PACS has four exciting "Special Topics" courses offered in Winter 2020. Keep reading to learn more about these upcoming unique topics!
PACS 301-001 Special Topics: The Future of War - Drones, Robots, and the Role of Peace Research
Monday, 6:00- 8:50pm in CGR 1300
Cesar Jaramillo & Branka Marijan
Advances in technology and the increasing use of drones, robots, AI, and cyberwarfare has changed the landscape of war in the future. This will require a new set of responses from peace advocates, and peace research will play an increasingly important role.
Join Cesar and Branka from Project Ploughshares, one of the world’s leading organizations in leveraging peace research for policy responses and social good, for this class in Winter 2020!
Branka Marijan is a Senior Researcher at Project Ploughshares and leads their research on the military and security implications of emerging technologies. Her work examines ethical concerns regarding the development of autonomous weapons systems and the impact of artificial intelligence and robotics on security provision and trends in warfare.
Cesar Jaramillo is Executive Director of Project Ploughshares, one of the world’s leading peace research and advocacy organizations. Cesar’s work has focused nuclear disarmament, outer space security and conventional weapons control. As an international civil society representative, Cesar has addressed, among others, the UN General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), the UN Conference on Disarmament, the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), as well as states parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
PACS 302-001 Special Topics: Advocacy for Justice and Peace
Monday, 1:30- 4:20 in CGR 1300
Chris Derksen Hiebert & Henriette Thompson
In an age of increasing economic and political transparency on one hand, and “fake news” and the “post-factual” society on the other, how can students, citizens, and civil society wage justice and peace? This course will equip you to take on that challenge?
This course will be co-taught by Chris Derksen Hiebert, the Director of Policy and External Relations for World Vision International, who has worked for 18 years doing advocacy with World Vision. Henriette Thompson is an educator, communicator and activist with 35 years' experience in social and ecological justice work at global, national and local levels.
PACS 302-002 Special Topics: Environmental Justice and Racism in Canada and Beyond
Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00- 2:20pm in CGR 1300
Jada Koushik
Join us to examine how the environment intersects with issues of race, class, gender and health to contribute to conflict in Canada and beyond. The significance of racism is central to this course, and we will explore the concepts of peace, environmental justice and social determinants of health. Using film and interdisciplinary scholarship, we will look at ways in which environmental injustices can be transformed into opportunities for creating more resilient communities. This transformational course includes group debates, multimedia performances, and collaborative exercises to provide foundational information while encouraging active student participation and dialogue. Come and make connections while tackling wicked world problems!
PACS 302-003 Special Topics: Math for Good and Evil
Tuesday, 6:00- 8:50pm in CGR 2201
Lowell Ewert & Judith Koeller
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 environment - and sharpen an analysis of how both math and peace 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.