WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., April 10, 2019 — Five West Liberty University political science students attended the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) Conference from March 28-30 and had a chance to explore international relations.
“This was West Liberty’s first trip to a model United Nations conference in recent years and the students took the trip as part of the model United Nations course offered within our political science curriculum. They did great at the conference and had fun too,” said Dr. Brian Fitzpatrick, who is an assistant professor of political science and attended the conference with his students.
“At model United Nations the students take on the role of a country’s United Nations delegation, and work with students representing other countries to try and get resolutions passed in their country’s interest,” he explained.
This year the WLU student team represented Egypt.
“The experience really helps you get into the perspective of a different country,” said student Charli McConnell of Richmond, Ohio.
Weirton, W.Va. resident Adam Davis added that the conference allows “you to learn to work with people from diverse backgrounds.”
Model United Nations is not only relevant to those interested in political science and international relations, but also helps to develop debating, negotiation, public speaking, and consensus building skills, according to Fitzpatrick.
The SRMUN conference was inaugurated in 1990 in Greenville, S.C., with the intention of being an exemplary learning experience for undergraduate college students interested in pursuing issues of international concern.
Next semester students taking his course will travel to a Model United Nations conference in Montreal, Canada.
Fitzpatrick also presented to a panel of educators on the topic of using board games to teach international relations.
“The conference and my presentation went well, and I got a ton of ideas for my courses from the other panelists. It was a very beneficial activity,” said Fitzpatrick, who is originally from Hillsborough, N.C. and is in his second year of teaching at WLU.
Political science is just one of the majors found in WLU’s College of Liberal Arts. Others include comics study, criminal justice, English education, geography and planning, history, literature, pre-law, social studies education, social work, sociology and writing & rhetoric.
For more information, please contact the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Gerard NeCastro at 304.336.8061.