Hello PACS Students, I hope that everyone is doing well with finals occurring and with the holidays around the corner. Happy holidays! Below, I have attached events, job opportunities, and resources you might use.
Highlights
- PACS Winter 2022 Courses:
- The Winter 2022 Course Schedule is currently available. Reach out to the Undergraduate Academic Advisor if interested in learning more about PACS courses. Below, I will be highlighting a few.
- Please note, PACS 326/RS 280 is now a remote synchronous course.
- UW Course Elective of Interest
- ANTH 465: Borders, Boundaries, and Crossing will be offered in the winter term by the Anthropology Department at UW.
- Double Degree Program in Human Rights and Law
- Offered at both the University of Waterloo and the School of Law at Sussex in Europe.
- Click here for more information.
PACS W22 Courses
PACS 201- Roots of Conflict, Violence, and Peace: An examination of influential theories about the sources and nature of conflict, violence, and peace. Contributions from the social sciences, as well as the humanities, will be explored, with attention to connections between interpersonal, intergroup, and international levels of analysis
PACS 302 - Special Topics: Math for Good and Evil: This course will examine topics that lie at the intersection of math and peace—such as democracy and elections, money and wealth, social change, war and technology, bias and equity, policing, health, and the environment—and sharpen analysis of how both math and peace studies contribute to creating a stable and peaceful society. This course is designed for students from all faculties and levels of comfort (or discomfort) with mathematics. The course activities and assignments will focus on discussion and writing; students are not required to do any mathematics.
PACS 318 - Peacebuilding in Divided Societies:This course confronts the central challenge of how to transition from violence to just peace; from deep-rooted conflict, war, and structural violence to positive peace and transformed relationships. The course introduces the concept of peacebuilding, identifies levels of peacebuilding initiatives, and focuses particularly on grassroots efforts to lead change. Course work includes readings, case studies, simulation exercises, and applied projects.
PACS 326 - Religion and Peacebuilding: This course investigates the roles of religion and spirituality in peacemaking, exploring both obstacles and opportunities facing religious peacebuilders. Cases involving representatives of major world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism) will provide a basis for comparing practices of faith-based advocacy for social justice, reconciliation, and coexistence.
PACS 333 - Advanced Mediation Practice: This course will give students both a thorough understanding of the mediation process and practical, hands-on mediation experience. Students will develop in-depth, first-hand knowledge and experience resolving conflicts through the role of the mediator as a third party. The course will include a series of role-plays, readings, and case studies.
Find more PACS Winter 2022 courses at this link here.
UW Course Elective of Interest
ANTH 465 - Borders, Boundaries, and Crossings: This seminar covers anthropological perspectives on the relationship between state borders and socio-cultural boundaries (across race, gender, class, language, and religion). Readings include ethnographies about contested borders, border dwellers, and border crossers, focusing particularly on the diverse routes between the U.S. and Canada, and Europe, and the Middle East.
If you have any questions, contact Prof. Secil Dagtas here.
Upcoming Events
PACS Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest
The annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest, established in 1974 by the directors of the C. Henry Smith Trust, offers PACS students an opportunity to discuss peacebuilding and social justice issues on campus. The intercollegiate competition is administered by the Peace and Justice Ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Undergraduate students from every Mennonite and Brethren in Christ college in North America including Canada are eligible to participate.
Henry Smith was an American Mennonite historian and professor at Mennonite colleges and the University of Chicago. Overall, he taught history for nearly 50 years at the collegiate level. He is well-known for his numerous books on Mennonite history and his particular attention to the peace commitments of the Mennonite tradition.
On March 2nd, 2022, at 7 PM in the Grebel Gallery, PACS is organizing a speech performance and is inviting you to participate. The contest winners will be rewarded cash prizes of $500 in first place, $350 in second place, $200 in third place. For more information, reach out to the PACS Academic Advisor.
Click here to contact the PACS Academic Advisor.
Hunger on the Hill (Virtual) Young Voices Event
We have opened our application form for the virtual Hunger on the Hill Young Voices event in Jan/Feb 2022 which is focused on Climate Resilient Food Systems as a pathway to ending global hunger. For those who are new to this type of event, it includes FOUR 60-75 min Zoom sessions scheduled in January (see details in link) where we lead participants through networking with other young adults, foster learning on a key issue related to global food security, and take advocacy actions on climate resilient food systems. We try as much as possible to match participants with their own MPs and will be seeking meetings with other influential government actors. All these activities fall within the mission and mandate of Canadian Foodgrains Bank to end global hunger.
The goal of the event is to influence decision makers toward Canada fulfilling its commitments on international climate finance, and to ensure there is follow through on commitments to adaptation and gender equality, particularly for small-scale farmers. See the attached policy brief from which we will build our learning outcomes.
We welcome applications from post-secondary students, but also young adults from age 20-35 who may not be in school but who care about the issue. Because we are talking about food systems, we also welcome young farmers, food producers, agronomists or other key actors in the food system to participate, although everyone is an eater! This is an opportunity to develop advocacy skills, learn about Canada’s role in UNFCCC climate talks, and to be part of large-scale improvements in global food security. We do not have a deadline for application, but since we are accepting applications on a rolling basis, better to apply early as possible, since we have a limit. Priority will be given to those who have some involvement with Foodgrains Bank or one of its members.
For more information and to register, click here.
Sustainable Kingston: Navigating the News: Climate Change
Saturday, December 18th, 2021; 2PM - 3:30PM
Join Geoff Hendry from Sustainable Kingston for a helpful introduction to navigating the news around climate change. Sustainable Kingston's mission is to enhance the livability and resiliency of Kingston. They do this by sharing knowledge and providing programs that drive community action.
This 90-minute interactive online presentation will be held on Zoom. Registrants will be emailed the link immediately upon registration. (Please check your Junk and Spam folders right away if you don't see the confirmation email and link in your Inbox, then adjust your settings to make sure emails from KFPL aren't blocked. You can also manage your registrations by scrolling over the calendar icon at the top of the main page of our website and signing in to "My Events".)
For more information, click here.
Films for Care: An Afternoon of Indigenous Films
When: Wednesday, December 29th, 2021 @ 1PM - 5PM
Venue: Collision Gallery: 18 Wellington St W, Toronto, ON
Join ArtworxTO Pop Up Hub: Collision Gallery for an afternoon of Indigenous films. Exhibition curator Emma Steen will introduce a mix of short and feature-length films directed by Indigenous filmmakers.
Film Schedule:
1:10pm: A Sacred Place (5m 22s) dir. Natalie King
1:20pm: Part Three (4m 14s) dir. Kaya Joan
1:28pm: Reclamation (11m) dir. Thirza Cuthand
2:00pm: Honey Moccasin (47m) dir. Shelley Niro
3:00pm: Smoke Signals (89m) dir. Chris Eyre
Proof of double vaccination will be required to enter the gallery, and masks must be worn at all times.
For more information and to register, click here.
Effective Change Management – An Interactive One Day Program
When: Fri, Dec 24, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Where: Regus - 21 King St W 5th Floor, Hamilton, ON
Program overview: The Leading Change Management program is designed to promote excellence in the management of change by introducing participants to the skills required at each step of the change process. Built on latest research and practice in North America, this program develops, challenges and inspires leaders to lead successful and rewarding organizational change initiatives. The concepts and methods learned are immediately usable in the workplace, leading to faster implementation of change projects that achieve and sustain concrete results.
Certification: Once after the training we will provide you the course completion certificate.
For more information and to register, click here.
Register for Map the System 2022
Tackling global challenges starts with understanding a problem and its wider context. The Map the System research competition asks you to select a social or environmental issue and to explore, probe, and research all the connecting elements and factors around it. We want you to present this issue back to us in a way that people can understand, share, and learn from.
Click here to register
Participate in If Trauma Could Echo
If Trauma Could Echo is a community-based project that acknowledges and grieves the untold stories of trauma collected from students, staff, and faculty at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo. This project accompanies Yasmeen Nematt Alla's exhibit at the Grebel Gallery,Not Traumatic Enough for a Shock Blanket. To participate in this exchange, please fill out the If Trauma Could Echo Form.
Click here to read more.
Internship and Job Opportunities
PACS 390: Internship Course
The PACS internship allows you to engage in experiential learning with an organization that works on peace and conflict issues, in either a Canadian or international context. The course integrates theory and practice while facilitating the development of attitudes, strategies, skills, and knowledge that support work in a Peace and Conflict Studies related setting. If you are thinking about taking PACS 390 in the winter or spring term, please reach out to the PACS Undergraduate Academic Advisor for more information.
Please click here for an email inquiry.
Search For Common Ground: Track II Mediation
Search has a long history of working behind the scenes to support governments in resolving conflict. The tool of Track II mediation has been at the heart of the organization for 35 years, since Search aimed to improve relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. Through unofficial shuttle diplomacy, back-channel talks, facilitated dialogue and people-to-people projects, Search helped develop and implement confidence-building measures that support official agreements and understandings between the US and Iran, Israel and Jordan and between opposition groups in Burundi and Sierra Leone.
The Track II Mediation Unit of Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is seeking an intern for the Fall 2022. The position is an unpaid, with a 20-30 hour per week commitment for the duration of 3-6 months, starting in late August/early September. Candidates who can work for 6 months will be given preference. Graduate level students are given precedence, but exceptional undergraduates will be considered.
Applications for this internship must be received by 12/18/2021.
For more information, please click here.
Resources
COVID-19 Updates
The situations continues to evolve in response to COVID-19.
- Complete Campus Check-In each day you come to campus.
- The Grebel COVID-19 page includes important information about the library and visiting Grebel buildings.
Counselling Services
University of Waterloo Counselling
Campus Wellness Counselling Services
This service can be reached at 519-888-4567, ext. 32655. Offers same-day appointments for emergencies and can be found in Needles Hall North on the second floor.
Campus Wellness Health Services
This service can be reached at 519-888-4096. Offers walk-in appointments for urgent concerns and can be found in Health Services building.
The Centre for Career Action (CCA)
The Centre for Career Action (CCA) is offering some in-person services for fall 2021. The Tatham Centre is open with front-desk support, limited in-person appointments, and co-op consults. Services are also available virtually. Book an appointment online or Live Chat with our Client Support Team. The CCA is here to help.
If you feel overwhelmed or anxious and need to talk to somebody, please contact the University’s Campus Wellness services, either Health Services or Counselling Services. You can also contact the University's Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment. Good2Talk is a post-secondary student helpline available to all students.