This lesson introduces students to the concept of power, its various manifestations (soft, hard and smart power) and to the ways in which state and non-state actors use power in global politics. It includes a warm up that gets students thinking about the definition of power, a video and transcript of Joseph Nye speaking on power, a reading on China's use of "chequebook diplomacy" and a podcast on the US' use of "hip hop diplomacy," along with comprehension and reflection questions for each. The culminating task asks students to compare and contrast the US and China's uses of soft power and includes a "compare and contrast" graphic organizer.