Faculty embrace simulations, case studies to help students develop global problem-solving skills
December 10, 2024UNC Global Affairs
Michael Morgan uses his 2023 Curriculum Development Award to help students explore the nuances of global problem solving. Photo submitted.
The Americans had discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba through aerial photography, and there were already seven minutes on the clock. The students in Michael Morgan’s “Global Cold War” course had to decide how to proceed in the Cuban Missile Crisis simulation.
Preparing students to address real-life challenges through collaboration and communication is a core goal of Carolina’s Diplomacy Initiative. It is for Morgan, too, who received a Curriculum Development Award in 2023 from UNC Global Affairs, which created and delivers the Diplomacy Initiative. In addition to funding these awards, UNC Global Affairs maintains a comprehensive listing of global problem-solving case studies and simulation exercises and can assist faculty in identifying materials that best fit the learning outcomes for their course.
Morgan, associate professor in the UNC Department of History, specializes in modern international and global history. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, and a doctoral degree from Yale University.
As a student, Morgan had participated in simulations like this one, so when he learned of the award, his response was simple.
“It sounded like fun,” he said.
UNC Global Affairs established the Diplomacy Initiative Curriculum Development Awards to empower Carolina faculty to enhance course curricula with experiential learning like case studies and simulations. Through these projects, students learn and practice listening, cooperation, negotiation and empathy in diplomacy — and many other fields — by responding to scenarios inspired by real, complex world events.
“[The simulation] provided students with a new depth and texture of understanding,” Morgan said. “When they’re asked to play the role of someone whose views they don’t share, it can inculcate, in a small way, an important skill of empathy.”
Morgan created the simulation with a teaching assistant, Mark Thomas-Patterson, for his course in spring 2023. The simulation replicated the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis in a 50-minute recitation. Students were split into three teams representing the U.S., the Soviet Union and Cuba. Each student was assigned a specific role, which they prepared for in advance of the exercise.
Because the Cuban Missile Crisis took place in 1962, students were only able to communicate with each other through written messages or announcements as “radio broadcasts.” They were also under a time constraint, as each day of the crisis was condensed to a seven-to-eight-minute term.
“The simulation captures, in a pretty faithful way, the difficulties of making decisions under time pressure, with incomplete information, and when you have people around the table who have very different views,” Morgan said.
Experiential learning is especially important for students interested in international relations, according to Emmy Grace, program manager for global education at UNC Global Affairs. The activities help prepare students for complex global challenges they may face in the future, whether they pursue a career in diplomacy, national security, public policy or another field.
Erinn Whitaker, professor of the practice in the UNC Curriculum of Peace, War and Defense, and recipient of a 2024 Faculty Award for Global Excellence, is a former senior analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and U.S. Department of State. She also received a Curriculum Development Award in 2023 to pilot a Council on Foreign Relations simulation on the use of drones in Pakistan in her first-year seminar. According to Whitaker, global simulations and case studies give students meaningful experiences to develop valuable skills.
“Many students have to weigh ethical dilemmas, navigate ambiguity and work across teams in simulations,” she said.
Morgan and Whitaker said their students responded so enthusiastically to the simulations that they have continued to include them in subsequent semesters.
As a result of the simulation, Luke McGibbon ’28, one of Morgan’s students, realized how fast a situation like the Cuban Missile Crisis can spiral into chaos or disaster if someone makes a wrong decision. Afterwards, he said he sees how difficult it is to make important and complicated decisions under pressure.
Fergus Pandy ’26, an international student from the University of Wollongong in Australia, had never learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis before this course. He said the simulation gave him and his classmates more reason to engage with the topic.
“When you have to demonstrate your knowledge on a topic in front of your classmates and your teacher, there’s a certain expectation that you prepare more,” Pandy said. “You don’t want to let your classmates or your teacher down when running that once-in-a-semester activity.”
Any Carolina faculty member teaching a course that is three or more credits may apply for a Curriculum Development Award. Selected faculty receive a $2,500 award and may request $1,500 to fund graduate student support. Additionally, UNC Global Affairs offers support to find projects and to cover fees for materials.
UNC Global Affairs is accepting applications for spring 2025 on a rolling basis. For more information, visit the webpage for the Diplomacy Initiative Curriculum Development Awards or contact Emmy Grace (emmy.grace@unc.edu).