Students Test Diplomacy Skills
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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