PACS at 40: Peace is Rooted in Everyone

Although Grebel’s Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) program turns 40 this year, its founding ideal goes back almost six years prior to its birth. In 1971, the Grebel Board of Governors established a committee to explore development of an academic program that would combine the Mennonite commitment to peace with general principles relevant for society. At this time, the Vietnam War was raging and peace was seen to be in short supply. Then, under the leadership of President Frank H. Epp, Grebel’s interest in
starting PACS was communicated to the University Faculty of Arts Council in 1974, and in 1977 the PACS program was approved and enrolled its first students. Much has happened over the last four decades. What follows are some reflections on the impact of PACS and how it has served the university, society, and church.

I think the success of PACS can be traced to the founding vision for peace studies, and how it was implemented by succeeding PACS administrators, faculty and staff. They established a flexible yet principled
foundation on which PACS could adapt and change, thrive, and grow. The foundation they laid was not ideological, it did not presume that any one discipline or perspective held the key to peace, but instead was based on
the belief that for peace to prevail, all players had to be engaged in the game. PACS did not claim, and even objected to being considered
to be, a discipline that held all the answers, instead positioning itself as a mentor and facilitator to nurture peace within other departments. The PACS perspective was that to build and sustain durable peace, all disciplines and vocations have to be engaged.

To be more specific, I think PACS has been successful over these past 40 years explicitly because the original values on which the program was constructed in 1977 still undergird the program today. These seven
principled values are as follows:

PACS is mission driven. From its inception, PACS was designed to serve the entire university. There are no students at the University of Waterloo for whom PACS is not relevant. While PACS also sees itself in service to the church and community, its first mission is to serve the wide cross-section of
University of Waterloo students who come from every discipline and every faculty. We challenge and inspire students to live and think differently, no matter what occupation they pursue.

The breadth of this mission has few limits. Students are challenged to pursue a vocation, not just a career. Students recognize this
too, understanding that at its core, PACS encourages them to develop their own life-long “theology” of how to be a global citizen focused on positive action, while never claiming that there is only one “true” approach. The table is set with diverse offerings of intellectual food from many traditions and cultures.

The core values of respect, non-violence, and tolerance infuse everything we do. The Mennonite tradition of pacifism, community building, and service derived from a particular understanding of theological and ethical values, provides a spiritual and philosophical basis that our increasingly conflict-ridden world is seeking. As a minority tradition within the Christian religion, Mennonite experience and belief provides PACS with an inspiring yet non-coercive foundation that is evidenced by Conrad Grebel University
College’s Mission Statement. The College exists, in part, to “pursue justice and peace, in service to church and society.” The PACS program is rooted in this mission. It is neither passive nor disinterested in the fruit it bears,
but is invested in actively cultivating lifelong learning, community building, global engagement, compassionate service, active peacemaking, and responsible citizenship.

Rooted in, and drawing nourishment from, the wisdom of its Mennonite heritage, PACS expresses values of hospitality and openness. It welcomes individuals from other faith traditions as well as those with no religious
affiliation and lives out the intellectual rigour that comes from mutually enriching and peaceable dialogue. Everyone is welcome at the table.
 

PACS operates under a shared governance structure that builds ownership across multiple disciplines at the university, not just in one. Nine different university undergraduate programs appoint a representative to PACS to guide the mission, vision, and academic integrity of the program. A program
like this requires humility to function, as it is based on the principle that
almost anyone or any department can contribute something to the study of peace, which is the teaching responsibility the University of Waterloo has lodged in our hands. It takes courage and self-confidence to share responsibility with others with whom you may not completely agree. This approach reflects the view present from its birth, that PACS is not a single
discipline but rather an approach, to which multiple disciplines can legitimately direct. The extended PACS table is arranged and set by departments that represent 29 percent of the entire Faculty of Arts.

PACS has continued to be interdisciplinary. At the undergraduate level, no student can earn a PACS major by only completing PACS courses. Rather, they must complete a number of PACS core courses usually matched by an equal number of approved courses, offered by at least three of the 21 departments that sponsor approved courses. Interdisciplinarity, and shared ownership of notions of peace, is in the DNA of PACS. At the graduate level,
15 courses from four different disciplines are cross-listed with MPACS to complement the 12 courses offered by PACS. In other words, there are more cross-listed courses than are offered by PACS, though MPACS students are allowed to complete only 30 percent of their program of study from cross-listed courses offered by other partnering departments.

The integration of theory and practice is deliberate. Faculty and Adjuncts are hired not only for their technical competence but additionally for the practical skills and experience that they bring to the classroom. Even staff are encouraged to undertake activities— write, speak, lecture, serve on committees and boards, and teach at times–in order to demonstrate the notion that peace work can be carried out with great impact by anyone, in
virtually any circumstance, and in any role. It’s all hands on deck. Students are aware of this model in which it is shown that everyone has a contribution to make and that all matter.

Although the PACS framework includes conflict resolution approaches in the program, the vision is bigger. While courses in conflict analysis, conflict resolution, and mediation have been, and will continue to be, an important part of the curriculum. In addition, numerous courses require students to explore the role of culture, religion, business, civil society, literature, gender, development, and more in promoting the cause of peace. Peace is truly envisioned to be broadly defined, and all sectors of society have a role to play in creating peace.

The reason that PACS appeals to so many students who would not otherwise consider themselves to be peace activists is that PACS provides them with a vision for how their educational and vocational calling may
contribute to peace as expansively defined. It is this aspect of meaning that many disciplines often do not emphasize enough. Simply turning out highly qualified technical graduates does not completely address student motivations. Students are interested not just in how to competently carry out their occupational choices but increasingly want a better understanding of why it matters. Numerous PACS students previously enrolled in another discipline have cited the “why” question as the reason they chose to switch
into a PACS plan.

We have not been afraid to fail. Not everything attempted over the past 40
years has succeeded. But often it is failure, disappointment, or hardships that have made the program stronger. Being willing to fail allows faculty and
staff the freedom to try new things, work outside of their comfort zone, explore new untested theories and partnerships, and learn and grow from what does not turn out to be successful.

 As the above analysis shows, the PACS table was not extended accidentally, without forethought, planning, willingness to take risks, or deliberate intention. And even if extended, simply having a big table does not
mean anyone will sit down. For family, invited guests, strangers, and even the occasional interloper to join the conversation, it takes a welcoming, nourishing, and mentoring faculty and staff for the conversation around the
food placed on the table to have meaning. As PACS reflects on the last four decades, it is important to keep in mind the role of each of the staff and faculty who have served this program, and the way they have individually
invested in it. Each brought their perspective to the PACS program, and each unique contribution added spice and flavour to what
is served on the table.

The PACS program of 2017 bears striking resemblance to the PACS model launched in 1977 at a time when there were no similar Canadian programs. Built and maintained by committed faculty and administrators, the original foundation has withstood the test of time. It has enabled the program to grow and evolve, demonstrating that the primary limitation of the program at Waterloo is a vision for how to connect it with the interests, needs, and goals of its students and others who encounter Peace and Conflict Studies.