In his second blog, MSc Diplomacy, Business and Trade student, Yasser, discusses the tricks and tools that students may find useful to maximise their year studying Diplomacy and International Governance at Loughborough University London.

Tools for IDIG Students

In this blog, I will be sharing some of the tools I found most useful when studying Diplomacy and International Governance. Not only will these tools expand your knowledge outside of the your lecture materials, but they give you a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the areas that really interest you.

1. Podcasts

As I mentioned in my last blog, listening to podcasts can be really advantageous when it comes to developing your understanding of the world of Diplomacy and International Governance. Not only are they convenient to listen to wherever you may be, but the list of relevant podcasts is endless, so you can choose a subject that really interests you. Here is a list of a few of my favourite podcasts that you might want to check out.

Daily News Briefing Podcasts:

1. FT News Briefing by the Financial Times: Quick under 10-minute snapshot of daily news briefings.
2. The Intelligence by the Economist: A 20-25-minute daily podcast on news stories and current affairs.
3. Global News Podcast by BBC World Service: A 30-minute daily podcast on news headlines from around the world.
4. Today explained by Vox: A 20-30-minute daily podcast on the most important news stories of the day.

Weekly Headlines:

5. Wordly by Vox: A 30-45-minute podcast on the most important issues of the week.

British Politics:

6. Payne’s Politics by The Financial Times: A 30-minute weekly podcast on news stories and British Affairs.

European Union:

7. EU Confidential by Politico: A weekly podcast on anything and everything concerning the European Union.

2. Financial Times News

Another tool that I really appreciated and would definitely recommend all students use is the Financial Times. Did you know the University offer a completely free, year-long membership to both the website and the app? It is really easy to set up, simply create an account using your University email address and login in via learn. I would suggest getting this set up as soon as possible to make the most of your subscription!

3. Think Tanks

London is home to some of the most world-renowned think tanks. The Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance is an institutional member of the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House), which means you can apply for tickets to attend seminars and events with some of the world’s most important political, business and diplomatic figures. Individual membership is usually circa £300 per person, so it’s a great perk as a student – I cannot emphasise how amazing Chatham House is, from seeing seminars held by ambassadors and diplomats from around the world, to leaders and academics coming together to discuss world affairs. This is truly one of the great privileges I have had during my time in the Institute!

All of these think tanks also run events and publish reports on a wide range of topics. You should check out RUSI, IISS, Adam Smith Institute, Centre for European Reform, Institute for Government, Foreign Policy Centre, IPPR, and many more. There are also the many other universities in London (LSE, KCL, UCL, Imperial, QMUL, London Business School, SOAS… the list is a very long one) and they all run public events and talks that are fascinating and a great way to develop your understanding further!

---

This is the second blog of a two-part series. To view Yasser’s first blog, please click here.

If you would like to find out more about our Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, please visit our website.

Loughborough University London would like to thank Yasser for this blog piece.