Global Citizenship through Active Learning : Participation at an English Model United Nations Conference (辰巳浅嗣学長退任記念号)

This paper focuses on Hannan University students’ participation at an annual Model United Nations (MUN) conference called the Japan University English Model United Nations (JUEMUN). Hannan University students have attended JUEMUN since 2014. As an introduction, some background information on United Nations simulations will be given followed by an explanation of the steps taken before JUEMUN, as well as the activities students were engaged in during this three-day event. The merits of having students take part in such active learning opportunities will be demonstrated by explaining the learning processes that allowed students to attend this conference. The first section of this paper will focus on what student delegates did before and at JUEMUN. An analysis of postevent survey data taken from all participants on the 2015 Hannan University JUEMUN team will illustrate how participation in this event can play an important role in fostering global citizenship among university students in Japan while also providing them with unique learning experiences in a number of academic and vocational areas. After a description of JUEMUN delegate activities, this paper will conclude with a description of JUEMUN Journalism, and show how student journalists learned before and at JUEMUN, what they did in their role as multi-lingual podcast journalists, and how JUEMUN Journalism can be beneficial for their future careers. The successes of the twenty Hannan University students who attended JUEMUN 2015 should confirm the educational benefits of student participation in multi-cultural, English problem-solving discussions that focus on global issues.