The Academic Component of the LDF program will begin shortly after the group arrives in Syracuse and continue through the end of April, lasting six full weeks. Through this experience, we expect Fellows to develop a more complete understanding of the challenges to democratic transition facing the Middle East. Moreover, they will learn more about lessons learned from democratic transition as it has occured and continues to occur around the world, including the United States. We also intend to focus considerable time and energy on the subject of Fellows as future leaders and to assist them in developing concrete skills that will help them in their professional lives. 

The course curriculum is being modified based on the first year's experience. The basic schedule will be available for review around mid-January. What can be certain is that the our approach will multi-disciplinary, introducing Fellows to a broad arrange of speakers and seminar facilitators with various academic and professional backgrounds. The academic program will be interactive, dependent on the Fellows to stimulate discussion through their questions and ideas that they bring to the classroom. 

This is last years information, although the program outline will stay similar this years program might have different dates, updated information will be added here as we get closer to the program start date.