Tag: Belfast

Peacebuilding Through Dialogue in Northern Ireland

COML 513: Advanced Topics in Communication
Derry, Northern Ireland

Residency in Derry, Ireland: January 2-12, 2013
Entire course pre- and post- via Blackboard December 26, 2012 – January 26, 2013
Program Cost: Appx. $3850 plus airfare
Learn more about Derry, Ireland
Program Highlights
*       Meet with peace practitioners, former combatants and local leaders from both the Nationalist and Unioninst communities in Northern Ireland
*       Walk the famous 17th century wall of Derry with an experience local guide
*       Visit the Shankhill and Falls Road areas of Belfast, their murals, and “peace walls” with former combatants from the Nationalist and Unionist communities as guides
*       Hear first hand how local peace leaders have created projects to work toward understanding and healing
*       Learn interviewing and facilitation skills for building dialogic practices.

Course Description
The aim of this course is to introduce concepts from the field of communication that enable an understanding of how local peacebuilding can build bridges across conflicting groups in deeply divided societies.  Communication and dialogue are closely intertwined and together act at the heart of establishing shared space and creating a common future.

The course will reflect on the causes and history of The Troubles (1969-1998) as well as the tortuous peace process following the Belfast Agreement in 1998.  Based on that agreement, Northern Ireland’s devolved government finally became a reality in 2008.  Local peacebuilding through dialogue is central to understanding how peach has been maintained.

Dialogue requires responsiveness which is made possible by qualities of thought and talk allowing transformation to take place: transformation in how people understand the self, the other and the societies they inhabit.  These qualities of thought and talk include a willingness to risk change in one’s own perspective and a commitment to embracing others whose worldwide views may be different from and threatening to one’s own.

Faculty
John Caputo is Professor and Chair of the Master’s Program in Communication and Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University and the Walter Ong S.J. Scholar.  He founded the MA Program in 2004.  Dr. Caputo earned his Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate School and University Center. His areas of expertise include communication theory, intercultural and interpersonal communication and media and social values.  He is the author of seven books and more than 25 articles in professional scholarly journals.  He has been honored as a Visiting Scholar In-Residence at the University of Kent at Canterbury, England.  Dr. Caputo directs the Gonzaga-in-Cagli Project, a cultural Immersion multi-media program in Italy each summer and has previously directed programs in Armagh, Northern Ireland.  He has been honored with Master Teacher Awards  by Western States Communication Association and the University of Texas at Austin and most recently received an Exemplary Faculty Award from Gonzaga University.

Ann Kelleher, Interim Executive Director of Gonzaga University’s Center for Global Engagement, earned a Ph.D. in International Studies.  In her over 30 years of university teaching, Dr. Kelleher has taught courses relevant to analyzing international violent conflicts including international relations, international conflict resolution, local peacebuilding in Northern Ireland and war and peace: theoretical and historical analyses.  In 2011 she received the Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching from Pacific Lutheran University. In addition, Dr. Kelleher has taught faculty-led study abroad courses in Albania, Namibia and Northern Ireland as well as facilitated groups to Jamaica, Thailand and Egypt.  In addition, she has developed programs in Ecuador and the United Kingdom. Dr. Kelleher’s relevant publications include “Religious Communities as Peacemakers: A Comparison of Grassroots Peace Processes in Sudan and Northern Ireland,” with Meggan Johnson, Civil Wars Vol. 10, No. 2, June 2008, 148-172.

Application Process
APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 29, 2012
Early Application is encouraged.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis up to the application deadline or until the program is filled.  Operation of this program is subject to administrative approval and is dependent upon meeting the minimum enrollment. Click here to download application.
1.      Submit your completed Application Form along with $400 non-refundable deposit that is applied to the cost of the program.
2.      Provide an official copy of your Graduate Program standing; Gonzaga students do not need to submit a transcript.
3.      Upon receipt of these materials, your application will be reviewed by the Graduate Professional Studies Committee.  Upon notification of acceptance to participate in the course you will be sent a Financial Contract.  This Financial Contract needs to be signed and returned for your application to be considered.

Send all Application Materials to:
Shannon Zaranski
Gonzaga University
School of Professional Studies
502 E. Boone Ave., MSC 2616
Spokane, WA 99258-2616
509.313.3569 phone
509.313.3587 fax
zaranski@gonzaga.edu
www.gonzaga.edu/comlireland
Program Cost
ESTIMATED PROGRAM COST: $3,850
Cost includes: Tuition for three credits, accommodations, some group meals, local group transportation, AirMed, and International Student Identity Card.
Passport must be valid for six months after the end of the study abroad program.