Diving into global politics

Snapshot

• Educator: Dr Gonzalo Villanueva
• Subject: INTS10001 International Politics
• Discipline: Political Science and International Studies
• Study Level: Undergraduate, Level One
• Class Size: 600 students
• Delivery Mode: Combination of on campus lectures and tutorials

Design

Why?

The subject introduces first-year students to the actors, institutions and key debates that make up the contemporary international politics, and the UN classroom simulation extends this introductory understanding by helping students to experience the inner workings of one of the key institutions of global politics – the United Nations. Students act as member states of the UN Security Council and problem-solve a crisis to international peace and security. While simulations, and specifically UN model simulations, are a tried and tested teaching method, their implementation in real-world classroom environments can be challenging. The design of this classroom-based simulation, specifically, aimed to maximise the educational value of reflection through embedded reflection-in-action prompts (Schön, 1991). Specified pauses for reflection during the activity encouraged analysis of theories and concepts and created spaces to link the academic and the practical (De la Puente Pacheco et al., 2023). Generally, simulations have shown success in enhancing subjective engagement and objective student academic performance while facilitating cognitive engagement (Shanks & Zhang, 2024).

How?

Preparation and Resources

Students are assigned to a UN Security Council member-state role. The permanent five members are always included, with non-permanent members allocated according to tutorial enrolment. Each student receives a two-page country brief outlining their state’s position and leverage, including veto power where relevant, likely stance on sovereignty and intervention, approaches to mediation and sanctions, and real-world statements drawn from Security Council proceedings.

The activity uses simple but deliberate role-play materials: UN-branded name badges, desk placards and a blank draft-resolution template. These resources help first-year students enter the activity quickly while keeping the learning focus on negotiation, perspective-taking and institutional decision-making.

Activity sequence

Each tutorial functions as a self-contained UN Security Council. The tutor facilitates the process, but students in role make the key decisions: negotiating, drafting and amending a resolution, and voting.

The tutor opens with a short Secretary-General statement. Students undertake a first round of unstructured consultations for approximately 15 minutes. At the mid-point, students write three to four points on how another member state views the crisis and why. A short discussion follows on which positions surprised them and what it felt like to represent their assigned state. Students then enter a second round of consultations for approximately 10 minutes, moving from general positions to negotiated text. The activity concludes with a final vote on a draft resolution. The tutor leads a structured debrief on humanitarian urgency, sovereignty, UNSC dynamics and whether the UN is best placed to maintain international peace and security.

Reflection

Reflection is built into the activity at two points. The mid-simulation pause asks students to move beyond their own assigned position and explain how another state understands the crisis. This supports perspective-taking and helps students see that disagreement in the Security Council is not only a matter of bad faith, but also of different interests, institutional constraints and claims about legitimacy.

The final debrief links the simulation back to the subject’s larger learning outcomes. Students consider how power, procedure and interests shape what the Security Council can plausibly do; why humanitarian urgency does not automatically translate into collective action; and how concepts such as sovereignty, legitimacy, veto power, bargaining and regional ownership affect international decision-making.

Insights

Pre and post student surveys with both qualitative and quantitative questions were administered to evaluate the simulation and its effectiveness. 105 students responded to the open-ended questions in the pre-survey, with the largest number of students indicating they recognised their own lack of knowledge regarding the international crisis under study. Only five students demonstrated awareness of the complexity of the situation. 68 students completed the post-survey. Results indicate a deepening of awareness of the complexity involved in international decision making and a more nuanced understanding of constraints and pressures. Qualitative responses included reports of greater understanding of ‘the different beliefs and intentions of the nations within the UN discussions’ and changed views ‘from thinking that the conflict could be simply resolved to understanding the nuances of the UN resolution process and how difficult it is … to come to an agreement.’

Dr Gonzalo Villanueva had this to say after piloting this version of the  UN simulation in his class:

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References

De la Puente Pacheco, M. A., De Oro Aguado, C. M., Arias, E. L., Rico, H., Cifuentes, D.,& Tafur, M. (2023). Effectiveness of model ASEAN meeting in enhancing critical thinking: a Colombia case study. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(10), 6818–6840.

Shanks, S., & Zhang, J. J. (2024). Disentangling perception and performance: A natural experiment on student engagement and learning in simulations. Journal of Political Science Education, 20(2), 292-317.

Schön, D. A. (1991). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. Basic Books.

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