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Location: Beloit College and Northern Ireland
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Dates: May 13th-June 3rd
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Faculty leader: Prof. Jingjing Lou, Education
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Credit: 1.5 units (EDYS 276/POLS 295 and GLBL 150)
This course offers a thoughtful exploration into post-conflict societies’ paths to reconciliation by delving into Northern Ireland’s peace education initiatives as a case study, while also gaining insights from various global examples.
The course begins with a week of on-campus preparation, followed by two immersive weeks in Northern Ireland, primarily centered around Belfast.
Throughout this period, students are prompted to reflect on their personal background (likely the US) in comparison to the diverse perspectives they encounter abroad. The course adopts a comparative approach that takes students out of their familiar context, equips them with fresh perspectives, and helps make the “unfamiliar familiar” while learning in a new culture, and the “familiar strange” while reflecting on their home context.
Students learn about Northern Ireland, its history, politics, religions and culture, and its initiatives and challenges in peace education related policies and practices. Beloit students also come to see the structures, history and socio-political assumptions of the education systems in their home country more clearly, especially those policies and efforts related to dividing or bridging our diverse community.
This is especially relevant in today’s context of growing divisions and even political polarization. The course expands students’ imagination of how peace education policy can better bridge communities and mend societal rifts at local, national and global levels. As students engage with these ideas, they refine their own sense of identity and understand their role in shaping a more peaceful and inclusive world.
Apply for Polarization and Peace by December 1st, 2023.
