This summer, Conrad Grebel University College welcomed Dr. Nathan Funk, Assistant Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), as the newest member of the Grebel faculty. With his highly interdisciplinary training, broad range of teachable courses, and keen interest in research and writing about ethnic and communal identity in large-scale conflict and peacebuilding processes, Funk promises to be a perfect match for Grebel’s growing PACS program. Marlene Epp, Academic Dean, says
Dr. Funk's training, teaching, and research agenda are focused directly on international peace and conflict resolution, something that is rare in Canadian universities. He is a significant asset to PACS at University of Waterloo.
A number of factors drew Funk to Grebel.
I was looking for an academic environment in which both faith and peace were welcome,
says Funk, finding both those values to be an integral part of Grebel. In addition, he was
attracted by the idea of a small, faith-based campus existing alongside a larger, province-sponsored university. [Encouraged by friends to apply for the job, Funk found a] tightly knit, warm, and welcoming community -- a community that was simultaneously clear in its commitments and open to the world.
He immediately felt at home.
Funk says he is very excited about both Grebel and its enthusiastic PACS students. He is looking forward to developing
a full-fledged BA program with a strong service-learning component and dedication to bridging the worlds of theory and practice.
Thinking about ways he can contribute, Funk is inspired by the opportunities for collaboration with long-term members of the community - faculty as well as staff and alumni.
It's great to be part of a community in which peace studies is a collective endeavour, and not just the specialty of one or two professors.
One of Funk’s top priorities as a teacher and advisor is to
share a sense of deep engagement with dynamics of global change as experienced by people living in diverse cultures, regions, and socio-economic circumstances.
As a professor, Funk favours a teaching style that elicits active participation in the learning process, through lectures, discussions, films, simulations, problem-solving exercises, and presentations. He is currently teaching "Roots of Conflict and Violence" (PACS 201) and says it provides a provocative introduction to the PACS field and its many possibilities.
It's a course that tries to ‘go to the root’ of problems in the world today, and to stimulate thinking about the many ways in which people can work for peace.
As he develops a new course on religion and peace-building, Funk is focusing on the seldom heard story of people whose faith inspires them to reach across boundaries to engage the "other" in a shared search for truth, justice, and peace. He is also looking forward to teaching courses on nonviolence, peace theory, peace research, and human security, and is talking with other Grebel professors about the possibility of a collaboratively developed summer course on Muslim-Christian dialogue.
At the home of the oldest peace studies program in Canada, Funk has a great vision for the program’s future. He would like to see the program
continue to play a leadership role, both in Canadian/North American peace studies and on campus. [He wants] people to think of Grebel as a place they can visit when they are searching for renewal, inspiration, and peace, or when they are trying to find new ways to integrate skill and innovation with service. By building a strong BA program, by sponsoring special events on pressing topics like religion and peace, and by reaching out to the larger university and community, Grebel can have a tremendously positive impact.
While it may sound like Funk is a busy man, he does like to get out once in a while and enjoy the outdoors. He likes biking, hiking (especially mountain hiking), bird-watching and stargazing (recommended reading for learning about constellations is H.A. Rey's The Stars: A New Way to See Them). Funk also listens to “world music” – music from diverse world cultures. Funk has moved to Waterloo with his wife, Meena, who is currently finishing her doctoral work in International Relations at American University. They look forward to seeing what the Waterloo Region has to offer.
Funk did his undergraduate degree in global community studies that included coursework in political science, economic, and religion, as well as foreign study in Mexico, Nepal, and Switzerland. For his doctoral work, he studied international relations at American University, completed concentrations in international peace and conflict resolution and Middle Eastern/Islamic studies, conducted field research in the Middle East, and acquired proficiency in the Arabic language. He has taught Conflict and Conflict Resolution, Peace Paradigms, Introduction to Peace and Conflict Resolution, Approaches to Peacemaking, Islamic Sources of Conflict Resolution, International Relations Theory, World Politics, and International Security Politics. Most recently Funk was teaching at George Washington University in Washington, District of Columbia.