In a globalized but increasingly divided, digital and complex world, what is the role of human connections and state-to-state diplomacy? Ryan Jones, former State Department diplomat and current late-night comedy researcher and writer, will discuss this question Wednesday, April 4, at 5 p.m. in 201 Riley Hall at Linfield College.
The talk, “Diplomacy in a Digital Age,” will tackle what the role and value of human connections is in a globalized and complex world. Jones will also examine the extent electronic communication can replace face-to-face interaction, why countries insist on state-to-state diplomacy in today’s instantly connected workplace, and if government communication can ever hope to compete with more cutting-edge voices.
Jones is a Linfield College alumnus from the class of 2007. After graduate school at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, he spent six years at the State Department, where he worked in press and cultural affairs. Jones completed stints in Washington D.C., Bangkok, Paris and Frankfurt, and traveled extensively with Secretary of State John Kerry. He left government for comedy news and now works on the Comedy Central show “The Opposition with Jordan Klepper.”
This event is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the mass communication and political science departments, the Nicholson Library and by the Program for Liberal Arts and Civic Engagement (PLACE). For more information, contact Brad Thompson, associate professor of mass communication, at 503-883-2291.
