Hello PACS Students,
I hope that everyone is doing well with finals approaching. Below, I have included some upcoming events, job opportunities/internships, and resources for you.
Highlights:
- The Undergraduate PACS Society is the governing student body that will plan and host PACS related events dedicated to students throughout the school year. These events will be both in-person and virtual throughout the school year. The PACS Society Team of 2021-2022 is composed of the following:
- Alice Sandford - President
- Erika Shea - Vice President, Events
- Isabella Mccloskey - Vice President, Communications
- Joshua Chuon - Vice President, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Kissor Nithiananthan - Vice President, Finance
- PACS Winter 2022 Courses:
- The Winter 2022 Course Schedule is currently available. Reach out to the Undergraduate Academic and Administrative Officer if interested in learning more about PACS courses. Below, I will be highlighting a few.
- Please visit Grebel Now to find the latest news on Grebel initiatives.
PACS W22 Coursess
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.
Upcoming Events
Final Coffee Hangout of the Term
This Friday, December 3rd, 2021 will be the last coffee hangout of the Fall term. We invite everyone to join us for the de-stressor. These hangouts are drop-in and are intended to be stress-free.
Indigenous Speakers Series Presents Jean Teillet
Jean Teillet is Senior Counsel with Pape Salter Teillet LLP who has long been engaged in negotiations and litigation with provincial and federal governments concerning Métis and First Nation land rights, harvesting rights and self-government. She is the great grandniece of Louis Riel and recently published The North-West is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People, the Métis Nation, which was listed as one of the Globe & Mail’s top 100 books of 2019.
In her Indigenous Speakers Series appearance, Jean will share stories from the process of writing The North-West is Our Mother; and will discuss who the Métis people are, where they are, and what is happening in the community today and into the future. Her talk will be followed by a moderated Q and A.
MORE EVENT DETAILS: Indigenous Speakers Series presents Jean Teillet
WHEN: Thursday, December 2, 12 PM to 1PM.
Click here to join the livestream
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
Internship: MENA & Asia Regional Teams
Search for Common Ground (SFCG) seeks professional, motivated, and creative interns to join the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) & Asia regional team. The intern will provide support to SFCG’s MENA-Asia regional programming and its offices in the two regions. Duties performed within this internship will contribute to the design or management of sustainable peace and conflict transformation projects, and will give interns an opportunity to practice high-level, professional skills.
Interns must be available to work full time hours with an agreed upon schedule of leave. Interns must commit for at least 6 months. Preference will be given to applicants who can commit to a full year, pending a mid-term review.
For more information, please click here.
Communications and Digital Marketing Coordinator
Reconsidered is a boutique consultancy that designs strategies, crafts communications and builds communities sparking positive change and accelerating the transition to a more just and sustainable world. We also create resources for corporate social responsibility, sustainability and social impact practitioners, including our industry-recognized newsletter, jobs hub and online community. You can learn more about our work and our clients here.
We are seeking a remote, part-time, contract Communications + Digital Marketing Coordinator to support the creation and amplification of new content for our community of corporate social responsibility, sustainability and social impact practitioners. This person will be responsible for a variety of tasks aimed at growing and nurturing our audience, working closely with our cross-functional team and fostering relationships with potential partners and clients.
This is a 6-month contract role (to start) and we estimate it will require between 15-20 hours per week, with room to flex up and down depending on the projects at hand. Since most of the day-to-day tasks are focused on execution, the position is ideal for someone who is early in their impact career or making a career transition. It is a remote role that will require time zone alignment with Reconsidered’s head office in Amsterdam.
For more information, please click here.
PeaceTech Peer Leader, Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement
PeaceTech Living-Learning Community (LLC) Peer Leaders are responsible for providing program leadership and student support for the PeaceTech LLC. The Peer Leaders are responsible for developing strong relationships with the community to ensure that students participate in and benefit fully from the initiatives of the Living Learning Community. Applications are due by December 6, 2021.
To read more, please click here [PDF].
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.