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Academics

Eligibility Requirements

  • Minimum GPA of 3.0
  • Drew student with junior or senior standing
  • Have completed PSCI-104: International Relations
  • Be in good academic and disciplinary standing

Program Director

CARLOS YORDÁN
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Semester on the United Nations

Apply Now - Applications are due March 10

Founded in 1962, the Semester on the United Nations is one of Drew University’s signature academic programs. Each fall semester, a group of 20 students travels twice a week to the United Nations to meet members of the U.N. Secretariat, the Member states’ delegations, special agencies, or nongovernmental organizations represented at the United Nations. Faculty-led lectures and group discussions typically follow these meetings. Interested students can also complete an internship experience in one of the non-governmental groups that work on U.N.-related issues.

Classes begin in late August, end in early December, and are held in New York or on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

nycTREC Information Session: Semester on the United Nations (Fall)

Date: Tuesday, February 4th
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Brothers College, BC 104

Date: Thursday, February 13th
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Brothers College, BC 104

RSVP Here!

Big Experiences Lead to Bold Futures

Under the Launch career development platform, all students graduate with at least two experiential learning opportunities on their transcripts. Guaranteed.

This nycTREC program will count towards this out-of-the-classroom requirement in Drew’s rigorous curriculum.

Travel

To the center of global affairs. Just a train ride away from Drew’s campus, on the banks of the East River, sits the United Nations, the world’s most notable international organization. Outside the headquarters building, colorful flags flutter, representing each of the UN’s 193 member states. Inside, a global staff are tasked with the promotion and safeguard of international peace and security. Here, and in Drew’s UN classroom just across 1st Avenue, students meet with diplomats, policy experts and UN Secretariat staff to understand how the UN functions. Visit offices of major non-governmental organizations—Human Rights Watch and the Population Council are two student favorites—to expand your knowledge.

Rethink

The changing face of international diplomacy. Why do states value global governance and comply with international law? How do historical developments, including the horrors associated with WWII, shape the UN’s infrastructure? How has the UN contributed to current international affairs? What is the future of the UN?

Explore

Solutions to global challenges. Think peace and security. Climate change. Sustainable development. Human rights, disarmament and terrorism. Round out the list with humanitarian and health emergencies, gender equality, governance and food production. The UN’s scope is vast, and you examine all of it in classes and via guest lectures. Delve deeply into the UN’s efforts to prevent conflict, help parties in conflict make peace and create the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish. Put your newfound knowledge to work in a General Assembly simulation exercise where you play the role of a member state.

Connect

The Semester at the United Nations draws students from disciplines such as history, political science, international relations, sociology, foreign languages and philosophy. Add this immersive experience to your Launch plan and you will develop skills vital to careers in foreign service, government, journalism, law, public policy, non-governmental organizations, international business, teaching, and research.

Costs and Financial Assistance

Each nycTREC has an associated program fee, which is posted each semester in the Course Catalog. Students receive a grant to cover round-trip transportation to New York City from Madison and program-related events and activities.

All of your Drew University financial assistance, whether merit or need-based, may be applied to all Drew-sponsored semester programs.

 

Required Courses

PSCI 383: The United Nations System and the International Community

PSCI 383: The United Nations System and the International Community

4 Credits

On-site exposure to the realities of international politics in the United Nations context. An examination of the evolution of the United Nations and the network of international institutions associated with it. An analysis of the role played by the United Nations in the larger international community. Classes are conducted at the Drew University facilities near the U.N. in New York City.

Requires instructor signature for registration.

Prerequisite course: PSCI 104

Corequisite course: PSCI 384

CLA-Off-Campus Experience

PSCI 384: Research Seminar on the United Nation

PSCI 384: Research Seminar on the United Nations

4 Credits

Students conduct research on selected topics related to the United Nations and its role in the larger international system. Assignments include the preparation of a major research paper designed to develop techniques appropriate to the analysis of international affairs. Classes are conducted at the Drew University facilities near the U.N. plaza in New York City.

Prerequisite course: PSCI 104

Corequisite course: PSCI 383

CLA-Writing Intensive