PACS Bi-Weekly Newsletter - March 16, 2022

Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Image of ice melting on a lake with the text

Hello PACS Students,
I hope that everyone is doing well this week! Below, I have attached events, job opportunities, and resources you might use.

Highlights:

  • Check out the PACS Learn Hub! The PACS learn hub is an online space for all PACS Majors and Minors. There, you will find many PACS related online announcements, and a quick access to resources via the contents tab that will be useful to you as a PACS Student. If you do not yet have access to the Learn hub, please reach out to pacsasst@uwaterloo so that we can add you.
  • View PACS spring 2022 course offerings!
  • Capacity Canada's Apprenticeship Program applications are due April 1st, 2022.
  • View our Internship and Job Opportunities section to learn more about PACS fully funded Internship opportunities. 
Important dates: 
  • Last day to drop a class and recieve a WD grade is March 22, 2022
  • WF grade assigned for a class period begins March 23, 2022
  • The Drop/Add Period for Spring 2022 with individualized Quest Appointment times begins March 28, 2022
  • The Drop/Add Period where all undergraduate students have equal access to make changes to their term schedule begins March 30, 2022. 
  • Classes end April 5, 2022

Visit the UWaterloo Important Dates Calendar for more information

PACS S22 Courses

PACS 301 Special Topics in PACS: Settler Colonial Violence

2:30–3:50 PM | TUES, THURS Remote and Synchronous with Prof. Rowland Robinson: This course explores the ways in which settler-colonial violence is written on the lands, bodies, and affects of Indigenous peoples, as well as how racialized and gendered forms of violence are produced by and are productive of the settlerIndigenous relation. Focusing on the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States, this course invites students to explore how current national narratives and mythologies, public debates and political discourse, law and policy, common sense ideas, and hegemonic ideologies are entangled with, cover over, or help facilitate both historical and ongoing settler-colonial violence.

HIST 232 / PACS 203 A History of Peace Movements

ONLINE with Prof TBD: A survey of individuals and groups that have created popular movements for peace globally and locally throughout history. The scope will be international, with a particular focus on the nineteenth– and twentieth century movements. The choice of peace movements will allow for a contrast in comparison of ideology, strategy and impact.

PACS 201 Roots of Conflict, Violence, and Peace

ONLINE with Instr. Adam Malloy: 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 202 / LS 271 Conflict Resolution

ONLINE Instr. Kelly Brown: An examination of the resolution of conflicts, ranging from interpersonal to broader social and international conflicts. Students are introduced to negotiation, mediation, and nonviolent resistance, and are encouraged to develop their own theoretical understandings that aid in addressing conflict.

Visit the Peace and Conflict Studies Course Offerings webpage to learn more about PACS courses offered Spring 2022!

Upcoming Events

Ecological Rights, Constitutionalism & Democracy Virtual Panel Discussion

March 16 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

The Environment and Resources (ERRC) Research Cluster at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) is pleased to host a virtual panel discussion on the intersection of ecological rights and democratic institutions. The move to establish a rights-oriented approach to environmental governance has profound democratic implications, as the potential effect of rights-based approaches is to constrain the ability of governments to pursue certain policy pathways (that they may have
been elected to pursue) and to empower courts to play an significant role in shaping environmental and economic policies. This panel, featuring globally recognized legal experts in the field of environmental rights, will explore the challenges and opportunities that arise at the nexus of democracy and environmental rights.

Learn more and register at the Ecological Rights, Constitutionalism and Democracy event webpage.

ARTS Valedictorian Nominations Due March 18, 2022

If you are interested in representing your class as valedictorian, visit the UWaterloo Arts Valedictorian Webpage to learn more about the self nomination process. Have your say in choosing your class valedictorian by applying to participate on the Selection Committee.

RAISE Annual XChanges Conference

The Waterloo Undergraduate Students Association student-led racial advocacy service, RAISE (the Racial Advocacy for Inclusion, Solidarity and Equity), will be hosting their annual XChanges conference Saturday, March 26th, 2022 from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, virtually through Zoom. This year's theme is Cultivating Community!

Learn more at the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association Annual XChanges Conference webpage.

Indigenous Speakers Series presents Lenore Keeshig, March 31

Lenore Keeshig, a citizen of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, is a traditional storyteller, poet and author, living at Neyaashiinigmiing on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula. She works as a naturalist, providing education programs about the natural and cultural history of the Saugeen/Bruce Peninsula and the Great Lakes.

This event takes place 4:00 PM - 5:30 on March 31, 2022 at the Theatre of the Arts for a limited-capacity (200 people maximum), masks-required, in-person event.

You can also join the event via the livestream link.

Wicked Problems: The Ethics of Action for Peace, Rights, and Justice Book Talk at Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resoltion

While a generation of changemakers and peacebuilders have set out to “Be the Change!” a thousand cautionary tales from the frontlines of social, economic, climate, and racial justice work suggest that deep ethical dilemmas don’t always have easily actionable answers. Join us for the book launch of Wicked Problems: The Ethics of Action for Peace, Rights, and Justice (Oxford University Press, 2022), where a panel of the books’ contributors discuss the trade-offs, dilemmas, and compromises they encounter in their daily work as conflict resolution practitioners, peacebuilders, advocates, organizers, and activists.  

This event is happening on April 5, 2022 from 6:30-8:30 PM. Visit the Carter School Spring 2022 Peace Week website to learn more.

INDIGENOUS-MENNONITE ENCOUNTERS IN TIME AND PLACE

A GATHERING OF BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT, MAY 12-15, 2022

This academic conference and community education event will offer stories and analyses of encounters and relationships between Indigenous peoples and Mennonite settlers from point of contact to the present.

Pre-register and learn more on the Indigenous Mennonite Encounters Webpage.

Internships and Job Opportunities

Capacity Canada's Apprenticeship Program: Resilient and Diverse Communities by Design

Capacity Canada invites young change makers from communities across Canada to apply for their nine-month paid apprenticeship program. This program is intended for individuals who want to learn the foundational elements of human centered design in order to bring this professional skill back to their communities.

Apprentices will be paid $3,750 paid over nine months (15 hours/month). We only have space for 3 or 4 apprentices. Applications will be accepted until April 1, 2022.

Visit the Capacity Canada's Apprenticeship Program webpsite for more information.

Mennonite Central Committee: Climate Solutions Coordinator - Cambodia

The Climate Solutions Coordinator will facilitate capacity building and field research related to MCC Cambodia and local partner climate change programming. The service worker will work out of the MCC field office in rural Prey Veng province where they will have direct access to project sites and will travel semi-frequently to project sites in remote Kratie province and elsewhere in Cambodia. The service worker will also coordinate with institutions of higher education interested in conducting research on projects, participate in networking related to climate change, and support the advocacy and external grants teams on climate change related initiatives. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2022, and the start date is October, 2022. This is a three year commitment.

To learn more, visit the application website.

PACS Students looking for spring/summer co-op placements, consider the following fully funded NGO placements:

Visit the organizational websites above to learn more about these NGOs, and contact Ndagire Brendah for more information about the positions and how to apply. Visit the PACS Internships website for more information about the program.

PACS 390: Internship Course

The PACS internship course 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 spring term, please reach out to the PACS Undergraduate Academic Advisor for more information. 

MSc/PhD Scholarship: Understanding Violent Attacks on Aid Workers and Aid Delivery

The University of Manchester is seeking applications for a full time, fully-funded ESRC 1+3 CASE studentship to pursue an MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics and a PhD in Humanitarian and Conflict Response, both at the University of Manchester (UK). 
 
The Scholarship is ideal for an undergraduate student or someone a few years out of their first degree wanting to pursue both a Masters and a PhD. It provides funding (tuition and stipend) for 4 years, for a PhD project focused on understanding violent attacks on aid workers and aid delivery using a new quantitative dataset from Insecurity Insight. 

More information about the project and how to apply is available via the Postgraduate Research Opportunities website. 

The Due date for application is March 23.

Student Support Resources

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 Writing and Communication Centre

The Writing and Communication Centre is an academic support unit that supports students, staff, and faculty as they build communication excellence at the University of Waterloo. You can access the following resources.

The Centre for Career Action

The Centre for Career Action (CCA) is offering services in 2022. 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. 

Disclaimer: Events and opportunities above are not all endorsed by the PACS department; this newsletter includes opportunities that we think PACS students may be interested in, but are not sponsored by PACS. Please use your own discretion to determine if an opportunity is right for you.