Course Catalog

The complete Model Diplomat course library. Every course is 20 lessons, averaging ~4 hours of structured learning.

How prerequisites work. The platform doesn’t hard-lock courses behind others — you can start any course at any time. But most categories have a natural path: Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced. Each category below lists a Recommended order so you know what to take first if you’re new to the subject. “Use it for” columns tell you who each course is built for and when to reach for it.

Model United Nations 🏛️

Master every aspect of Model UN — from first-time delegate to award-winning chair. Recommended order: MUN Delegate Fundamentals → Public Speaking for MUN → Research & Country Analysis → Position Paper Masterclass → Parliamentary Procedure → Resolution Writing → Crisis Committee → MUN Conference Strategy → Security Council Simulation → Chairing & Dais Skills.

Course	Level	Use it for
MUN Delegate Fundamentals	Beginner	Your first-ever conference. Start here if you’ve never been a delegate.
Public Speaking for MUN	Beginner	Delivering speeches and moderated caucus points with confidence. Take after Fundamentals.
Research & Country Analysis	Intermediate	Building a strong country position before a conference. Pair with Atlas research.
Position Paper Masterclass	Intermediate	Writing award-winning position papers. Take after Research & Country Analysis.
Resolution Writing	Intermediate	Drafting resolutions that pass — clauses, amendments, sponsor strategy.
Parliamentary Procedure	Intermediate	Using motions, points, and rules strategically in committee.
Crisis Committee	Intermediate	Preparing for crisis committees — directives, arcs, and backroom moves.
MUN Conference Strategy	Intermediate	Winning awards — bloc building, negotiation, and what chairs actually look for.
Security Council Simulation	Advanced	Representing a P5 or E10 in SC. Requires solid fundamentals + procedure.
Chairing & Dais Skills	Advanced	Chairing a committee as a dais member. Take after several delegate seasons.

Debate & Speech 🎤

Competitive debate formats, mock trial advocacy, and public speaking. Recommended order: Intro to Competitive Debate → Public Speaking Foundations → Evidence Cutting → Debate Case Writing → then your chosen format (LD / PF / Policy / BP) → Cross-Examination Mastery. Mock Trial is a parallel track.

Course	Level	Use it for
Introduction to Competitive Debate	Beginner	The first course for anyone new to debate. Covers argumentation fundamentals.
Public Speaking Foundations	Beginner	Delivery skills that apply to debate, MUN, presentations, and professional settings.
Evidence Cutting & Research	Beginner	Building evidence files — essential for Policy, LD, and PF.
Introduction to Mock Trial	Beginner	Mock trial competitors — openings, directs, crosses, closings.
Debate Case Writing	Intermediate	Constructing affirmative and negative cases. Take after Intro + Evidence Cutting.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate	Intermediate	LD-specific training: values, frameworks, philosophical clash.
Public Forum Debate	Intermediate	PF-specific training: current events, team dynamics, summary speeches.
British Parliamentary	Intermediate	BP format: four teams, extension, whip speeches. Common in worlds-style circuits.
Cross-Examination Mastery	Intermediate	Sharpening cross-ex for any format. Take after at least one format-specific course.
Policy Debate	Advanced	Policy-specific: plans, counterplans, kritiks, topicality. Evidence-heavy.

Professional Skills 💼

Negotiation, persuasion, writing, and communication skills for any career. Recommended order: Negotiation Fundamentals → Persuasion & Influence → Cross-Cultural Communication → Policy Brief Writing → Advanced Negotiation → Conflict Resolution → Stakeholder Mapping → Crisis Management → Media & Press Relations → Multilateral Negotiation.

Course	Level	Use it for
Negotiation Fundamentals	Beginner	Anyone negotiating anything — BATNA, anchoring, interests vs. positions.
Persuasion & Influence	Beginner	Changing minds in writing, speech, or meetings. Psychology-first.
Cross-Cultural Communication	Beginner	Working across cultures — international careers, MUN delegations, global teams.
Policy Brief Writing	Beginner	Writing for decision-makers — staffers, analysts, think-tank researchers.
Advanced Negotiation	Intermediate	Multi-party deals and power asymmetry. Take after Negotiation Fundamentals.
Conflict Resolution	Intermediate	Mediation and de-escalation — HR, diplomacy, community work.
Crisis Management	Intermediate	Leading under pressure — decision-making and communication in emergencies.
Media & Press Relations	Intermediate	Spokespeople, press conferences, on-record/off-record strategy.
Stakeholder Mapping	Intermediate	Campaign organizers, policy advocates, product managers — anyone influencing decisions.
Multilateral Negotiation	Advanced	Multi-party institutional bargaining — UN, EU, coalition building. Requires Advanced Negotiation first.

Elections & Democracy 🗳️

How elections work, campaigns, voting systems, parties, and political ideologies. Recommended order: How Elections Work → Political Ideologies → Understanding Campaigns → Voting Rights → Comparative Electoral Systems → Political Parties Worldwide → Money in Politics → Polling & Prediction → Direct Democracy → Populism & Democratic Backsliding.

Course	Level	Use it for
How Elections Work	Beginner	Everyone voting or studying elections. Start here for the category.
Political Ideologies	Beginner	Understanding left/right and the ideas behind policy debates.
Understanding Campaigns	Beginner	Curious voters, aspiring campaign staff, political science students.
Voting Rights & Election Integrity	Beginner	Civics teachers, activists, journalists covering elections.
Comparative Electoral Systems	Intermediate	Comparing PR / FPTP / ranked-choice across countries. Take after How Elections Work.
Direct Democracy	Intermediate	Referendums, citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting.
Money in Politics	Intermediate	Campaign finance researchers, journalists, reform advocates.
Political Parties Worldwide	Intermediate	Comparing party systems across democracies.
Polling & Election Prediction	Intermediate	Journalists, data-curious readers, poll consumers.
Populism & Democratic Backsliding	Intermediate	Understanding threats to democracy. Take after How Elections Work + Ideologies.

Government & Policy 🏛️

How government works, how laws are made, and how policy shapes society. Recommended order: How Government Works → How Laws Are Made → pick your country system (US / UK / EU / India / China) → Policy Analysis 101 → Lobbying & Advocacy → Constitutional Design.

Course	Level	Use it for
How Government Works	Beginner	Civics foundation — branches, separation of powers. Start here.
How Laws Are Made	Beginner	Anyone watching legislation move — from bill to statute.
The US Political System	Intermediate	Understanding Congress, the presidency, and the courts in depth.
The UK Political System	Intermediate	Parliament, PMQs, devolution, constitutional conventions.
The EU: How It Works	Intermediate	Navigating Commission / Parliament / Council. Essential for EU-focused MUN.
India’s Democracy	Intermediate	Understanding the world’s largest democracy — elections, federalism, identity politics.
China’s Political System	Intermediate	How the CCP, state, and government interact. Essential for China-focused analysis.
Policy Analysis 101	Intermediate	Evaluating policy proposals — staffers, think-tank researchers, MUN prep.
Lobbying & Advocacy	Intermediate	NGO workers, advocates, lobbyists, curious citizens.
Constitutional Design	Intermediate	Comparing how constitutions are architected. Take after How Government Works.

Global Affairs 🌍

International relations, diplomacy, conflict, security, and how countries interact. Recommended order: Intro to International Relations → History of the UN → Multilateral Institutions → Conflict & Security → Climate Diplomacy → specialty topics (Cyber, Global Health, Migration, Space & Arctic) → Nuclear Nonproliferation.

Course	Level	Use it for
Introduction to International Relations	Beginner	Essential foundation for MUN, Global Affairs courses, and IR majors. Start here.
Climate Diplomacy	Beginner	COP prep, climate committee MUN, anyone following climate negotiations.
History of the United Nations	Beginner	Essential for MUN delegates — context on every committee you’ll ever sit in.
Multilateral Institutions	Beginner	Understanding the UN, WTO, IMF, NATO, EU, ASEAN, AU at a system level.
Conflict & Security	Intermediate	Why wars happen and how they end. Take after Intro to IR.
Cyber Governance	Intermediate	Cyber policy, digital sovereignty debates, DISEC prep.
Global Health Governance	Intermediate	Pandemics, WHO debates, global health MUN committees.
Migration & Refugees	Intermediate	UNHCR MUN, migration policy, humanitarian work.
Space & Arctic Geopolitics	Intermediate	Frontier geopolitics — SPECPOL, climate council, space committees.
Nuclear Nonproliferation	Advanced	DISEC and IAEA MUN, arms control researchers. Take after Intro to IR + Conflict & Security.

Law & Rights ⚖️

International law, human rights, courts, and how justice works across borders. Recommended order: Human Rights → International Law Basics → Humanitarian Law / Refugee Law / Law of the Sea → ICJ → ICC → Treaty-Making → Digital Rights / Criminal Justice (parallel tracks).

Course	Level	Use it for
Human Rights	Beginner	Foundation for any Law & Rights topic. Essential for UNHRC and SOCHUM MUN.
International Law Basics	Intermediate	Treaties, customary law, enforcement — foundation for everything else in the category.
International Humanitarian Law	Intermediate	The laws of war — Geneva Conventions. Essential for conflict-focused committees.
Refugee Law	Intermediate	1951 Convention, non-refoulement. Take with Migration & Refugees for depth.
Law of the Sea	Intermediate	UNCLOS disputes, maritime committees, South China Sea analysis.
The International Court of Justice	Intermediate	ICJ MUN, state-to-state disputes. Take after International Law Basics.
The International Criminal Court	Intermediate	Prosecuting war crimes and genocide. Take after International Law Basics.
Treaty-Making and the Law of Treaties	Intermediate	Drafting and interpreting treaties — useful for MUN resolution-writing too.
Digital Rights & Privacy	Intermediate	Tech policy, GDPR, surveillance debates.
Comparative Criminal Justice	Intermediate	Comparing policing, prosecution, and prisons across countries.

Economics & Trade 📊

International trade, economic policy, development, sanctions, and the global economy. Recommended order: International Trade → Development Economics → Inequality → Sanctions & Economic Warfare → Global Financial System → specialty topics (China’s Economic Rise, Energy, Climate Economics, Debt & Aid, Tech Future Economy).

Course	Level	Use it for
International Trade	Beginner	Foundation for ECOFIN MUN, trade policy readers. Start here.
Development Economics	Intermediate	SDG-focused MUN, development policy, aid work.
Inequality: Global & Local	Intermediate	Policy analysts, activists, ECOSOC MUN.
Sanctions & Economic Warfare	Intermediate	Russia/Iran/NK analysts, SC MUN, sanctions policy work.
The Global Financial System	Intermediate	IMF/WB/central bank analysis, finance careers.
China’s Economic Rise	Intermediate	China-focused research, US-China tension analysis.
Debt, Aid & the Developing World	Intermediate	Development economics deep-dive — debt crises, aid effectiveness.
Economics of Climate Change	Intermediate	Carbon pricing, green finance. Pair with Climate Diplomacy.
Energy Geopolitics	Intermediate	Oil/gas/renewables politics — essential for Gulf, Russia, and transition debates.
Technology & the Future Economy	Intermediate	AI, automation, platform regulation debates.

Media & Critical Thinking 📰

News literacy, bias detection, fact-checking, and clear thinking about information. Recommended order: Reading the News Critically → Fact-Checking → Data Literacy → Logic & Reasoning → Cognitive Biases → Propaganda → Social Media & Democracy → Media Systems Worldwide → AI, Deepfakes → Philosophy of Knowledge.

Course	Level	Use it for
Reading the News Critically	Beginner	Everyone consuming news. Start here for the category.
Fact-Checking	Beginner	Journalists, researchers, anyone citing evidence (including MUN delegates).
Data Literacy	Beginner	Reading charts without being fooled — useful for every topic on Model Diplomat.
Introduction to Logic & Reasoning	Beginner	Debaters, philosophy students, clearer arguers. Foundation for all critical thinking.
Cognitive Biases & Decision Making	Intermediate	Better decisions — applies to negotiation, debate, journalism, leadership.
Propaganda & Influence Operations	Intermediate	Understanding state and non-state influence — info warfare researchers.
Social Media & Democracy	Intermediate	Tech policy, election integrity, platform governance.
Media Systems Worldwide	Intermediate	Comparative media — press freedom, authoritarian media, hybrid regimes.
AI, Deepfakes & Future of Truth	Intermediate	Anyone working in or around AI, journalism, or information ecosystems.
Philosophy of Knowledge	Advanced	Serious students of epistemology. Take after Logic & Reasoning.

History & Current Affairs 📜

Major conflicts, crises, and turning points that shaped the modern world. Recommended order: Start with WWII and The Cold War for foundation. Decolonization and Fall of the Soviet Union layer on top. Then pick conflict deep-dives based on interest or assigned MUN topic.

Course	Level	Use it for
World War II	Beginner	Foundation for the modern international order. Start here with Cold War.
The Cold War	Beginner	Essential context for almost every current conflict. Pair with WWII.
Decolonization	Beginner	Understanding the Global South and post-1945 independence movements.
Fall of the Soviet Union	Intermediate	Post-1991 geopolitics foundation. Take after Cold War.
War on Terror	Intermediate	9/11 and post-2001 US foreign policy.
Russia-Ukraine War	Intermediate	Current-affairs essential. Best taken after Cold War + Soviet Fall.
Israel-Palestine Conflict	Intermediate	Current-affairs essential — comprehensive deep-dive (25+ hours).
Iran & the Middle East	Intermediate	Gulf geopolitics, nuclear debate, regional proxy dynamics.
Rise of China	Intermediate	US-China tension, 21st-century power shift. Pair with China’s Economic Rise.
Taiwan & the Indo-Pacific	Intermediate	Cross-strait tensions, great-power war risk. Take after Rise of China.
Korean Peninsula	Intermediate	North Korea crisis, DMZ, nuclear standoff.
War in Sudan	Intermediate	Africa’s largest displacement crisis — essential for AU and humanitarian work.

Leaders & Thinkers 👤

The people and movements that transformed politics, economics, and society. Recommended order: No strict order — pick based on interest. For movements, start with French Revolution as foundation, then Civil Rights and Anti-Apartheid. For thinkers, Machiavelli → Adam Smith → Marx is a natural intellectual history thread.

Course	Level	Use it for
Winston Churchill	Beginner	WWII leadership, British Empire, modern-world-building figure.
Franklin D. Roosevelt	Beginner	New Deal, WWII, expansion of US executive power.
Mahatma Gandhi	Beginner	Nonviolent resistance, Indian independence, and a contested legacy.
Nelson Mandela	Beginner	Anti-apartheid, reconciliation, moral leadership. Pair with Anti-Apartheid course.
The French Revolution	Beginner	Foundation for modern political ideologies, revolutions, and democratic theory.
The Civil Rights Movement	Beginner	US racial politics, organizing strategy, social movement theory.
Niccolo Machiavelli	Intermediate	Political realism — foundation for IR realism and power analysis.
Adam Smith	Intermediate	Foundation of economics and liberal political thought.
Karl Marx	Intermediate	Understanding capitalism, class, and the most influential political critic of modernity.
Margaret Thatcher	Intermediate	Neoliberalism in practice, late-Cold-War leadership.
Deng Xiaoping	Intermediate	The architect of modern China. Pair with Rise of China.
The Anti-Apartheid Movement	Intermediate	Global solidarity movements, sanctions in practice, and how regimes end.

Catalog summary

Category	Courses
Model United Nations	10
Debate & Speech	10
Professional Skills	10
Elections & Democracy	10
Government & Policy	10
Global Affairs	10
Law & Rights	10
Economics & Trade	10
Media & Critical Thinking	10
History & Current Affairs	12
Leaders & Thinkers	12
Total	114

Every course is 20 lessons. Total library: 2,280 lessons, ~470 hours of structured content.

How to choose a starting point

New to MUN? Start with MUN Delegate Fundamentals, then Research & Country Analysis.
New to debate? Start with Introduction to Competitive Debate, then pick your format.
Trying to understand world events? Start with The Cold War, World War II, and Introduction to International Relations.
Want sharper thinking? Start with Reading the News Critically and Fact-Checking.
Building career skills? Start with Negotiation Fundamentals and Persuasion & Influence.

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Model United Nations 🏛️

Debate & Speech 🎤

Professional Skills 💼

Elections & Democracy 🗳️

Government & Policy 🏛️

Global Affairs 🌍

Law & Rights ⚖️

Economics & Trade 📊

Media & Critical Thinking 📰

History & Current Affairs 📜

Leaders & Thinkers 👤

Catalog summary

How to choose a starting point

Start learning

​Model United Nations 🏛️

​Debate & Speech 🎤

​Professional Skills 💼

​Elections & Democracy 🗳️

​Government & Policy 🏛️

​Global Affairs 🌍

​Law & Rights ⚖️

​Economics & Trade 📊

​Media & Critical Thinking 📰

​History & Current Affairs 📜

​Leaders & Thinkers 👤

​Catalog summary

​How to choose a starting point

Start learning

Model United Nations 🏛️

Debate & Speech 🎤

Professional Skills 💼

Elections & Democracy 🗳️

Government & Policy 🏛️

Global Affairs 🌍

Law & Rights ⚖️

Economics & Trade 📊

Media & Critical Thinking 📰

History & Current Affairs 📜

Leaders & Thinkers 👤

Catalog summary

How to choose a starting point