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The art of debate involves mastering skills of obvious intrinsic value: the confidence to speak in public, the construction of a logical argument; and, perhaps most importantly, the willingness to hear others’ arguments and to respond to them. Model United Nations (MUNs) started off as a simulation of the workings and functioning of the United Nations, which gave young students from school and college the opportunity to discuss complex world issues, understand political conflicts and think of proactive solutions. In status quo, however, it has been reduced to a commercial competition, where students are solely motivated by the big cash prize, rather than looking forward to participate in a constructive debate and increase their knowledge.
When the MUN culture started, students would show up to the committee rooms dressed in loose formal clothes carrying big research binders that contained several printouts or handwritten articles from various charters and reports relevant to the agenda. The debate was constructive and followed a precise pattern, it was more about solving the problem rather than spending most of your speaking time alleging other delegates and creating unnecessary conflict. The awards were decided on the basis of how well a delegate understood the agenda and contributed substantially to the debate rather than a number of times they spoke in a committee. Lobbying in an unmoderated caucus actually meant displaying diplomatic behaviour rather than trying to assert your dominance by shouting. ‘Fake CV’s’ was a concept unknown to the world of MUNs and the participants did not actively look forward to getting a new profile picture after the conference.
The purpose of a MUN conference, ideally, is to research and arrive at a solution through negotiations, deliberations and cohesive decisions. In many cases, it has unfortunately been dumbed down to belittling the ‘opponent’ to bag the cash prize. With an overabundance of MUNs being organised in the circuit, many of bizarre committees and staggeringly high delegate fees in many, it’s a certainty that the culture has seen a significant shift over the past years.

Regardless of anyone’s motive for attending a MUN conference- be it to improve on spoken skills, an upgrade for the C.V, to attend the social events, or to simply get a new Display Picture clicked for Facebook; MUNs have left an indelible first mark on many young debaters. Those who have kept a traditional MUN’s sanctity intact should be lauded, and the ones who strive to indulge in meaningful learning experiences through a dialogue of relevant facts are praiseworthy examples. These conferences have been a stepping stone for a career in diplomacy and International Relations for many young speakers and enthusiastic research-oriented students. It hones speaking skills, encourages political awareness and develops leadership skills, and teaches the art of negotiation to students. Reducing it to just another competition undermines the value of this unique concept, and ensures the money-making part overshadows the learning experience gained. The question of its improvement begs to be a rhetoric, but there are plausible solutions nevertheless. Restricting on ‘socials’ and inviting only the serious candidates can easily be achieved by any organiser. The rest entirely depends on the delegates; their willingness to learn through constructive debating and greater emphasis on research can define newer, better paths for this concept.

Feature Image Credits: United Nations

Bhavya Banerjee

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Vijeata Balani

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After months of wait and with the admissions season nearing its end, it’s spring time for aspirants of the Delhi School of Journalism. After going through much stress through the bureaucratic conveyer belt, Delhi School of Journalism has finally begun the journey towards its inception. In a press conference held on 23rd August, the chairman of the standing committee on admissions declared the opening of registrations for the coveted course. Let’s take a look at the details of the program on offer.

Course Structure

The course is a five-year integrated course with an exit option at the end of three years. The program will be offered in two different mediums: Hindi and English. It would include four foreign languages as well two Indian languages. The student has to select one foreign language and one Indian language for the course.

The course is designed as per the CBCS scheme. The five-year course will span across 28 Core courses, 2 Compulsory and 2 elective AECC courses, 4 GE courses, four DSEs and a dissertation. The student will be graded on an equal weightage scale with 50% of the credits from Classroom lectures and 50% of credits from assignments, projects and internships.

Career Training

Students will be encouraged to undertake internships at reputed media organisations. The centre plans to have a career and placement cell which will facilitate the internships and campus placements. A special provision has been made wherein the Industry experts conduct workshops or interact with the students.

Admissions Requirements

All the students who have passed class 12th with at least 50% are eligible to apply for the entrance test. The national level entrance test will examine the candidate’s proficiency in General Knowledge and Current affairs, Analytical and Comprehension Skills. Only Sixty students each will be admitted into the course for Hindi and English respectively with regular reservation rules followed by the University.

The entrance test would be held on 17th September 2017 with 9 AM to 11 AM being the test timing for English while 2 PM to 4 PM will be the test time for Hindi. The reiteration fees for the entrance is Rs.500 for General and OBC category while its Rs.250 for SC, ST and PWD category.

Fees and Scholarships available

The fee breaks up for the course as Rs. 39,500 for the first semester and Rs.28,000 for the second semester. Along with the refundable caution money of Rs. 10,000, every student has to pay Rs.77,500 per year.

The toppers of the entrance exams (One each from English and Hindi), toppers of every semester exams and students coming from the remotest part of the country will be provided with scholarships. The School also aims to provide financial aid to 25% of the students on the basis of merit cum means.

Location and Infrastructure

The campus of the School of Journalism is located in the ground floor of the University Stadium building which also houses the Cluster Innovation Centre. The building is fully air conditioned and a state of art media lab cum studio is also in planning for the school.

University Facilities

The students of the School are entitled to use the University Library. The school also provides hostel facilities to outstation students, however, the hostel seats are quite limited.

Although after months of deliberations the Delhi School of Journalism has taken off into the realisation phase, only time will be the perfect judge of its success.

For more information regarding the admissions, fees, FAQs and other details you can visit the website of the School of Journalism here.

 

Image Credits: Srivedant Kar for DU Beat

 

Srivedant Kar

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