This seminar is designed for students selected to represent the University of Michigan as delegates to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP). Students will develop deep expertise in one or more areas of active negotiation, learning to navigate the complex, interdisciplinary landscape where science, policy, economics, and justice converge. They will plan their own schedules, engage with negotiators and advocates from around the world, and document the experience in real time through social media and, after the experience, in a reflective blog entry. The seminar does not end when the conference does. Students will return with a mandate to share what they have learned — through public events that bring COP back to the University of Michigan and the broader Ann Arbor community. Students will gain professional networks, firsthand knowledge of international climate policy, and the skills to communicate complex issues to diverse audiences.

This course is restricted to students attending the UNFCCC conference in November 2026.