Nira Pandya
3 May 2011
MUN COURSE REFLECTION
Model UN: An Experience Unmatched
Participating in Model UN this semester was an experience of a lifetime: One that I will never be able to forget. One that I don’t wish to change. In January, the group had met for the first time. Many of us were unsure what the class would entail, what the conference would be like, and whether we would make some good friends in the process. Model UN has been one of the highlights of my educational college career thus far, and as a sophomore, I am glad I have discovered it already!
This class proves to be a perfect example of putting academic theory into practice. Taking up International Relations as one of my majors has been great for my academic quest for knowledge; however, when coupled with an opportunity such as Model UN, I have really been able to discover my true passion for the field. I had always heard the phrase “putting theory in practice.” But now, I really do believe I understand it. In many of my classes, we have discussed the UN system, as it applies so strongly to today’s international political arena. However, this semester, I have learned a lot more about the UN system and International Relations by actually “doing” rather than just “reading.” Hence, the Model UN course has established itself as an extremely valuable tool in my learning process.
What I value the most about it is the fact that it was a learning process that all began the first day of class in January. As the semester progressed and each class passed, I was able to feel a bit more confident about attending the conference in April. The preparation phase before the actual conference was what assisted me the most in my learning process. Reading Smith’s Politics & Process at the UN helped me to gain a strong academic foundation about the UN’s function in international relations and how the organization actually works. The written and oral quizzes pushed me to try even harder. During the beneficial preparation phase, I had learned all the theory about the system, but it was just time to put it to practice during the one week that we were in New York City.
The UN is an organization that has been able to unite 192 countries in fostering peace and human rights throughout the world; however, as Model UN has demonstrated, it is very critical to understand what this unity means, and how difficult it is to actually achieve. Throughout committee sessions, I learned about how each country was attempting to cooperate, but was, in ways, selfish in doing so. Each country had one aim: To protect its national interests. As a representative of Kazakhstan in the UNICEF committee, I feel we had a voice and a lot to contribute. After each committee session, I felt that I was getting more and more involved in the process of formulating working papers. However, I soon learned that a working paper was not enough. Similar to the real United Nations, support was critical and necessary in order to actually pass potential resolutions. And so, on top of becoming better writers, we became more effective communicators. Everyday, the goal was to garner more support for the work that Kazakhstan was undertaking. This was not easy. Although it may seem so, unity is not easy at the UN. We quickly learned that because everyone had his or her own vested interests, it was going to be difficult to garner support. However, with increased communication and diplomacy, we were able to come up with a working paper that would try to address the concerns of all countries that were represented in the UNICEF. Just as the real ambassadors have, diplomacy is a process and tool that we, Syracuse-Maxwell students, have also now mastered as a result of this conference.
I truly feel honored and privileged to have been given this opportunity by my university. This experience has yielded results that have exceeded my expectations. Overall, the Model UN course is one that has immensely contributed to my academic success; it has aided me in reaching a new level of academic superiority and practical learning in my studies here at Syracuse University.