Academic Advisor

Ndagire Brendah is the PACS Undergraduate Academic and Administrative Officer and is the primary academic advisor for all students pursuing a PACS academic plan.
You can reach Ndagire at bndagire@uwaterloo.ca to set up an appointment or ask any questions about PACS requirements.
PACS Academic Plans
All PACS academic plans are made up of half PACS courses and half PACS Approved courses from other departments. This will give you a rich interdisciplinary experience undergirded by a strong foundation in core theory and practice from Peace and Conflict Studies.
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.
Make sure to note which academic calendar year you are following for your PACS requirements. In particular, the PACS Approved courses included in PACS plans can change from year to year and you will need to make sure you know 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 you understand your academic plan, the PACS department has created checklists to help students organize and track their requirements.
PACS Approved Courses
The official list of PACS-approved courses is updated annually in the University of Waterloo Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar according to each academic plan. The list of PACS Approved courses can change slightly from year to year, so you should verify that you are using the list for the calendar year you are registered in. All of the Undergraduate Calendar years are available to view online. If you are not sure which academic calendar you are registered under, check the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar page on Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements or contact Ndagire Brendah, the PACS Academic Advisor.
Where you find the list of Peace and Conflict Studies approved courses inadequate for your needs, you may petition the Peace and Conflict Studies administration to have specific courses accepted as Peace and Conflict Studies approved courses. We recommend that you submit your request before registering in the course because there is no guarantee that the request will be approved. Any questions about this process should be submitted to Ndagire Brendah, the PACS Academic Advisor.
Instructions for PACS Approved Course Petition (PDF)

PACS Streams
The field of Peace and Conflict Studies is very broad and covers a lot of territory from interpersonal to international conflict, theory and practice, local and global issues. There are four streams in PACS that are designed to give students a suggested direction of study within the broader field of PACS and assist in course selection based on your area of interest.
These are not formal specializations, but rather suggested courses based on student interest. Taking courses in a specific stream will help you focus your studies on a particular theme, but there will be no notation on your final diploma of this concentration.
The four streams of study are:
1) Development, Human Rights, and Social Justice
Suggested PACS courses:
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PACS 311 - Doing Development: Issues of Justice and Peace
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PACS 318 - Peacebuilding in Divided Societies
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PACS 321/GSJ 311 - Gender in War and Peace
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PACS 324 - Human Rights, Peace, and Business
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PACS 328 - Fair Trade
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PACS 332 - Ethics of Peace Building
Suggested PACS 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
Suggested PACS courses:
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PACS 313 - Community Conflict Resolution
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PACS 314 - Restorative Justice and Transformative Education
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PACS 323/LS 319 - Negotiation in Theory and Practice
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PACS 329/LS 344 - Restorative Justice
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PACS 331 - Trauma and Healing and Conflict Resolution
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PACS 333 - Advanced Mediation Practice
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PACS 391 - Conflict Resolution Skills Training Workshops
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PACS 390 - Internship
Suggested PACS 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
Suggested PACS courses:
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PACS 316/PHIL 329 - Violence, Nonviolence, and War
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PACS 320/RS 256 - Christian Approaches to Peacemaking
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PACS 321/GSJ 331 - Gender in War and Peace
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PACS 330/RS 353 - War and Peace in Christian Theology
Suggested PACS 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
Suggested PACS courses:
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PACS 312 - Quest for Peace in Literature and Film
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PACS 320/RS 256 - Christian Approaches to Peacemaking
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PACS 326/RS 380 - Religion and Peacemaking
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PACS 327 - Cultural Approaches to Conflict Resolution
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PACS 330/RS 353 - War and Peace in Christian Theology
Suggested PACS 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 Resources
Milton Good Library
The PACS program is located at Conrad Grebel University College, which also houses the Milton Good Library. This library specializes in Peace and Conflict Studies collections and is an excellent resource to PACS students! Laureen Harder-Gissing, the PACS Liaison Librarian, is also located at Grebel and is available to provide specialized research assistance to PACS students.
Student Success Office
The Student Success Office offers study skills workshops, online resources to help you organize and manage your university life (academically and otherwise), peer mentorship programs, and so much more.
Writing and Communication Centre
The Writing and Communication 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.
Centre for Career Action
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.
Graduate programs in Canada related to PACS
International graduate programs