak languages, understand cultures and
regions, and build bridges for the United States across an increasingly
globalized world. It is not surprising that Georgetown and the Jesuits were the
ones to institute such a school, even though the idea was discussed around at
multiple higher education institutions.
From the start, the school
has struggled with balancing the practical side of professional training with a
liberal arts education and Jesuit values. Fr. Walsh himself had grandiose
rhetoric for the school in its inception. However, on the ground the school was
offering classes such as Steamship Accounting in order to train members of the
merchant marine. This tension between Jesuit values and the vision of the
school with practical and private interests is not a new development.
Nowadays, discussion of
ethics and the overlap between policies and their acknowledgement of
intercultural/faith effects are sectioned off to the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Within the SFS, there is limited contact between Jesuits
or other fellows at the Berkley Center. The discussions on moral and ethical
implications of nuclear development of these parties are completely separate
from that of an introductory international relations teacher or government employee. I believe
that these interactions would produce fruitful dialogue and get students
thinking critically about the issues in which they study. That spur to deeper
analysis is not limited just to those who are “religious”; it is a quality we
want to instill in all our students.
The School of Foreign
Service is one of the most premier institutions for international relations in
the world. However, I think our ethical concerns and Jesuit values are what
often set is apart as a university, a resource that the SFS has not tapped to
its full potential. In international relations classes, we lean Schelling’s ideas on brinkmanship
and mutually assured destruction regarding nuclear weapons. In an Atomic
History class, we learn the facts of blasts and atomic development. In a
separate Berkley Center class on peacemaking, we discuss the ethics of nuclear
development on all aspects: environment, population, and the process of
peacemaking. All of this knowledge is relevant and salient. But I would have
never learned to think ethically or critically about the theories or facts
without this last class.
In our world today, we need leaders who have
substantive and nuanced knowledge, but also a discerning mind to understand how
their decisions affect others. In light of the tenth anniversary of
the Berkley Center, I wish to applaud their progress and relevance. Clearly,
students and faculty are interested in their work. The SFS has the unique
ability to develop leaders with this mindset and has an existing framework in
place within the university to reach this goal. Discussions on these matters
can be incorporated into the curriculum and not pushed into the Berkley Center.
