Hello PACS Students,
I hope that everyone is doing well with Winter approaching.
Below, I have included some upcoming events, job opportunities/internships, and resources for you.
Highlights
- 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.
- Student Profile: Samuel Farkas, sharing about his tree planting experience in British Columbia and how it relates to PACS 310: Peace and Environment Course. Reach out to the Undergraduate Academic and Administrative Officer if interested in learning more about PACS courses offered in the Winter Term of 2022.
- Applications for the PACS Student Society close today at 11:59 PM. With a time commitment of 1-2 hours maximum per week, this is a great opportunity to get involved! Please direct any questions to the PACS Undergraduate Representative
PACS Winter 2022 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.
Upcoming Events
Bi-Weekly Coffee Hangout
You are invited to drop in the PACS bi-weekly coffee hangout on Friday, November 9th from 10 am to 11 am. These hangouts are drop-in and are intended to be stress-free. You are welcome to leave at any time. See your email for details.
International Education Week
The University of Waterloo is thrilled to be celebrating International Education Week (IEW) this week with several events that promote the value of international education and collaboration at home and abroad. This campus-wide initiative taking place starting today to Friday, November 19, is intended to showcase internationalization at Waterloo through a variety of events and activities hosted by various community members across the university.
Though events this year will be hosted virtually, hosts are providing an exciting range of experiences to generate passion for internationalization. Events and activities can be found on the International Education Week Events page and we encourage you to show us how you’re celebrating international education by sharing your participation on social media using the hashtag #IEW2021.
IEW will feature several week-long events such as the “Where in the World” Co-op Photo Contest, “Around the World in 5 Days LITerally” which allows participants to embark on a global literary adventure featuring an interactive map, and the “International Education Week Exchange Art Gallery”, which will be exhibiting 16 of the best photos that were submitted during the pre-pandemic exchange photo contest. This year’s “Exchange Photo Contest” will also be running all week, with the winner to be announced in December.
For more information, click here.
Project Ploughshares Webinar
Ploughshares is hosting a free webinar on the current situation in Afghanistan and possible roads to be peace for civilians in the country. The panel will cover various Peace and Conflict ideologies and discuss content taught in PACS classrooms,
Panelists include Ernie Regehr, Tim Donais, and Zohra Bahrami, moderated by Branka. The webinar will take place on November 23rd, 2021 at 11AM.
To register, please click here.
Presentation Night
The Society is also hosting a Presentation Night event on November 23 at 5 pm at CGR 2201.
Please click here to register.
You don't need to make a presentation, it's open to all! Google sign-in is required for upload security, but if you don't have an account, feel free to email the PACS society with your your presentation. For more details, please contact the PACS Undergraduate Representative
Internship and Job Opportunities
The Ripple Effect Education
The Ripple Effect Education is currently seeking an individual to volunteer for their organization. If you are an advocate for practical peacemaking then the TREE Board needs you to apply! Please view this Volunteer Opportunity [PDF] to learn more about this position.
Community Development Intern
Common Goal’s vision is to maximize football’s contribution to people and planet by 2030. The organization operates within an ecosystem of leadership, solution providers and across all industry stakeholders to build the biggest ‘football team’ to move from intent to action and collectively tackle the challenges of our times.
Common Goal is currently looking to fill this paid internship a university level student. Please click here to read more about the position and the organization. Please click here to register.
Application due: November 24th, 2021
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.
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. For more information, please visit University of Waterloo Counselling
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.