Conflict in Northern Ireland
Conflict Transformation: An On The Ground Case Study in Northern Ireland (half-credit) In preparation for a spring break trip to Northern Ireland, we will learn how conflict transformation (CT) led to the Good Friday Agreement, to The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and how it continues to be used to maintain peace there. We will approach this with a CT lens while also learning and practicing CT skills and traveling to Northern Ireland to study the history of the conflict and its current status today. This course will look at many aspects of The Troubles including history, religion, colonialism, violence, peacemaking, and civil involvement through readings, lectures, using CT approaches to reflection and hearing from local experts and peace activists during our trip. The tour will be led by Mejdi Tours, a tour group which provides guides from different perspectives for a dual-narrative approach. Throughout the course and our travels we will ask how the CT approach in Northern Ireland may or may not be relevant to other global or local conflicts. This class will be team taught by Sarah Stroup, Mark Orten, Danielle Stillman and Zahra Moeini. We will meet weekly for classes over dinner before the trip, travel to Northern Ireland together over spring break, and gather for three more weeks of final presentations after the trip. This is a half credit course.
Conflict Transformation: An On The Ground Case Study in Northern Ireland (half-credit) In preparation for a spring break trip to Northern Ireland, we will learn how conflict transformation (CT) led to the Good Friday Agreement, to The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and how it continues to be used to maintain peace there. We will approach this with a CT lens while also learning and practicing CT skills and traveling to Northern Ireland to study the history of the conflict and its current status today. This course will look at many aspects of The Troubles including history, religion, colonialism, …Read more
This was probably one of the best and most memorable classes that I've taken at Middlebury. The course mainly consisted of readings, a couple of reflections, and a final project, the fodder for which came from our spring break trip to Northern Ireland. We were given the opportunity to learn about The Troubles in depth, guided by the expert hands of our tour guides, one of whom was former British Army and the other former IRA. The course not only revealed the complexity of conflict resolution but imparted us with a deeper appreciation for building relationships, dialogue, and intellectual humility.
This was probably one of the best and most memorable classes that I've taken at Middlebury. The course mainly consisted of readings, a couple of reflections, and a final project, the fodder for which came from our spring break trip to Northern Ireland. We were given the opportunity to learn about The Troubles in depth, guided by the …Read more