Why Papua New Guinea Needs a Comprehensive Area Studies Program

-

In an ever-changing world, understanding the intricate interplay of culture, politics, development, and international relations has never been more critical—especially for a country as diverse as PNG. This is where our multidisciplinary Area Studies Program steps in, offering a specialized focus on PNG's unique challenges and opportunities. With its roots in the nation's Vision 2050 Strategic Plan and the university's Third Decade Strategic Master Plan, this program equips graduates to address the pressing needs of today while preparing for the uncertainties of tomorrow.

Program Overview and Aims

At its core, the program delves into four key disciplines—culture studies, political studies, community development, and international relations. These disciplines are interwoven to provide students with a holistic understanding of PNG’s societal fabric and its interactions on both domestic and international fronts.

PNG is home to an incredible mosaic of indigenous peoples, each with its own distinct culture and geographical identity. Graduates of the program will develop a deep understanding of these diverse cultures, enabling them to reduce societal conflicts, predict political trends, and influence community-level development.

The program's overarching aim is to foster specialists who can formulate innovative solutions to the nation’s challenges. These solutions might take the form of improved policies, strategic plans, or ethical implementation frameworks—all geared toward sustainable development. Furthermore, the program aspires to produce global citizens who think creatively and critically about PNG’s role in the 21st century.

Why PNG Needs This Program

The rationale for continuing this program over the next five years is clear—it is deeply aligned with the nation's strategic priorities. By contributing to Strategic Focus Area One (human development) and the university's Strategic Objective One (student transformation), the program helps shape well-rounded graduates who can drive PNG’s development agenda.

Through targeted units on development, gender, and social policies, the program equips students with the tools to foster inclusivity and improve social services. Many alumni have gone on to work with governmental and non-governmental organizations, turning their education into actionable outcomes.

Creating the Next Generation of Leaders

One of the program’s standout contributions is its role in preparing the next cadre of PNG Foreign Service officers. With thirteen graduates now serving in the Department of Foreign Affairs, the program has proven its value in increasing the number of skilled professionals in this critical sector. These graduates are shaping foreign policy, strengthening international relations, and elevating PNG’s standing on the global stage.

But the program's potential doesn’t stop there. Drawing inspiration from area studies programs worldwide, it could serve as a pre-intelligence or security training pathway, preparing graduates for careers in intelligence agencies, security organizations, multinational corporations, and research institutions. With targeted partnerships in these fields, we can unlock new career opportunities for our students while addressing the nation’s strategic needs.

Looking Ahead

The program's potential impact on PNG’s development cannot be overstated. By fostering a deeper understanding of the country’s internal dynamics and its external relations, this program positions itself as a cornerstone of national growth. From addressing social and political challenges to training future leaders in diplomacy and beyond, the Area Studies Program is an investment in PNG’s future.

Now more than ever, the country needs bold and innovative thinkers—graduates who can bridge gaps, create solutions, and inspire progress. This program is designed to do just that. With continued support and strategic partnerships, it will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of PNG in the years to come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FPA: Organizational Process Model

-
This model centers on the fact that different bureaucracies have different standard operating procedures. These procedures are made in order to allow day to day operations to be carried out. Thus, a foreign policy decision is made based on these standard operating procedures. It is hard for a bureaucracy to make a decision or let alone function out of character or contrary to their standard operating procedure. The reading Chapter 4: Foreign policy shares a straight forward explanation of the OPM: "An alternative to the rational model of decision making is the organizational process model. In this model, foreign policy decision makers generally skip the labor-intensive process of identifying goals and alternative actions, relying instead for most decisions on standardized responses or standard operating procedures. For example, the U.S. State Department everyday receives more than a thousand reports or inquiries from its embassies around the world and sends out more than a ...
Read more

Commercial liberalism and the six norms

-
Image
Liberal internationalism is defined by Griffiths, O'Callaghan and Roach (2008, p.190) as a project to transform international relations so that they conform to models of peace, freedom, and prosperity allegedly enjoyed within constitutional liberal democracies. The same scholars go further by dividing liberalism into three distinct groups. They say these are the three ways to implement the project. The way they present liberal internationalism as a project makes their work interesting. Three distinct groups Firstly, commercial liberalism is about free trade between states. States bilaterally or multilaterally via a platform like APEC pursue the goal of trade liberalization. Griffiths, O'Callagahan and Roach (ibid.) argued that economic interdependence would decrease the likelihood of going to war. Republican liberalism is about democratic peace. The scholars argued that the spread of democracy among states so that governments will be accountable to their citizens makes it di...
Read more

Allison's rational actor model

-
There are 3 common models of foreign policy decision making according to Graham Allison: rational actor model organizational process mode government politics model.  We will discuss the 3 models and compare them with the 3 levels of analysis. However, I challenge you to use your own initiative to learn about the other models of decision making. This will help you as future decision makers or analysts to understand how decisions are made and the processes. When one wakes up from bed he or she decides whether or not to brush their teeth, comb their hair and have a shower. These decisions are paramount, they affect and influence how the individual interacts in a social setting. This highlights the fact that as human beings we make decisions every day. Decision making is defined as the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. In the case of the ‘Kibung peles boy’ analogy; the male student had a choice of approaching the girl to ask he...
Read more