Westminster students spent three days in Brussels, Belgium, as part of the University’s International Relations and Democratic Politics MA and International Relations and Security MA programmes. The students visited a variety of European Union (EU) institutions and the NATO headquarters, as well as cultural sites across the city.
During the trip, which took place in May, students visited a number of EU institutions, including the European Commission and the European Parliament. These visits featured lectures from European policymakers covering a variety of areas, from security and defence to EU enlargement. The students also had the opportunity to visit the NATO headquarters and discuss a range of contemporary security challenges and recent changes in transatlantic politics.
Students met several policy analysts from civil society organisations and thinktanks, with sessions stimulating lively debates on the future of the EU. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza were at the centre of many conversations. Students discussed the fact that though the Russian invasion of Ukraine and tensions in US-European relations had given renewed coherence and purpose to the EU project, relations with Israel were a clear point of difference between some European leaders, creating challenges within the Union.
There were also several opportunities for students to take in the cultural side of Brussels, exploring not only the European Quarter, but also the city centre and its historic monuments. Students stayed at the Irish College in Leuven, a medieval campus in the heart of the city surrounded by ornate churches and buzzing restaurants.
The Brussels trip was just one of many international educational visits made this year by students within the School of Social Sciences, who have had opportunities to undertake field trips to Kosovo, Vietnam and Brazil.
All travel and accommodation costs for the trip were funded by the Quintin Hogg Trust, reflecting the University’s Being Westminster 2022-29 strategic commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. The University aims to ensure that all students can reach their full potential through making opportunities such as global experiences open to everyone.
About the Brussels trip International Relations and Security MA student Miruthulani Murali said: “Walking through the chambers of the EU Parliament, the European Commission and NATO Headquarters transformed my theoretical studies in International Relations and Security into a profound lived reality. This first-hand encounter with centres of global diplomacy solidified my commitment to pursue a career at the core of international governance, where I am determined to represent diverse perspectives and drive meaningful change toward a safer, more just, and unified world.”
Third-year Politics and International Relations BA Honours student Maisie Sheffield and Selma da Luz, a postgraduate student studying for the Diplomacy and Global Politics MA, have also shared their experience on the University’s Careers and Employability blog.
Dr Jac St John, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations and the leader of the Brussels trip, added: “We see opportunities for international engagement as being very important for our students’ development, not only to learn about international politics and democratic institutions, but also to experience new cultures and bond together as a cohort.”
This trip directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education and 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Politics and International Relations courses at the University of Westminster.
