Centenary College Model Arab League team represents Lebanon at annual conference
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary’s Model Arab League Team (MAL) competed in the 2023 Bilateral Model Arab League Conference in Houston on February 17-19. Centenary represented Lebanon at this year’s conference and competed against six other institutions representing eight different countries. Centenary was the only school from Louisiana at the conference.
“To participate in MAL students must learn about the country they have chosen to represent and about the Middle East in general,” said Dr. Chad Fulwider, professor of history and chair of the department of history and political science at Centenary. “Then they must plausibly role play as diplomatic delegates and devise solutions to real-world problems, and empathize with the experiences and challenges of people living in the region.”
Christine Goodman of Alexandria, Louisiana, and Rachelle Papillon Amblard, of Normandy, France, served on the Political Affairs Council while Tony Barbee, a native of Plaquemine, Louisiana, and Ariel Muller, of Beaumont, Texas, represented Centenary’s delegation on the Economic Affairs Council. Jordan Hall, of Shreveport, was the College’s delegate on the Social Affairs Council.
“This was my first and last year that I could participate in MAL,” said Goodman. “I had a great time and I wish I was able to do it before now. It is an overall excellent experience meeting academics from other colleges while also having fun. For students this is an excellent opportunity to apply concepts in order to find possible solutions to modern problems."
The Model Arab League (MAL) was established in 1983 by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations as an opportunity for primarily American, but also Arab and other international students, to put themselves in the shoes of real-life Arab diplomats and foreign affairs professionals. MAL participants are judged on their ability to represent the needs, concerns, interests, and foreign policy objectives of their assigned country. In the process, they deepen their understanding of the Arab world; develop valuable analytical organizational, writing, and public speaking skills; and prepare themselves for knowledgeable and effective engagement in the public sphere in their chosen fields. More than 2,000 students participate in MAL programs annually.