Annual Model UN Simulation

  On Wednesday, April 18^th 2018, students from PSC 121: International Relations participated in a Model UN Simulation as part of Daemen's annual Academic Festival. Students represented various states in meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)  held to discuss the ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea and vote on the proposed resolution. The countries involved in this simulation were Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, as well as the permanent members of the UNSC (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom(UK), and the United States of America (US)).

 Each country gave a short speech introducing their positions on the issue. The states that had the most to say were China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. China reinforced their claims to the nine-dash line and claimed that the water was “historically” their property noting that several other nations recognized the nine-dash line as valid. Indonesia was the main opponent to China, in that they were disputing the validity of the nine-dash-line as well as China’s claims to the entire region; they were of course backed by the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Indonesia strongly disagreed with China’s “historical” claims to the water, and asserted their rights and sovereignty over the waters in their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Philippines delivered a powerful speech as well about negotiating and signing a bilateral treaty with China, and they encouraged other countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan) to do so as well. The Philippines and China both claimed that their treaty was mutually beneficial, with joint security guarantees from both countries. 

After all the countries delivered their positions on the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the moderators conducted an open debate; the question that generated the most controversy was “Do any countries have the claim or desire to expand their territory in the South China Sea?”. The Philippines found this question particularly offensive as did China, this resulted in strained arguments among the states creating a tensed and chaotic atmosphere. Another point of note was that China claimed that the nine-dash line and the Law of the Sea were not mutually exclusive agreements and said that they were willing to create treaties with any country that approached them. 

 At the end of the debate the resolution was introduced and each state cast their vote: only two of the eight states voted for the resolution (Indonesia and Russia), one state abstained from the vote (Japan), the rest of the states adamantly voted against the resolution. No amendments were added to the resolution at any point. The moderator and the USG worked hard to synthesize all position papers and create a balanced resolution that would be appealing to all states involved. The main points of the resolution were as follows:

1.   Demands, that any and all nations halt military or other  aggressions towards one another in a timely fashion, this includes intervention by the USA, UK, France and Russia.

2.    Endorses the renaming of the area known as the South China Sea, that it gives the false impression that China is entitled to the area. 

3. Encourages all states to immediately halt their all activities in the area, and acknowledge what they have and what all countries already have. It is also advisable that no state continues with their intentions to build any other islands and enact efforts to preserve the remaining wildlife reefs.

4.     Encourages  a spirit of cooperation between all states with stake in the sea, as laid out in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Treaty,  to sign a treaty acknowledging each other state's claim to the area as well as indicating they will allow  free and open trade in the area.

5.   Demands, China to denounces the nine-dash line, in exchange they may keep the islands created and  claim the law of the sea from those areas (200 miles off the coast).

6.  Proposes, that any and all nations that lay similar claims to Similar Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) under the UNCLOS Treaty work out additional treaties with each other that are both fair and righteous to both states.

7.     Advocate Support for these treaties, if needed, to be supervised and overseen by a third party (state, NGO, or IGO) with no direct benefit from either state control of more of the EEZ then the other.

8.    Proposes treaty designed to allow shared fishing territories and resources throughout the region, if so desired by state, with predetermined compensation.

Representative from France presenting their position

Speech by the representative of Indonesia

Speech from the representative of Malaysia

Moderator introducing the simulation

Team representing the Phillippines

Speech by Russia

Debate

Debate

Speech by US representative

  Students were particularly excited at having the opportunity to engage in experiential learning. They conducted several weeks of in-depth research on their assigned states and roles before the showcase. While all teams performed enthusiastically, students in the class voted to award the best performance to Team China and Team France/ UK for their outstanding knowledge and performance. A special mention to the Philippines and Indonesia who also received several votes and were runners-up for the best performance award.

Blog post by Kaitlin Kinkade (Served as Moderator in the Model UN Simulation) and Dr. Aakriti Tandon

Thinking of majoring in History? AHA report on career paths & earnings

The stereotypes about the supposed "dead-end" of a liberal arts degree--especially in humanities disciplines such as History, English, Philosophy, and Languages--has become deeply entrenched in the public imagination. Fortunately, the importance of these liberal arts fields are being rediscovered and are gaining renewed attention as versatile and flexible areas of study that equip students with knowledge and intellectual skills that are highly valued by employers, that result in a high degree of career satisfaction, and that provide the flexibility to adapt to change careers during a lifetime of employment. (See, for example, discussion of recent books such as The Fuzzy and the Techie and Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.)

The American Historical Association (AHA) recently published an article exploring career possibilities for history degree-holders in its magazine, Perspectives. "History is Not a Useless Major: Fighting Myths with Data" (April 2017) challenges the prevailing message that majoring in STEM disciplines is the only path to career success and examines myths about history. The article draws upon data comparing the marketability of various degrees, using census data from some 3.5 million American households, as analyzed by the American Community Survey (ACS).

History majors end up working in a wide range of career areas, as the chart below demonstrates:

"Data source: ACS 2010–14 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS). Includes individuals who stated they were in full-time employment, between the ages of 25 and 64, had achieved a bachelor’s degree or higher, and had either history or US history as the field of study for their bachelor’s degree." (Fig. 1 from "History Is Not a Useless Major")

Describing the career paths of History graduates, the Perspectives story notes:

History majors seem particularly well-­prepared for, and attracted to, certain careers. Nearly one in five goes into education—just over half as primary-, middle-, and high-school teachers. Another 15 percent enter management positions in business, and 11 percent go into the legal professions (most becoming lawyers)....

It’s important to note that nearly half of the history majors identified by the ACS went on to graduate school—a much higher percentage than the national average (37 percent) and higher than majors in English (45 percent) and the liberal arts (26 percent). This might be because law, management, and education require advanced study. It could also mean that students interested in careers that require graduate training see a history major as a springboard. Likely it is a combination of the two. But knowing this, history departments must understand that it is imperative that they prepare majors for graduate school and offer guidance in educational and career choices.

The Perspectives story also challenges the myth of the underemployed humanities graduate, pointing out that the flexibility of the history degree results in a wide range of earnings for degree-holders--which reflect the wide range of career choices pursued by history gradates.

In fact, there is little difference in career earnings students who graduate with degrees from disciplines in the humanities, life sciences, or social sciences and behavioral sciences (see chart below). However, it is true that the earnings from the disciplinary fields in these academic areas are lower, on average, than earnings for fields such as engineering, physical sciences, health and medical sciences, and business. Since the chart explores correlations between the undergraduate degree and lifetime earnings, it is important to note that what graduates do with their bachelor's degrees, including whether they pursue further education through graduate school or professional training, can make a big difference in terms of income. Note the variation in earnings from the lowest 25th percentile, the 50th percentile, and the highest 75th percentile. (This point about the "value added" by further education is also true for bachelor's-degree holders in most disciplinary fields.)

"Data source: American Academy of Arts and Sciences Humanities Indicators, table III-4a. Available at http://www.humanitiesindicators.org/content/indicatordoc.aspx?i=287." (source: Fig. 3 from "History Is Not a Useless Major")

The Perspectives story concludes by analyzing and contextualizing the data about the history degree:

In short, it is not that history majors are underpaid. It is that the diverse range of occupations that a history degree prepares them for includes several important, but vastly undervalued, public service careers. If the only consideration when choosing a major is whether you will be earning six figures by the age of 30, then history may not be the best field. But for students who are inspired by work in which the greatest rewards may not necessarily be financial, a history major remains an excellent option.

The ACS data shed fascinating light on some of the myths about life with a history degree. Majoring in history does not doom a graduate to a life of unemployment or under­employment. In fact, history majors go on to become much better educated than the average person, filling roles in a wider range of careers than holders of many other degrees. The worst that can be said of this situation is that many of those careers are socially undervalued. But that does not mean that a degree in history is any less valuable.

History major Taqiyah Gibbons receives AAUW scholarship to study abroad

History major Taqiyah Gibbons ('18) has received an award from the American Association of University Women's Chamberlin Grant & Loan fund, administered by the Buffalo Chapter of the AAUW. Taqiyah is a History major with minors in Public History, Pre-Law Studies, Criminal Justice, and Black Studies. She will use the award to help pay for a study abroad trip this summer.

Taqiyah Gibbons

The award from the AAUW is helping Taqiyah to realize her dream of international study:

"The American Association of University Women is an organization that I have not only supported for a long time but whose mission I closely align with. I have wanted to study abroad since my freshman year but because I come from a single parent household that idea has always seemed impossible. 

After doing my research, I decided to apply for the Chamberlin Grant through the Buffalo Chapter of AAUW. A few months and an interview later I was blessed to receive the grant, making it possible to finally study abroad. This is my final year and I wanted to end it knowing that I got the best experience out of my college career. AAUW believed in me enough to support one of my dreams and I am truly grateful that because of them this summer I will be able to leave this country for the first time and begin my journey of traveling the world."

The Chamberlin Loan program, which has been in operation since 1973, provides financial support  to underwrite educational expenses for female students, mainly in the form of low-interest loans. You can learn more about the Chamberlin Loan program and other grants offered by the AAUW's Buffalo chapter here.

Daemen's AAUW Student Organization supports and upholds the AAUW mission of expanding educational opportunities for women and narrowing the gender pay gap. The club is open to all Daemen students, who also receive a free e-membership from the AAUW because of Daemen's institutional membership in the AAUW. To join as a student member, click here and scroll down to the "Free e-Student Membership" link for AAUW College/University members. To learn more about Daemen's AAUW Student Organization, or to become a member, contact Dr. Penny Messinger, Women's Studies program director and faculty advisor for the AAUW Student Organization.

Daemen offers study-abroad opportunities all over the world. Interested in studying abroad? Contact our Global Programs office to learn more.