Academics

Academic Advisor | Academic Plans | Degree Requirements | PACS Streams | Additional Resources

Academic Advisor - Rachel Reist

Contact Information:

Phone: 519-885-0220 ext. 24269

Office: CGUG 2103B

Rachel is the Peace and Conflict Studies Undergraduate Academic and Administrative Officer and Internship Coordinator and can provide academic and career advising for prospective and current PACS Students.

Please email Rachel to make an appointment, or drop by her office for a walk in appointment.

Academic Plans

Degree Requirements

Peace and Conflict Studies is part of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo. The Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar is the official and primary source for up-to-date degree requirements for all students. Here you will find specific requirements for PACS academic plans, as well as overall Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements. Students should make sure to note which academic calendar year they are following for their PACS requirements. In particular, the PACS Approved courses included in PACS plans can change from year to year and students need to make sure which list they are registered under. If you are unsure, check the Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements page, or contact the PACS Academic Advisor.

To help students understand their academic plan, the PACS department has created checklists to help students organize and track their requirements.

Honours PACS Worksheet (PDF) - includes Arts and Business and double major students
Four Year General PACS Worksheet (PDF)
Three Year General PACS Worksheet (PDF)
PACS Minor Worksheet (PDF) - these are the same requirements for the PACS Diploma (non-degree/post-degree)

PACS Streams

The four streams in PACS are designed to give students a suggested direction of study within the broader field of PACS and assist in course selection based on a student's area of interest. These are not formal specializations, but rather suggested courses based on student interest.

The four streams of study are:

1) Development, Human Rights, and Social Justice

PACS courses:

PACS 311 - Doing Development: Issues of Justice and Peace
PACS 318 - Peacebuilding, Human Rights and Civil Society
PACS 321 - Gender in War and Peace
PACS 324 - Human Rights, Peace and Business
PACS 328 - Fair Trade
PACS 332 - Ethics of Peace Building

Approved courses:

PSCI 350: Political Economy of Development
GEOG 462/ERS 462/PSCI 488: Global Food and Agricultural Politics
LS 352/PHIL 328: Human Rights
SOC 256: Ethnic and Racial Relations
SDS 331R: Social Inequality, Social Justice, and Public Policy

2) Applied Conflict Resolution

PACS courses:

PACS 313 - Community Conflict Resolution
PACS 314 - Conflict Resolution in the Schools
PACS 323 - Negotiation in Theory and Practice
PACS 329 - Restorative Justice
PACS 331 - Trauma and Healing and Conflict Resolution
PACS 333 - Advanced Mediation Practice
PACS 391 - Conflict Resolution skills training Workshops
PACS 390 - Internship

Approved courses:

SPCOM 432: Conflict Management
SYDE 533: Conflict Resolution
SMF 307: Conflict, Crisis, and Dissolution in Close Relationships
PSCI 456: Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution
PSYCH 439: Negotiation in the Workplace: Theories and Practice

3) Violence and Non-Violence

PACS courses:

PACS 316 - Violence, Nonviolence and War
PACS 320 - Christian Approaches to Peacemaking
PACS 321 - Gender in War and Peace
PACS 330 - War and Peace in Christian Theology

Approved courses:

PSCI 481: Interstate War
RS 281/SOC 258: Millennialism and Violence
ENGL 309: Discourse of Dissent
LS 327/SOC 327: Policing in a Democratic Society
SOCWK 357: Family Violence

4) Religion and Culture

PACS courses:

PACS 312 - Quest for Peace in Literature and Film
PACS 320 - Christian Approaches to Peacemaking
PACS 326 - Religion and Peacemaking
PACS 327 - Cultural Approaches to Conflict Resolution
PACS 330 - War and Peace in Christian Theology

Approved courses:

JS 237/RS 237: Insiders and Outsiders in the Bible
LS 224/SOC 201: Victims and Society
MUSIC 334/WS 334: Women, Music, and Gender
PSYCH 352: Culture and Psychology
RS 121: Evil
SMF 205: The Dark Side of Sexuality

Academic Advisor | Academic Plans | Degree Requirements | PACS Streams | Other Resources

Additional Resources

Academics

The University libraries are more than just stacks of books: they also offer group and single study areas, research resources, access to restricted databases and journals, an inter-library loan system, tailored subject guides specifically for your program, and more!

UW Library
Library Survival Guide: A how-to to make the most of what the library has to offer.
PACS Subject Guide: A compilation of resources and services specifically for PACS-related research and assignments.
Milton Good Library (at Conrad Grebel)
Student Success Office, located in SCH, offers study skills workshops, online resources to help you organize and manage your university life (academically and otherwise), peer mentorship programs, and a tutor board.
The Writing Centre offers workshops, drop-in appointments and online resources to help you improve your writing and communication skills. From getting help on a specific piece of writing to developing those presentation skills, the Writing Centre is a great resource.

Careers

The Centre for Career Action offers workshops, one-on-one career advising, and an abundance of career related resources. Appointments can be booked with a career advisor to discuss career exploration and strategy, job search tactics, mock interviews, and resumes. Generally, you can book up to 3 sessions for each appointment during your time at Waterloo.

Talent Egg, an online job board and career resource for students and recent graduates has published a 2014 Recruitment Survival Guide filled with tips, strategies, and resources to help you find a job.

PACS Society represents all undergraduate PACS students and organizes events throughout the term. You can simply join the PACS Society community and come out to events or apply to an executive position.

WPIRG (Waterloo Public Interest Research Group) is a place for research and education on environmental and social justice issues. They host workshops and events, such as film screenings and provide a space for action groups to work on their specific projects.

Student Health Services offers medical appointments, dispensary services, nutrition/dietary services and workshops and online resources to keep you in tip-top shape throughout the term.

UW Counseling Services offers free counseling and assessments to help you work through any issues you may be dealing with, develop strategies to manage stress, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. They also offer workshops on topics such as stress management, procrastination, depression, health and wellness, etc.

The Centre for Peace Advancement is open to undergraduate student, and is a space where students an explore concrete ways to actively build peace during their undergrad.

Graduate programs in Canada related to PACS

*Institution*	*Degree*
University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario	Master of Peace and Conflict Studies
Royal Roads University Vancouver, British Columbia	MA in Conflict Analysis and Management MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding
St. Paul University Ottawa, Ontario	MA in Conflict Studies
University of Victoria Victoria, British Columbia	MA in Dispute Resolution
University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba	PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies

International graduate programs

Institution	Degree
Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies University of Notre Dame Indiana, U.S.A.	MA in Peace Studies