STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITY: Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland, May 14 – June 4, 2022

After decades of violent political conflict, Belfast is now a city transformed. This course allows students to explore peacebuilding and reconciliation within the city of Belfast and various locations throughout Northern Ireland. Students will spend time in local communities, hearing first-hand accounts of the history, faith and culture of this beautiful but wounded land. There are opportunities for intercultural learning throughout and students will hear personal accounts from leading peacebuilders, including local historians, politicians, church, police and community leaders, journalists, artists and musicians. Students will explore concepts of truth, mercy and forgiveness in relation to reconciliation, whilst discovering the challenges that remain as Northern Ireland continues to grapple with its troubled past. 6 credit hours will be earned during this experience.

The pioneering reconciliation work of the Inter Church Youth Link: NI will form the basis of an in-depth case study and there will also be an opportunity to visit the world renowned Corrymeela Community on the beautiful North Coast. Students will not only be required to engage in the local community through service learning (ECU CLCE, Amizade, and YouthWorks) and to develop understanding of the local government, politics, culture, language, history, and artistic characteristics of Northern Ireland, but will also be required to reflect on the areas of divisiveness in their own communities and contexts and seek opportunities for peacebuilding and points for reconciliation.

See: https://interculturalaffairs.ecu.edu/global-community/

Dr. Park’s New Research Lab

Dr. Baekwan Park has created a research lab with a colleague in the Physics Department, Dr. Jae Won Jung. The lab is called “Practical and Applied Artificial Intelligence Research Lab” (PAAIR Lab), and is a research group that pursues the use of machine learning, computer vision, and NLP in medical and social science research. While the project is still in its infancy, Park expects its eventual expansion.

Changes in the Dept. of Political Science!

Several changes have taken place in the department over the summer and as the new school year started.

*This summer, Mrs. Dri-Zonda Brown-Smith joined the department as Administrative Support Assistant.

*Dr. Samantha Mosier was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor.

*Our dept. chair, Dr. Alethia Cook, was promoted to Full Professor.

A hearty welcome to Mrs. Brown-Smith, and congratulations to Drs. Mosier and Cook!

 

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