Vigorous and respectful roundtables offer a unique forum for students to engage in serious and informed discussion regarding the enduring ideas and urgent issues of world politics. These discussions can take various forms, such as the Model UN and Socratic Seminar formats, each offering distinct approaches to fostering thoughtful dialogue.
Examining Current Challenges
Students interested in foreign affairs inevitably will want to discuss current global events. To support these conversations, the AHS national office highlights weekly topics in its Hamilton Dispatch. These topics are complemented with a brief analysis, links to relevant articles, and suggested questions for discussion.
Reflecting on Key Speeches and Documents
As aspiring leaders in international affairs, it is crucial to understand the history of the United States’s global role and why events unfolded the way they did. Students are encouraged to read and discuss the seminal articles, essays, and speeches that were critical to the development of foreign policy at the time. To support students in this effort, the AHS national office is preparing a series of Key Ideas modules. Similar to book club syllabi, these modules offer an accessible approach to studying foreign policy concepts without an extensive time commitment.
Other Group Activity Ideas
It is important that your chapter meets in person to discuss event and recruitment planning, and to evaluate your chapter’s effectiveness in achieving its goals. Chapter organizational meetings are appropriate times to organize elections for officer positions and reflect on recently held events.
Other types of non-speaker events include:
- Book club meetings
- Trivia nights
- AHS on tap, social outing to a local restaurant with chapter members
- Movie nights· Gatherings with a local professor