Former ambassador to Czech Republic delivers fascinating seminar for Cardiff University students

The former Ambassador to the Czech Republic visited Cardiff University to deliver a fascinating seminar for history students.

Mr Nick Archer MVO made the special trip to Cardiff to talk to students about recent Czech history the role of an ambassador and the challenges it presents before opening up to questions from the cohort.

The visit materialised because of the innovative teaching methods within the University’s history undergraduate degree programmes.

Through role-play as Czechoslovak diplomats, third-year students had been ‘assigned’ abroad, with their ‘duties’ taking place in the 1920s and 1930s.

Czechoslovak history is taught through seminars with reading solely from primary sources to develop a deeper, empathetic learning experience helping students to understand the challenges real diplomats tackle every day.

As Her Majesty’s British ambassador to the Czech Republic in from 2018 to 2022, Mr Archer faced challenges such as Brexit during the Czech Republic's Presidency of the Council of the European Union; the COVID-19 pandemic; and, most recently, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its subsequent war.

Mr Archer, who was assistant private secretary to the Prince of Wales (now king) in the 1990s, said, “It’s really nice to be back. I was last in Cardiff working as the UK Trade and Investment Managing Director to help Welsh companies develop their export business.

“I’ve returned on this special occasion to speak with a group of final-year students studying Czechoslovak history.

“They were a great audience and asked me a raft of intelligent questions.

“The current international climate is very challenging, and we hope that future generations can lead us to brighter years ahead.”

Students asked a variety of questions about the role, including what an average working week is like for an ambassador, how Mr Archer dealt with the European Union amidst Brexit fallout, and the ‘war on terror’, among many contemporary challenges facing Europe.

Modern History and Politics (BScEcon) student Charlotte Francis said, “I learned a lot about not only an ambassador’s responsibilities day-to-day, but also about the cultural aspect of working abroad.

“It was insightful to hear about the current state of Czech diplomatic relations and regional sentiment, especially regarding its neighbouring countries, and how this has evolved since the decades following the First World War.

“Mr Archer’s talk was influential in terms of understanding how widespread crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have been managed globally.

“It was also helpful to learn the specifics of how important international cooperation has been for resolving these issues and specifically the role of foreign embassies in contributing to political stability.”

History and Economics (BSc) student Charles Mullen noted the importance of guest seminars as part of his learning, “They complement learning greatly.

“It's really great to have hands-on experience talking about current world issues and applying historical knowledge as context to it. In history we rarely study current affairs and seeing similarities and differences is very helpful.”

Matilda Hamlyn, studying History (BA) added, “It was interesting to hear from someone who had experienced many different posts and could talk about how he had navigated different international issues.

“These talks really enrich the student experience and by having these incorporated into your learning, you get a much more rounded education because it allows you to view what you have learnt from a different perspective.”

Professor Mary Heimann said, “It is easy to oversimplify the past, to imagine that the right course of action was, or should have been, self-evident.

“It was a honour for us to have the real ambassador give us the benefit of his own experiences and insights to deepen their understanding.”

Find out more about Mr Archer and our history programmes.