Theory into Practice by Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D.

Excerpted from Dr. Gretchen Van Dyke’s article "Theory into Practice: The Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Program" on Medium and published in the inaugural Political Science newsletter, which can be found here:

Each fall semester, I have the honor of welcoming students and faculty to Washington, D.C., to the annual European Union Simulation sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Consortium (MEUSC). Our three-day intercollegiate experiential learning exercise allows college sophomores, juniors, and seniors to experience the complex and dynamic institutions and policy-making process of today’s EU and understand more fully current issues challenging European integration. Students essentially take their
academic /classroom knowledge of the EU and put it into practice in the simulation of the European Council, EU Parliament, two configurations of the Council of Ministers, and the EU Commission. Over time, we have continuously sought to engage students in discussions that are both current and topical in actual
EU decision-making circles ... I am privileged to have interacted with a great group of dedicated college educators since 1996 ... We work as a dedicated team to provide a valuable educational experience for our students and to maintain the legitimacy and quality of our EU simulation program.