The School of Foreign Service in Qatar

Welcome class of 2014, let us provide you with four adapted points of interest that Mr. Edmund A. Walsh guarantees.

1. You will follow the travels of Ibn Battuta…

…or at least be able to list every country he could possibly have traveled to, as well as identify all previous colonial powers of that country, draw all former borders and give a cursory description of every war there since 1800 in the Map of the Modern World class.
How is it possible to succeed, you ask, in this forced quest to learn the history of the world? Your professor will tell you the trick at the very beginning of class: review your notes for 10 minutes every night, and you’ll find that you won’t fall asleep dreaming about mysterious country-shaped silhouettes during study days. If you can manage a couple of days a week of a 10-minute review, you’ll make it significantly easier for yourself. Verbalizing your notes, quizzing each other in groups, and taking the online Map quizzes will definitely help the information stick.

2. You’ll have a night to dress and impress…

…at the Diplomatic Ball, an annual event at GU-Q. The Diplomatic Ball is planned by the Student Affairs Office and attended by various members of Qatar’s diplomatic community. This swanky affair takes place annually in the spring, and the entire Georgetown community is invited for an unforgettable evening. Last year’s ball was held at the Diplomatic Club where diplomats of today and tomorrow came together for an evening of dinner, conversation and dancing to live music (courtesy of the Doha Blues Brothers Band).

3. You will take your diplomatic skills to the United Nations…

... after mastering them at the numerous Model United Nations conferences which you will attend. The M.U.N. is a student-run simulation of the United Nations, where students assume the roles of foreign diplomats to learn about international politics and diplomacy in their individual committees.
Participants at our MUN are high school students from around the world, who join our MUN as a school team of six students and one or two teachers. Students participate as delegates and are required to research both the country they will represent at the conference as well as the specific topics to be debated in their assigned committee.
As a GU-Q student, your role during the MUN conference is much different; we’re the ones running the show. Some GU-Q students assume staff positions, and are responsible for carrying out all the necessary tasks, outside the individual committees, which are needed for the conference to run as scheduled. In each committee, there is a Chief of Staff, Vice Chair, and Chair; GU-Q students also assume these head positions and moderate their respective committee sessions according to the standard MUN rules and procedures. The Chairs are responsible for maintaining order during the sessions and guiding the delegates’ attempt at UN diplomacy to pass resolutions.

4. You will save the Third World…

…or at least be utterly convinced that you can. All GU-Q Students think that they are destined to change the world. It has yet to be determined if this is caused by the predetermined ambitious natures of the students or the rigor of the classes they take while they’re here. In any case, in the course of your time at GU-Q, you’ll learn about all the political, social and economic problems facing the world and with the right mix of confidence and enthusiasm, you will be certain you can fix them.
Such classes exist for regions all over the world, and when you finish up your core GU-Q requirements, it will be up to you to choose what interests you the most. However, at the beginning, you’ll take classes that teach you about the world in general such as International Relations and Comparative Political Systems. Outside the classroom, you’ll also take advantage of GU-Q’s renowned co-curricular programs, Zones of Conflict – Zones of Peace, and Disaster Management. It’s here where you can apply what you learn in the classroom, and become closer to your mission of saving the world. The ultimate GU-Q club is, of course, the International Relations Club where you can begin the debates and research that will serve you well in the future. Additionally, you could join an activist club (there is probably already one that addresses your world conflict of choice, but if not, you could always establish your very own).

Based on "The School of Foreign Service" from The Hoya's New Student Guide to the Hilltop (http://64.150.181.12/?page_id=103 )