About Us

Founded in 2011 with the objective of imparting insights on the latest issues and trends in Global Affairs and International Affairs, JSIA, in a short span of ten years, has carved for itself a position of pride of place among world-class entities engaged in the analysis of such themes. Its journey is facilitated by its diverse Faculty – comprising academics, scholars & researchers, social scientists, authors, practitioner lawyers and diplomats and other eminent experts – drawn from both India and abroad.

Its unique pedagogy of mixing academic research with a spirited discussion on ongoing issues – political, security, defence & strategic, diplomatic, global economic and multilateral problems – confronting the comity of nations, empowers its vibrant student community with in-depth expertise and skills for engaging on such aspects in their subsequent, professional careers. It is a matter of satisfaction that for many years running now, JSIA students are regularly finding placement in reputed think tanks, MNCs, Media and PR groups, UN and multilateral bodies, diplomatic missions, NGOs, and other such organizations.

JSIA students are also contributing to or publishing in reputed research journals, writing out book chapters, taking on editorial assignments or carrying out analysis on various issues for international business houses and corporations. The JSIA Academic Experience hence hones their skills and professional personalities and prepares them for joining varied, lucrative, professional careers upon graduating from this institution. JSIA’s collaborations with renowned foreign universities and academic centres of excellence and unique facility of acquiring dual degrees from JSIA-JGU and eminent Universities abroad only facilitate such initiatives.

Given the seamless, online networking of nation-states and extensive inter-dependence of economies today, such in-depth exposure to JSIA students on cross-border issues also strongly resonates with India’s futuristic vison of preparing globally-competitive student communities.

Vision

The increasing interconnectedness of international phenomena due to greater density of cross-border contact and exchanges is rendering the practical and academic use of single-disciplined and methodologically incomplete studies obsolete. A School that combines the essences of International Relations, International Law and International Business is a necessity of our globalised times because of the density and thickness of international problems.

Internationally conscious students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline, as well as diplomats, international lawyers, media personnel and corporate managers, require broad-based, eclectic and inter-disciplinary education and training that will be assets in the knowledge-oriented global workplace. The Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) aims to address this need and enhance Indian and international capacities of analysing and solving world problems. It intends to strengthen the intellectual basis for planning India’s march to great power status as a responsible member of the international community with its own trademark vision for global governance and stable world order.

Community Engagement

Students of JSIA have held classes in different institutions/places for learning through field visits. Assignment/papers are sought from the students on basis of their understanding of and learning from the field visits. Students are encouraged to involve themselves in the organising of not only the school but university-organised events (international conferences, workshops, summits and training programmes) also.

A Model United Nations conference is a simulation of the proceedings that take place at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York and is regarded as a form of enriching participants with experience in public speaking and diplomacy. In pursuit of its long-term goal of promoting a global perspective, O.P. Jindal Global (Institution of Eminence Deemed To Be University) organised the second edition of its Model UN conference. JGUMUN17 attracted 320 delegates from more than 60 schools and universities from across India, helping consolidate a culture of debate and active engagement of students in world affairs.

Students from both Bachelors and Masters programmes have been taken to the Parliament House to witness live proceedings of Lok Sabha twice. Students from both undergraduate and postgraduate programme have been taken to participate in the discussions on current national and international issues, broadcasted by DD News and NDTV. Students from both Bachelors and Masters programmes have been taken to the study tour of various embassies/missions/The Presidential Palace, FICCI, IDSA, ICWA, USI, RIS and many other institutions for a better understanding of the research work/international relations.

Faculty members encourage the students to submit their assignments in soft copies (through emails) to save on the papers. The school is working towards implementing a completely paperless policy.

Graduate Attributes

The principal outcome of the University’s efforts and the core of its activity are the attributes of its graduates who are expected to reach their full potential whether as global citizens or as leaders in an internationally competitive environment. The University’s Academic Council has therefore adopted a clear statement of Graduate Attributes aimed at providing an anchor to the students by clarifying the essence of their programme of study and also providing lasting impact of their JGU experience and informing potential employers and other stakeholders of the qualities to be expected of a JGU graduate.

JGU graduates are expected to have the following attributes:

• A deep knowledge of subject areas in the programme of study they have successfully completed at JGU. 
• The capacity to engage in self-reflection and lifelong learning. 
• Transferable skills including team building and leadership skills, communication, creative and critical thinking skills, and problem-solving skills suitable for a variety of fields of employment. 
• The capacity to take up their social and civic responsibilities relating to the environment and the society. 
• A deep understanding of, and respect for, diversity, pluralistic societies and other cultures.
• Adherence to the highest standards of ethical behaviour.

Teaching & Pedagogy

JSIA offers four totally unique interdisciplinary degree programmes, namely B.A. Hons. in Global Affairs, B.A. Hons. in Political Science, B.A. Hons. Diplomacy & Foreign Policy and M.A. in Diplomacy, Law & Business. No other institution in India awards such degrees.

JSIA has introduced scenario-building exercises in which students are given a problem from the actual world and asked to solve it within a limited time frame. Students are also asked to analyse an official document/joint statement/declaration and also provide the salient points and draw conclusions about the official documents or speeches or statements. To provide a more nuanced approach to conflict resolution and peacebuilding, the students are asked to think like a diplomat to resolve a crisis and provide reasons for why they have adopted a certain approach for problem-solving. The purpose of all these exercises is to build confidence among the students and also present their arguments in a structured manner.

Monthly Faculty Board Meetings and Open Houses are held to discuss better teaching and learning methodologies and ensure much-improved faculty–student bonding. A Faculty-Student Interaction Committee has also been formed for this purpose. JSIA also organises Public lectures/Seminars/Workshops/Conferences/Colloquiums by Career Diplomats/ renowned experts in the field of Foreign Policy/International Affairs and Academicians for better understanding of the subjects and an all-inclusive development of the students.

The M.A. degree in Diplomacy, Law & Business (DLB) requires the completion of 48 credits over 4 semesters in 3 thematic areas of specialisation, viz. International Relations, International Business, and International Law. All students are required to take 4 mandatory courses covering the fields of International Relations, International Economics, International Law, and Research Methods. Upon completion of the mandatory courses, students may choose from a wide range of elective courses offered by the Schools of International Affairs (JSIA), Law (JGLS), Business (JGBS), and Public Policy (JSGP) at the O.P. Jindal Global (Institution of Eminence Deemed To Be University). In the final semester, students also have the option of completing a thesis or dissertation; the dissertation is worth 12 credits and can be done instead of elective courses of the same credit value. Students are also required to complete a Guided Internship Programme between semesters 2 & 3. JSIA has a dedicated team of faculty and staff to assist students with obtaining internships, in both India and abroad, as per student preferences and interests.

The B.A. (Honours) degree in Global Affairs (GA) is a unique course that has been developed with the understanding that it is only by drawing on a wide range of disciplines—including Political Science, Economics, Law, History, Philosophy, and Sociology—that students can truly comprehend the world in which we live. In addition to the interdisciplinary coursework, the GA degree has a mandatory non-English foreign language requirement, providing students with in-depth training in a language of their choice: Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, and Arabic (all official languages of the United Nations system). Students have regularly found that investing in acquiring a foreign language has paid significant dividends in obtaining jobs both in India and abroad. Beginning in the fourth semester and beyond, students take a mix of thematic classes focused on specific regions of the world (including the Middle East, Asia Pacific, South Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America). The goal is to provide students with both a breadth and depth of knowledge that will allow them to hit the ground running in their careers.

The B.A. Honours in Political Science degree is a three-year under-graduate programme that is dedicated to the study of political evolution of the world we live in. Political Science is the study of theory and practice of politics that involves description and analysis of all political activities, political thoughts and political phenomena. This degree aims to train students in all forms and manifestations of politics in arenas from local, state, national and international levels.

The newly introduced Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy (B.A. D.F.P.) is a three-year degree programme being offered by the Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) from August 2022. This programme is aimed at students aspiring to join the diplomatic corps or intended to make careers as foreign affairs journalists and editors, lawyers, civil society activists, government relations executives in multinational corporations, and many other pathways. The students will acquire complete understanding of great power relations, geo-politics, geo-economics, bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, negotiations, armed conflicts, and diplomatic crisis management.

At both the M.A and B.A. levels, the typical format for a class at JSIA is a discussion-based seminar focused on student-centred teaching. Students are encouraged to engage in critical thinking and lively debate, to draw links between theory, history, and current affairs, and to become better aware of the multifaceted relationship between power, politics, business, law, and justice. Small class sizes are crucial to JSIA’s pedagogy, and the faculty-student ratio is less than 1:9.

Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) publishes the annual Jindal Journal of International Affairs (JJIA), which serves as a hallmark of quality research and analysis on the world’s most pressing issues. This journal bears testament to the strong culture of research on international issues that is being promoted along with world-class teaching at JSIA. The journal features contributions of serious scholars as well as practitioners who wish to make crucial interventions about international current affairs, float new ideas, and provide solutions to burning contemporary problems. It brings critical insights to major issue areas such as war and peace, diplomatic practice, foreign policy analysis, comparative politics, international political economy, international organisations, humanitarian practice, human rights and contemporary world history.

The unique aspect of JJIA is its global coverage of issues and events. Although JSIA is located in India, the breadth of its academic interests and knowledge-dissemination is global. The articles in this journal cover the most pressing international problems from various regions of the world, including North Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia and the wider Middle East.

JJIA enjoys endorsement from some of the world’s most renowned scholars and practitioners of international politics. JJIA will enter the must-read category for post-graduate students of international affairs schools, personnel of international organisations, diplomats, business analysts, strategic affairs think tanks and governmental foreign policy brains trusts.