We live in a world today where foreign states can interfere in another’s elections without having to resort to the old-school methods of backing a coup.

Where mass migrations of people seeking safety from the developing world can challenge longstanding regional alliances or force a government shutdown in the developed world. Where humanitarian disasters are at levels unprecedented in recent memory. Where authoritarian regimes can commit mass human rights violations with impunity. Where there is only one remaining superpower, while at the same time both old and emerging powers seek to challenge that hegemony.

Now, think about how we know what we know about the world. About the communities, cultures, places, and nations that we don’t come from and have little personal contact with. Where does our knowledge come from?

It’s our work as journalists that introduces many people to countries they wouldn’t otherwise know and which greatly shapes how our audiences think about the peoples that live there.

Our International Reporting Program prepares reporters to explore the world and share the stories of real people. Classes cover economics and globalization, human rights, immigration, religion, climate change, U.S. foreign policy, and development, preparing students to put stories in global context, avoid stereotypes, and help audiences understand the trends that link us all.

Most of our students do their summer internship abroad. Before they go, they undertake a two-day risk awareness and emergency medical training workshop.

Alums of the program work around the world and in the U.S., in media such as The New York Times, the BBC, NPR, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Vice, BuzzFeed, Fusion, CBS, The Independent, the Jakarta Globe, The Phnom Penh Post, and Premium Times (Nigeria).