IR Prep School Students Get Together for "Yönet Bakalım" Simulation
On December 1, future international relations students currently studying English at BUSEL spent their Saturday afternoon enjoying an energetic simulation of international politics. The simulation, entitled "Yönet Bakalım," was organized and hosted by MA and PhD students of the Department of International Relations.
The 20 BUSEL students, coming from all levels of the English preparatory program, were divided into teams representing different states and tasked with contributing resources to development and defense tasks. In an interactive and casual atmosphere, the students debated how to maximize their well-being as nations while collaborating with the other teams. Although the game started off quietly in a spirit of cooperation, the debate became lively as teams demonstrated that, just as in the real world, promises made by politicians in the simulation's states were not necessarily kept.
After the simulation ended, IR department head Dr. Pınar Bilgin explained to the group how the game illustrated important concepts in international relations, such as international collaboration, collective defense and the dynamics present within international organizations such as NATO and the United Nations. Through the simulation, BUSEL students discovered the rewards and challenges of studying international relations in their future academic careers at Bilkent.
By Ben Reimold (IR/V)