My name is Matthew Rainsford! I’m a fourth year double major in Political Science and International relations, and I am one of this years organizers for the Quebec Undergraduate Security conference, and I am thrilled that PISA has given me the opportunity to tell you about what kind of impact this conference has had on me.
The Quebec Undergraduate Security Conference (QUSC) is organized as part of the International Security in the Globalization Era (ISGE) project which unites researchers from three Quebec Universities to examine the effects of globalization on international security and the security functions of the nation-state in different regions of the world. The broad topics that the conference covers include Institutions and the Accommodation of Rising Powers, Geopolitical Decline and International Institutions, The New Security Agenda of the United Nations, and finally, the Challenges to Regional Institutional Architecture.
I presented at both the 2019 and 2020 editions of this conference, and I believe that it is a wonderful opportunity, as it is a chance for you to research a subject that interests you, to present it in front of experts in the relevant field, but most importantly for undergraduates, it’s a chance to have direct access to experts in this field of study that you may not have been able to have as an undergraduate student. I have had the opportunity to directly interact with people involved with the United Nations, professors in fields of research that interest me, as well as an opportunity to have make some great memories alongside my peers.
Now that we have released the call for papers, the abstracts will be due on November 16th, and if the abstracts are accepted, the papers themselves are submitted on the 23rd of January. Whether you are in your earlier years of study and have started to gain an interest in international relations, or are in your later years of your degree and are looking towards pursuing a masters degree, this can be a fascinating intellectual experience in my opinion!
While it is our preference to hold the conference in person, at present the circumstances created by covid-19 pandemic make this difficult. We therefore will tentatively plan to hold the conference online. If circumstances become more permissive, we would seek to hold the conference in Montreal. With appropriate public health measures in place. A final determination will be made on the 6th of January 2021.
If you have any questions regarding the conference, do not hesitate to contact us at isge.undergraduate@gmail.com, or contact us at the Quebec Undergraduate Security Conference facebook page. I look forward to meeting as many of you at the conference!
