The Merrill Center conducts frequent informal seminars and discussions with a view to bringing together academic and policy perspectives on national security issues of pressing interest. In addition to these events, its has the following structured programs for those beyond SAIS.
Alvin Bernstein, a distinguished ancient historian and some-time teacher at SAIS who served in positions of high responsibility in the Department of Defense, was an exceptional educator in the civilian academic world (Yale and Cornell) and in the United States government (the US Naval War College, National Defense University, and the George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies). In keeping with his example and his interests, this lecture has as its organizing theme the intersection of history and national security policy.
The annual Merrill Center workshop, usually conducted in June at the Basin Harbor Club on the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont, focuses on teaching in the field of strategic studies. Normally, this workshop brings together approximately half a dozen senior and two dozen junior faculty for a four-day pedagogical colloquium. Topics include teaching an introductory course in strategic studies; syllabus construction; case teaching; use of film in the classroom; gaming and simulations; and staff rides. Occasionally the Merrill Center convenes a more senior group to explore a substantive set of issues and how they might be addressed in academic and professional curricula. See the Events page for more information on recent or upcoming workshops.
The Merrill Center hosts an annual visiting fellow, who participates in a variety of activities, and who may come from any of the communities—academic, government, military, or journalistic—interested in the Center’s mission.
In addition to the annual Basin Harbor workshop, the Merrill Center conducts shorter forums on teaching and works with institutions that approach the Center. The Center seeks to fulfill a need for solid instructional materials accompanied by detailed teaching notes. The instructional materials, which are produced both by the Center personnel and in coordination with faculty members from other universities, include: - Case Studies
- Simulations and Exercises
- Film Guides
- Teaching Guides
- Research Guides
- Syllabi
The Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Johns Hopkins University
1619 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036 Academic Program: 202-663-5774, twmckell@jhu.edu
Outreach Activities: 202-663-5772, khayne11@jhu.edu
General: saismerrillcenter@jhu.edu | 
