Left: Me at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Right: Flags of countries party to the ICC
POL 2097 - International Institutions: Responding to Global Threats
Study Abroad Trip to Brussels, Belgium and The Hague, Netherlands
During spring semester, I enrolled in the honors seminar International Institutions: Responding to Global Threats. In this political science course, I learned about international law and policy and how the various international institutions interact with each other. As a student not studying political science, the class prior to the trip challenged me because I came into the class with little to no knowledge of some of the institutions discussed. However, I learned more about international institutions in four months than I had learned throughout the previous 20 years of my life. I found it interesting that the United States is not a part of many of these institutions even though we, as a country, tend to involve ourselves in many international conflicts.
On March 22nd 2016, a month before departure for the study tour component of the seminar, the city of Brussels was senselessly bombed by ISIS. The blasts hit the airport as well as a subway train station near EU headquarters. About 34 people were killed and about 190 were seriously wounded. This year, the program was especially interesting because we had the unique opportunity to observe a country healing from tragedy. The atmosphere in Belgium one month after the March 22nd bombings was similar to the United States after 9/11. There were public memorials for the innocent victims as well as heightened security measures on the streets and in the subway system.
From April 30th, 2016 to May 8th, 2016, I traveled to Brussels, Belgium and The Hague, Netherlands with the other students in the class. Because we could not fly into the Brussels airport due to the attacks, we flew into Paris instead and had the chance to see the Eiffel Tower and explore the city for a few hours before taking a bus to our hotel in Brussels.
Throughout the trip, we visited the EU Parliament, the European Commission and Library, the European Council, the U.S. Mission to the EU, the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court, and the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. We also participated in excursions such as a bus tour of Brussels, a trip to the Atomium, an EU role playing game at the Parlamentarium museum, a canal tour of The Hague, a trip to Scheveningen Beach, and a free day that I chose to spend in Amsterdam. The days were long and packed with tours, visits, and exploration. But each night I felt like I wanted to stay in Europe for a few more weeks.
I decided to participate in this experience because of my interest in law and travel. Though I will likely remain in the U.S. after earning my law degree, I know that an understanding of international law and politics can only enhance my knowledge of the legal field as a whole. Both the class and the study tour component allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of the globalized world and the impact of international politics. It was a unique experience to learn about a particular international institution in a classroom on campus and then actually have the chance to visit that institution the following month. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to participate in this study tour. Please view the slideshow at the bottom of this page for some of my favorite pictures from the trip!
Study Abroad Trip to Brussels, Belgium and The Hague, Netherlands
During spring semester, I enrolled in the honors seminar International Institutions: Responding to Global Threats. In this political science course, I learned about international law and policy and how the various international institutions interact with each other. As a student not studying political science, the class prior to the trip challenged me because I came into the class with little to no knowledge of some of the institutions discussed. However, I learned more about international institutions in four months than I had learned throughout the previous 20 years of my life. I found it interesting that the United States is not a part of many of these institutions even though we, as a country, tend to involve ourselves in many international conflicts.
On March 22nd 2016, a month before departure for the study tour component of the seminar, the city of Brussels was senselessly bombed by ISIS. The blasts hit the airport as well as a subway train station near EU headquarters. About 34 people were killed and about 190 were seriously wounded. This year, the program was especially interesting because we had the unique opportunity to observe a country healing from tragedy. The atmosphere in Belgium one month after the March 22nd bombings was similar to the United States after 9/11. There were public memorials for the innocent victims as well as heightened security measures on the streets and in the subway system.
From April 30th, 2016 to May 8th, 2016, I traveled to Brussels, Belgium and The Hague, Netherlands with the other students in the class. Because we could not fly into the Brussels airport due to the attacks, we flew into Paris instead and had the chance to see the Eiffel Tower and explore the city for a few hours before taking a bus to our hotel in Brussels.
Throughout the trip, we visited the EU Parliament, the European Commission and Library, the European Council, the U.S. Mission to the EU, the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court, and the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. We also participated in excursions such as a bus tour of Brussels, a trip to the Atomium, an EU role playing game at the Parlamentarium museum, a canal tour of The Hague, a trip to Scheveningen Beach, and a free day that I chose to spend in Amsterdam. The days were long and packed with tours, visits, and exploration. But each night I felt like I wanted to stay in Europe for a few more weeks.
I decided to participate in this experience because of my interest in law and travel. Though I will likely remain in the U.S. after earning my law degree, I know that an understanding of international law and politics can only enhance my knowledge of the legal field as a whole. Both the class and the study tour component allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of the globalized world and the impact of international politics. It was a unique experience to learn about a particular international institution in a classroom on campus and then actually have the chance to visit that institution the following month. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to participate in this study tour. Please view the slideshow at the bottom of this page for some of my favorite pictures from the trip!
Throughout the semester, students were asked to write 5 short papers suggesting policy reform for various international institutions. The document below is my response to the following prompt:
"Please provide briefly a 1-page (single spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 pts) response and recommendations to the World Health Organization (WHO) about the lessons from the Ebola outbreak in Africa. What did the international community do right and what mistakes were made. In your policy response paper, make sure to offer recommendations for WHO how to best address the similar outbreaks of pandemic diseases in the future."
"Please provide briefly a 1-page (single spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 pts) response and recommendations to the World Health Organization (WHO) about the lessons from the Ebola outbreak in Africa. What did the international community do right and what mistakes were made. In your policy response paper, make sure to offer recommendations for WHO how to best address the similar outbreaks of pandemic diseases in the future."
aleshahamilton_paper_3.docx | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
File Type: | docx |