Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 The Delegation of Humanity Scrolling down the

list of scholarships, my eyes scanned the page, attempting to find a single political science scholarship that did not require "Model United Nations experience." I did not know what Model United Nations was, and I was disappointed for not qualifying for a single scholarship. Little did I know at that particular moment, that Model United Nations (MUN), to me, would be more than an organization that would help me qualify for scholarships. Everything I loved about politics and the international community were encompassed in one organization, and since I joined, I have not regretted it once. Goals: It was my first week of college when I first saw the MUN advertisement, calling out for students who are interested in politics. During the interest meeting, which was held at 3:30 PM on Wednesday in room 383 in the Friday building, the Vice-president of the organization went over what MUN was. Model United Nations is a global organization that literally simulates the actual United Nations. It trains students how to be diplomatic, how to step away from personal opinions and debate the policies of the government, how to give impromptu speeches, how to motivate delegates during committee, and how to adhere to the political process of passing resolutions for implementation. In our university, however, MUN is not only a club, but a class as well. Political science majors must take MUN as their senior seminar, and underclassmen may join the club for similar political experience. Books and instructors may teach quite well, however nothing teaches better than experience, and that is what MUN does. MUN allows students to interact with their knowledge and to put their research and training to the test. The organization travels to conferences around the world where students act as delegates and

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 represent different countries in various committees. The committees have certain issues that they discuss and debate in attempts to find a solution to eradicate that global problem and write it in a resolution. The resolutions are then presented in the committees where all the delegates vote whether or not they want to pass each resolution. In the end awards are given out to distinguished and outstanding delegations. Each delegation must adhere to their country's policies even if they personally disagree. This is to build their diplomatic skills. MUN's effectiveness is beyond what one can fathom, and as a beginner in the organization, I must admit that I have truly watched myself grow by the minute. I can feel my confidence emanating from my voice with every speech I give. I can feel my temper diminishing with every topic I debate, and I can feel my ideas expanding with every resolution I articulate. Communication: As I have mentioned above, the MUN club meets every Wednesday at 3:30 PM in room 383 in the Friday building. The Vice-president is always present and he gives us a lecture and allows us to discuss MUN related topics and issues in the first half of the meeting. Sometimes, the president herself attends to enhance the quality of the lectures. During the latter half of the meetings, the vice-president chooses a random international political topic that the club members must give a 45-60 second speech about. Every meeting the topic is a surprise to prevent us from preparing or memorizing a speech beforehand. This is to simulate what the conferences are like. At every meeting, we better prepare ourselves for the conferences. During the first couple of meeting, after all the prospective members paid their $75 dues, the officers of the organization assigned each member to a country. In order to fund the organization and to afford the various conferences, every MUN member must attend five fundraising events at the Carolina Panthers

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 games where the organization gets paid for the members work. Every fundraising event per person earns the organization $50. If certain members are unable to attend the fundraising events, they may pay the equivalent amount in cash to make up for their absence. The fundraising events contribute to the social aspect of the organization. The members get to know each other more with every fundraising event they attend contributing to the unified nature of the organization. When the delegates have their fundraising duties completed they may begin planning for the conference they are planning on attending with the other country members. Every country had a country leader, and the leader is responsible for meeting with the rest of the country's delegations to increase preparation. My country's meeting are also held on Wednesday, but at 8:00 PM in one of the study rooms in the Library. Communication is key for the success of the organization, the class, the club, the country's performance, and the delegation's performance. The secretary sends all of the members weekly emails to update them with the latest MUN news. The country leaders email their country delegates with updates about their meetings, and the topics they will discuss during the meetings. The delegations, which are usually two members who are assigned to a particular committee, also contact each other about the research they have collected, and the solutions they thought up of. Communication is also very important during the conferences because each delegate must give inspirational, motivational, and realistic speeches to essentially "advertise" their country and make its solution to the issues the most appealing. Also, as delegates, we must be "friendly" or diplomatic when meeting with other country delegates, and during debates so that they can support our resolution because the goal is to pass the resolution for it to be executed. Proper communication is important to keep the organization running, and is imperative to the success of the members collectively.

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 Literacy, Lexis, and Genre: MUN can be quite intimidating at first; personally, I was overwhelmed during the first couple of meetings. In this section of the essay, I will discuss how I became literate in MUN according to the characteristics Swales has established in his The Concept of Discourse Community. After I learned what MUN was and what the goals of the organization were, I began working towards accomplishing those goals. Before each conference, every member is assigned a country. There are many representatives for each country, but there is a minimum of one, and a maximum of two members for each committee. The member(s) for each committee are the country's delegation. There are many committees in the UN that MUN simulates; they include, but are not limited to the: GA, SC, WHO, LAS, UNIDO, UNESCO, UNITAR, UNISDR, OAS, G-20, G-77, etc. It would take too long to list and explain every committee and what each lexical term meant, but for the sake of this essay, I will use one committee as an example and explain the process. Each committee is different, has different members, meets in a different place, and debates different topics for every conference. The LAS, for example, is the League of Arab States. Only the Arab states who are members of the League are present in committee. The LAS would debate two topics related to the Arab states per conference, and the delegations present at each conference must debate, and articulate different resolutions to solve the issues. Before delegates go into committee, they know what their topic of debate is; the issues for each committee are known prior to the conference. The delegations for each country would research their country and its policies, and would then write a position paper. According to the six characteristics of a discourse community, the position paper would be perfect to exemplify a genre of the community. The position paper would essentially state the country's

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 position in regards to the issue at hand. The position papers have a certain format where they must be in a three-paragraph format, and cannot be more than two pages long to address all of the issues the committee has laid out. The papers are then sent in to the conference leaders before the conference begins. In the position paper, the country's solution to the problem should be stated. It is imperative to know the country's policies and positions inside and out to be able to debate the information collected during committee. Another genre piece would be the draft resolutions. The aim of the caucuses, or the meetings between the countries various delegates, is to articulate and create a resolution which would outline the solution to the problem. This piece of written work must answer the what, when, where, why, and how questions to the issues debated. The format of the resolutions are even more complex than the position papers. At the top of the resolution, the number of the working paper, which is another name for a draft resolution is indicated because sometimes there is more than one resolution. Underneath the number is the list of states who sponsor the resolution. These would be the countries who took an active role in writing the resolution and ultimately agree with everything in the resolution, thus implying that they will vote for it. Beneath the sponsors is a list of the signatories. The signatories are states who wish to see the resolution voted on and debated on the floor, this does not necessarily mean that they agree or will vote for it. Generally, there are many more signatories than there are sponsors. After the signatories the actual resolution begins with a list of perambulatory clauses. These are statements that recognize, note, emphasize, express, why the issue is worth debating. Usually these clauses include statistics and information about the topic being discussed. In the previous two sentences I gave examples of perambulatory phrases which would start off the perambulatory clauses. These phrases are always underlined, and each clause must end in a comma. Underneath the perambulatory clauses are the operative

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 clauses which are in outline format to discuss each and every perambulatory clause in a pragmatic solution. The operative clauses also begin with operative phrases which include: urging, recommending, suggesting,etc. These phrases must be italicized and they must never be ordering, or demanding. This is to protect each states sovereignty. In the UN charter, every state has the right to answer to no higher authority, making them sovereign. The language used in these clauses are especially important because many states are sensitive when it comes to being told what to do. These clauses end in semicolons. The last operative clause concluding the resolution will end in a period. Technically, the resolution is one super long sentence or a structured run-on. It is favorable to include at the bottom: with respect to all states sovereignty to avoid being criticized for insulting a states sovereignty. The overall purpose of committee is to come out with at least one if not more resolutions that would pass to be implemented. The resolutions passed in MUN are not actually implemented anywhere, but they serve as good training papers for future diplomats. Methods and Observations: In this section of the essay, I will discuss how I went about collecting all of the information I have researched about the MUN discourse community. Much of the information I gathered was from my observations and interactions with MUN. Another one of Swales six characteristics was the difference between novices and experts in the community. I would consider myself a novice because I have only been in MUN for a few months. I joined the organization at the beginning of fall semester. Since I have joined, I have attended every single weekly meeting, and every country meeting. My attendance to those meeting have allowed for an abundance of observation opportunities. The MUN meetings are structured similar to a class

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 where students listen to a lecturer. Questions are asked, and the lecturer answers. Occasionally there is some discussion amongst the members. After every practice speech feedback is given by the students to constructively criticize their peers. The country meetings are more meeting-like where everyone sits around a table discussing what they have researched about the country. Solutions are discussed, and advice is given by those who have had more experience. This type of meeting style conditions the novices to rise up and become integrated in the MUN community. So far, I have attended one conference representing the state of Qatar in the General Assembly discussing the topic of disease and epidemic reduction in developing states after natural disasters. The committee took place in an auditorium where the delegates sat in the audience sections with a placard stating their country name. The chair, or the director of facilitates the actions in committee and sees that progress is happening. After all of the delegates were seated, the chair began roll-call. This is where the chair calls out every countrys name, and the country must respond with present or present in voting. By saying present in voting, a country commits to voting on every single action taken by committee, while saying only present would allow for abstinence in voting at will. After roll-call the chair asks if there are any motions on the floor. Many placards would then rise indicating that the countries do have motions to give. When the chair calls on a country, the delegate would rise and would motion to set the agenda of committee. After every motion the entire committee must vote on the motion to either pass or fail it. Delegates can motion for formal or informal debate, they could motion for caucuses, or they could motion to vote on certain resolutions. These motions are what keep committee running. During formal debate there is a speakers list where countries are listed to speak for an

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 indicated amount of time about the topic of discussion. Informal debate would be longer and where most of the caucuses take place. The delegates can casually meet with one another and discuss their resolutions. Resolutions are usually written during this time. After all of the resolutions on the floor are submitted to the chair and they are approved of, the delegates can motion to present their resolution to the entire body. After the presentation, the chair asks for a vote to either pass or fail the resolution. At the particular committee I was in, two resolutions passed and one failed. At the very end a delegate must motion to end committee. This is usually a unanimous vote because everyone would be looking forward for the awards ceremony afterwards. During the awards ceremony the chair recognizes several delegates on their performance and participation. Awards are also given for the best position papers and resolutions. I was happy to find out that I won the outstanding delegate award for the General Assembly. Because it was my first committee, I never thought I would have won, but after the chair generously praised my work, effort, skills, and performance, I became much more confident. The award I won represented my artifact because the award embodied all of the characteristics of MUN. In order for me to receive the award I must have been in adherence to the goals of MUN. The award is the fruit of development and proof of dedication. A person reading the award must be aware of many MUN terms to be able to understand it. The award reads: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Model United Nations Collegiate Carolinas Conference. In recognition of superior performance at the 24th Annual collegiate Carolinas Conference on the 25th and 26th of October in the year 2013 Awards the Honor of Outstanding Delegate to Somia Youssef Representing the

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 State of Qatar in the General Assembly 3rd signed by the Secretary-General and the DirectorGeneral. Interview: To gain more insight on the development between novices and experts, I decided to interview an expert, Mary Katherine (MK) Melton. Experts in MUN language are referred to as veterans. I chose to interview MK because she was definitely one of the veterans I aspire to become like. She is enthusiastic about MUN and about international politics in general, and she embodies much of the characteristics that should be in a successful MUN delegate. I began by asking MK why she joined MUN. Like myself, she joined because she was interested in international politics since she was in high school and indeed does plan on taking the skills she gains from the organization to use later on in her life and on her quest to change the world. It is the dream of many MUNers including myself to change the world, this dream ties us all together. Another question I asked MK was whether she felt she has gained or is gaining what she was seeking from MUN. Her response goes as follows: I have definitely gained what I was seeking if not more, especially with the public-speaking, problem-solving, and diplomacy skills. Those are things I can use for the rest of my life, which I have never seen myself as doing before. Now I can usually see where most people are coming from and looking from different points-of-view, and also debate alongside people who share the same passion as I do with international topics and human rights in general, it was definitely more than I have expected. (Melton). Although I am still a novice, I must say I feel the same way, however, the fruit of my development may not have yet reached MKs level of expertise. When I asked MK about the hardest thing she has done in MUN, I was relieved to find out it was the same thing I was having difficulty with. Now

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 that she is an expert at writing resolutions, I feel that with time I should get over this hardship as MK has done. Resolutions are especially difficult because there is so much information to incorporate and format in a certain way with a nagging time restriction. The most answer I was looking forward to from MK was the answer to when do a MUNer novices become veterans. This was MKs response: I would say that about after a year of conferences where you would have attended like 4 different conference you begin to feel that you got the hang of it. I think that when I first felt that I became a veteran was when I felt comfortable helping others become integrated in MUN, where I felt I could teach every aspect of it is when I would say I became a veteran. Like last year, I remember being the one always asking questions, now I am the one answering them for others because I either know the information or I know where to get it. I also feel more confident and I feel that I have much more experience after attending the six conferences I went to. (Melton). I also asked MK about the characteristics of MUN members. She described the most important characteristic as being courage because it takes a lot to step out of your comfort zone (Melton) and go out to talk to people and work with them. Also, openmindedness is very important to be able to hear everyone out and respect their differences especially when debating sensitive topics. Another characteristic that she mentioned which caught me off guard was adaptability. She described how sometimes you will end up discussing something you have not planned on discussing in committee and how adaptability is important to be able to adjust quickly and efficiently to any environment and under any circumstances. The last question I asked MK was if she ever felt that she wanted to quit, and how did she persevere. She described a time where she was not feeling any progress between her and her partner, and that she had some difficulty working with certain people. However, she described herself as never being a quitter, and that quitting MUN was never actually an option because the pros

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 outweigh the cons by a landslide. (Melton). I must say I feel the same way, that regardless of how stressful MUN can be sometimes, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. I truly hope to rise up the ladder of expertise with more and more experience because MUN has helped me find out who I am and what I want to be dedicated to for the rest of my life. I have always known that I wanted to change, but change was never effective by wars, it was always peace that spoke louder. I want to be a part of that voice which calls the world together for peaceful development and innovation. I want to help pull up the rising sun that will one day lighten up our planet with peace and prosperity for all. I want to rise up and represent the only and true body worthy of representation; I want to be part of the delegation representing all of humanity.

Somia Youssef Rebecca Agosta ENG 1101-019 November 19, 2013 Works Cited Melton, Mary Katherine. Personal Interview. October 30, 2013. Swales, John. The Concept of Discourse Community. Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990. 21-32. Print.