Washington College typically sends a group of students each year to Magill University to participate in the National Model United Nations Conference, a simulation that gives undergraduates a feel for the complexity of international relations. This year was no exception. In early February, Andrew Oros, assistant professor of political science, accompanied 12 students on a five-day trip to Montréal.
Thirty-five colleges and universities from around the world sent some 1,600 students to conduct politics on behalf of 28 different committees. According to one of the participants, senior political science major Ambika Vishwanath, the committees range from dealing with varying facets of the UN General Assembly, to education issues, to air and space issues, to important global crises.
Vishwanath took part in one of the crisis committees dealing with the Kashmir conflict. “Being from India, it was terribly exciting for me,” she says. “I represented a member of the Indian Cabinet, and had an incredible experience dealing with real life emergencies, while at the same time trying to compromise with members of the Pakistani cabinet. Participating in such as simulation not only teaches you the ability to listen, digest and examine information as fast as possible, but also allows you to utilize all and any skills you might have learned in and out of school.”
The model participants also enjoyed the cultural diversity they found in Montréal. “Within a three-block radius of our hotel,” she says, “we sampled food from all over the world. It definitely added something to the international experience of the UN trip.”
At press time, another group of students were headed to Geneva, Switzerland, to take part in Geneva International Model United Nations Conference. Sponsored by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, this conference invited only 56 schools to participate.
Tahir Shad, associate professor of political science and international studies, accompanied five student delegates from Washington College: Conor Caporale, Amanda Grossman, Andrew Henderson, Yukiko Omagari and Zain Shad.
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