Every semester the Political Science Department offers the Model United Nations (MUN) class to students.
The class’s premise is to represent a country as they are represented in the UN.
This semester, the class of 20 represented Switzerland, Argentina and India. They traveled to Charlotte, NC for the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) conference.
The students were split into different committees covering the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Peacebuilding Committee, the Habitat Assembly and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
Dr. Jen Schiff, MUN advisor, became involved in MUN in the fall semester of 2011.
MUN started as an extracurricular club that Schiff worked to change MUN into a class.
“I took the MUN club, which had four members at the time, to a small MUN conference at UNC Charlotte, and the day I spent observing them in action convinced me that MUN was so beneficial to skill development that it deserved to be expanded into a semester-long course,” Schiff said.
Schiff sees MUN as an opportunity to refine students’ research, writing, public speaking, group collaboration and creativity skills.
“It’s a way to bring the world to Cullowhee, a way for students to build the skills they will need for success in any career field they might choose.” Schiff said.
Braylee Miles-Anderson participated in the General Assembly Plenary Committee at SRMUN where 220 delegates debated the creation of a Cybersecurity Treaty and the Illicit Trade of Cultural Artifacts.
“I now understand why the government is a slow boat to policy change,” Miles-Anderson said. “There are so many ideas that people have and are unwilling to budge on.”
Colin Hsieh attended the SRMUN conference for the first time and enjoyed the trip.
“I think this class will teach me how to diplomatic on a general basis,” Hsieh said.
Hsieh wants to attend law school once he graduates from WCU and believes Model UN will prepare him for when he must speak to large crowds and debate topics.
