20 practical, difficulty-rated ways International Relations students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges can use AI — 10 easy, 6 medium, 4 hard. They start at “Summarize a policy brief” and run up to “Build a custom geopolitics-analysis GPT”, drawing on 15 tutorials between them. Every card carries a starter prompt already written for International Relations, so you can copy it and go.
Before you use these on graded work: check your professor’s policy on AI.
It differs by course, and these examples are study aids — not permission.
All International Relations AI use cases
Easy
Summarize a policy brief
Condense a think-tank report on sanctions into key points. The linked tutorial covers MacMost's copy-paste method — pull an article into reader view, paste it into ChatGPT after 'summarize this:', then ask for a set word count or a 10-bullet version; also how to grab a YouTube transcript to summarise a video, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayHow to compress a long reading or video into a summary of the exact length you need, and why pasting the source keeps it accurate — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Summarize a policy brief — Condense a think-tank report on sanctions into key points.
Give me (1) a three-sentence summary, (2) five bullet-point key claims, and (3) anything the author asserts without supporting evidence. Text below:
[PASTE THE TEXT HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
See how each theory explains the same crisis differently. The linked tutorial covers a 10-step ChatGPT prompt system — standard definition, an explain-it-to-a-10-year-old version, real-life analogies, a simple diagram, then a comparison table — that you aim at any concept you're stuck on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA repeatable prompt sequence that turns a confusing idea into a definition, an analogy and a diagram you can check against your course notes — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Explain realism versus liberalism in plain terms — See how each theory explains the same crisis differently.
Start with a one-sentence definition, then explain it as if I'm 10, then give a real-world analogy. Finish by flagging anything scholars genuinely disagree about — and tell me what you're unsure of.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Generate angles on multilateral climate negotiations. The linked tutorial covers three brainstorming methods in ChatGPT — a reusable custom-instructions 'brainstorm paradigm', an AI-diagram tree that fans one topic into dozens of branches, and a SWOT prompt to pressure-test an idea, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayThree prompt patterns you can reuse to go from a blank page to a categorised list of options, plus a way to stress-test the one you pick — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Brainstorm essay topics on diplomacy — Generate angles on multilateral climate negotiations.
Give me 10 options grouped into 3 themes, then mark the 3 most original and explain what makes them stronger.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Definitions plus a current example illustrating each. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT's Study Mode (type /study), an interactive tutor that guides you with questions step by step instead of just handing over the answer, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayHow to switch ChatGPT into tutor mode so it drills you on terms and ideas rather than doing the thinking for you — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Define hegemony, soft power, and balance of power — Definitions plus a current example illustrating each.
Define each term in one clear sentence, then give a concrete example of each in context. Once I've read them, quiz me on them one at a time and tell me what I got wrong and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Produce a quick profile of a state's political system. The linked tutorial covers AI Academy's approach to long-form writing: never ask for the whole essay at once — break it into smaller prompts across two tabs and a document so you keep control of the argument, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA workflow that automates the writing but not the thinking, so the argument stays yours and the draft stays checkable — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Draft a country background note — Produce a quick profile of a state's political system.
Help me write this, don't write it for me. First ask me 3 questions about my argument, then propose a thesis and a section plan. Do not draft full paragraphs until I approve the plan.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Break down the main articles of a trade agreement. The linked tutorial covers a 10-step ChatGPT prompt system — standard definition, an explain-it-to-a-10-year-old version, real-life analogies, a simple diagram, then a comparison table — that you aim at any concept you're stuck on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA repeatable prompt sequence that turns a confusing idea into a definition, an analogy and a diagram you can check against your course notes — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Explain a treaty's provisions — Break down the main articles of a trade agreement.
Start with a one-sentence definition, then explain it as if I'm 10, then give a real-world analogy. Finish by flagging anything scholars genuinely disagree about — and tell me what you're unsure of.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Request an informational interview with an NGO staffer. The linked tutorial covers drafting an email in ChatGPT and improving it through conversation — the first draft is deliberately generic, then detail is added turn by turn — plus what not to paste in for privacy, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayWhy the first draft always reads like AI, how to iterate it into your own voice, and to keep real names out of the prompt — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Write a professional email — Request an informational interview with an NGO staffer.
Keep it under 150 words: polite, specific, with one clear ask. Give me two versions — one formal, one warmer. Don't include real names, ID numbers, or anything private.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Structure a delegate's stance on a Security Council topic. The linked tutorial covers using ChatGPT across the research-paper workflow — finding a topic where a genuine gap exists, then structuring the paper around it, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayHow to pick a defensible topic and lay out the sections before you start writing — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Outline a Model UN position paper — Structure a delegate's stance on a Security Council topic.
Give a topic-sentence outline only — not full prose. For each section, state the argument it makes and the evidence it would need.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Note differences between containment and detente. The linked tutorial covers a compare-and-contrast prompt in ChatGPT (demonstrated on Buddhism vs Hinduism) that asks for similarities and differences, then expands any point you want more depth on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA prompt for structured comparisons, and how to push ChatGPT to elaborate on the specific dimension you care about — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Compare two foreign policy doctrines — Note differences between containment and detente.
Give me a table of the key similarities and differences, then one short paragraph on which difference matters most and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Generate seminar questions on humanitarian intervention
Produce seminar prompts on humanitarian intervention debates. The linked tutorial covers the fundamentals of ChatGPT — prompting basics, what it can and can't do, and how to personalise it, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayEnough grounding to attempt an unfamiliar task with AI and judge whether the answer is trustworthy — enough to use on International Relations work this week.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Generate seminar questions on humanitarian intervention — Produce seminar prompts on humanitarian intervention debates.
Walk me through how to do this step by step. Ask me any clarifying questions first, and show your reasoning so I can check it.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Build a balanced briefing on a conflict from varied outlets. The linked tutorial covers ResearchRabbit — seed it with one paper, then explore the citation network visually to surface related work and spot gaps, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA way to map a literature landscape from a single starting paper instead of searching keyword by keyword — worth checking against your International Relations course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Synthesize multiple news sources — Build a balanced briefing on a conflict from varied outlets.
Group the sources below into themes, show where they agree and disagree, and name the gap that's left. Do not invent sources.
[PASTE SOURCES OR ABSTRACTS HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Interpret patterns in bilateral flows from a spreadsheet. The linked tutorial covers dragging a dataset straight into ChatGPT and prompting it to describe the data, produce descriptive statistics per column, and chart the columns you care about, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayHow to interrogate a spreadsheet conversationally, and why the 'analyzing' step means it ran real code rather than guessing — worth checking against your International Relations course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Analyze trade or aid data — Interpret patterns in bilateral flows from a spreadsheet.
I'm uploading my dataset. First describe what's in it and flag any data-quality problems, then answer my question, and show the code you ran so I can check it myself.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Design roles and objectives for a mock diplomatic summit. The linked tutorial covers ChatGPT Projects as a workspace — turning a rough idea into a full plan with timelines, task assignments and a risk assessment that stays organised across sessions, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayHow to go from a vague goal to a structured plan with milestones and risks, kept in one persistent workspace — worth checking against your International Relations course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Build a negotiation simulation plan — Design roles and objectives for a mock diplomatic summit.
Break this into phases with milestones, working backwards from [DUE DATE]. Include the top 3 risks and how I'd mitigate each.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Weigh constructivist and realist accounts of an alliance. The linked tutorial covers a compare-and-contrast prompt in ChatGPT (demonstrated on Buddhism vs Hinduism) that asks for similarities and differences, then expands any point you want more depth on, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA prompt for structured comparisons, and how to push ChatGPT to elaborate on the specific dimension you care about — worth checking against your International Relations course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Compare theoretical explanations — Weigh constructivist and realist accounts of an alliance.
Give me a table of the key similarities and differences, then one short paragraph on which difference matters most and why.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Structure recommendations with options and tradeoffs for a decision-maker. The linked tutorial covers AI Academy's approach to long-form writing: never ask for the whole essay at once — break it into smaller prompts across two tabs and a document so you keep control of the argument, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA workflow that automates the writing but not the thinking, so the argument stays yours and the draft stays checkable — worth checking against your International Relations course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Draft a policy memo — Structure recommendations with options and tradeoffs for a decision-maker.
Help me write this, don't write it for me. First ask me 3 questions about my argument, then propose a thesis and a section plan. Do not draft full paragraphs until I approve the plan.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Select cases and variables to explain intervention outcomes. The linked tutorial covers designing a study end-to-end in ChatGPT — research questions, hypotheses, survey items, sample size and sampling method, R code for the analysis, then implications and titles, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA full research-design workflow, including how to answer a reviewer who says your sample is too small — worth checking against your International Relations course material before you lean on it.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Plan a comparative case study — Select cases and variables to explain intervention outcomes.
Propose a research question, hypotheses, method, sample and sampling strategy, and the analysis plan. Then critique the weaknesses of your own design.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Build and debug a game-theoretic simulation of deterrence. The linked tutorial covers pasting a broken snippet into ChatGPT with the prompt 'scan the following code for potential problems' — it finds the bug (a divide-by-zero), explains why it happens and returns a fixed version, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA debugging prompt formula, plus the habit of re-running the fixed code to confirm the error is actually gone — bring the result to a International Relations professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Model conflict escalation dynamics — Build and debug a game-theoretic simulation of deterrence.
Tell me what's wrong, explain why it happens, then give the corrected version. Walk through the fixed code line by line with a concrete input.
[PASTE YOUR CODE AND THE ERROR HERE]
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Write code testing hypotheses on civil war onset. The linked tutorial covers dragging a dataset straight into ChatGPT and prompting it to describe the data, produce descriptive statistics per column, and chart the columns you care about, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayHow to interrogate a spreadsheet conversationally, and why the 'analyzing' step means it ran real code rather than guessing — bring the result to a International Relations professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Analyze a quantitative conflict dataset — Write code testing hypotheses on civil war onset.
I'm uploading my dataset. First describe what's in it and flag any data-quality problems, then answer my question, and show the code you ran so I can check it myself.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Structure methodology on trade and democratization with verification. The linked tutorial covers designing a study end-to-end in ChatGPT — research questions, hypotheses, survey items, sample size and sampling method, R code for the analysis, then implications and titles, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayA full research-design workflow, including how to answer a reviewer who says your sample is too small — bring the result to a International Relations professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Design an original research study — Structure methodology on trade and democratization with verification.
Propose a research question, hypotheses, method, sample and sampling strategy, and the analysis plan. Then critique the weaknesses of your own design.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
Configure a tool synthesizing your sources on a specific region. The linked tutorial covers building a Custom GPT from scratch in ChatGPT and feeding it your own past writing so its output sounds like you rather than generic AI, and the starter prompt below already frames it for International Relations.
What you'll take awayHow to set up a reusable assistant with your instructions baked in, so you stop re-explaining context every session — bring the result to a International Relations professor or TA before it goes near graded work.
Starter prompt — paste into ChatGPT
I'm an International Relations student at HWS. My task: Build a custom geopolitics-analysis GPT — Configure a tool synthesizing your sources on a specific region.
Draft the name, description, instructions and 4 conversation starters for this Custom GPT. The instructions should tell it to ask clarifying questions and to admit when it doesn't know.
Keep the terminology, examples, and level of detail appropriate for an undergraduate International Relations course.
How can International Relations students use AI at HWS?
This page lists 20 practical AI use cases written specifically for International Relations students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges — 10 easy, 6 medium, 4 hard by difficulty. They range from everyday coursework help such as summarize a policy brief and explain realism versus liberalism in plain terms through to project-scale work like build a custom geopolitics-analysis gpt. Each one comes with a starter prompt you can paste straight into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
Which AI use cases should a International Relations major try first?
Start with the 10 rated Easy — they need no setup and work on the first try. For International Relations that means summarize a policy brief, explain realism versus liberalism in plain terms and brainstorm essay topics on diplomacy. Once those feel routine, move up to the Medium tier, which includes synthesize multiple news sources and analyze trade or aid data.
What do I need to start using AI as a International Relations student?
A free account with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini is the whole list — no coding, no paid subscription, and nothing to install. The 20 International Relations use cases here draw on 15 tutorial videos between them, and each card ships with a starter prompt already framed for International Relations coursework, so the first thing you do is paste, not write.
Is it OK to use AI for International Relations coursework at HWS?
Your International Relations professor decides, and the answer changes from course to course and even between assignments — so read the syllabus before any of this touches graded work. Everything on this page is a study aid: a use case like "Build a custom geopolitics-analysis GPT" exists to get you through International Relations material faster, not to produce something you submit as your own. If the syllabus is silent, ask before you use it.