Political Science
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is a student organization that works to provide a further understanding of the UN diplomatic processes and contemporary international issues. Students attend UN conferences and simulate the role of delegates from pre-assigned countries.
The College sends approximately twenty-four students to two annual conferences that draw delegations from hundreds of colleges and universities from across the United States and abroad. The team travels to the American Model United Nations conference in Chicago in the fall and the National Model United Nations conference in New York City each spring. Wooster has represented a wide array of countries over the years, including Australia, Cameroon, Chad, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, South Korea, Togo, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The team has received distinguished representation awards at the American Model United Nations and was named the overall champion at the 1998 Cleveland Model United Nations Conference. In addition, a New York delegation representing Germany was profiled in the magazine Jetzt. The team won three top awards at the 2007 American Model United Nations competition in Chicago.
In preparation for the conferences, students meet weekly to become knowledgeable regarding the general workings of the UN and skilled representatives of their assigned country. Students work to master UN rules of procedure over several mock debate sessions.
Being named to the conference traveling team is a competitive process, and students' performances at these sessions are carefully assessed. Team members must also research and develop position papers on their country (including background and current events), the topics of discussion for their assigned committees, and the positions of other countries (both allies and adversaries).
In order to promote team cohesion, as well as further understanding about their countries, a potluck dinner is held where team members bring dishes based on the countries being represented that semester. Finally, students are debriefed by their advisor after a conference in order to reinforce lessons learned and to build upon successes for the next competition.