Sowing the Seeds of Peace: Northern Ireland Peace Education Program

President Summerby-Murray wished the students and program coordinators well before leaving for Northern Ireland.

President Summerby-Murray and Dr. Malcolm Butler, VPAR, wished the students and program coordinators well before leaving for Northern Ireland.

Liam Mason, Bachelor of Commerce student, connects with students at Bunscoil An tSleibhe Dhuibh primary school. "As an Irish Studies student at Saint Mary’s, I was privileged to experience first-hand an Irish language primary school and utilize my Irish language skills with the students during our peace education workshops."

A group of 16 Saint Mary's students are building on a longstanding legacy of peace education in Northern Ireland this week.

The students—representing diverse areas of studies in Arts, Science and Commerce—are taking part in the Northern Ireland / North of Ireland Peace Education Program, facilitated by Peaceful Schools International and the Faculty of Education at Saint Mary's.

Now in its 18th year, the unique experiential program prepares the participants to conduct peace education workshops for elementary school children in Belfast. The students have a full itinerary including workshops, outreach and meetings with community partners involved in peacebuilding, as well understanding the history and cultural perspectives of Northern Ireland.

The group returns to Halifax on May 9. Check @smuhalifax for updates on their experiences, and stay tuned for a future story upon their return!

Faculty of Arts Update: Department and program name changes

With registration starting this week for the Fall and Winter terms, the Faculty of Arts would like to update students and staff on several program and department name changes.

Two programs have new names that will officially take effect on September 1, 2022. These new names are reflected in the 2022-2023 Academic Calendar and on Banner for Fall and Winter course selection. Both programs have new course acronyms as well:

• Ancient Studies (ANCS), formerly known as Classics (CLAS); and

• Global Development Studies (GDST), formerly known as International Development Studies (IDST).

Please note that program requirements will not change in either of these programs. For students who have already declared a major, minor, honours or concentration in Classics or International Development Studies, those program names will remain the same on your transcript. The new program names will apply for students who declare majors or minors from September 1 onward.  

We are also pleased to announce a new department, plus two department name changes within the Faculty of Arts:

• New! Department of Global Development Studies, formerly the International Development Studies program (stay tuned for more exciting news on the launch of our twelfth Arts department);

• Department of Languages and Cultures, formerly Department of Modern Languages and Classics; and

• Department for the Study of Religion, formerly Department of Religious Studies.

The Ancient Studies program continues to reside within the Department of Languages and Cultures.

Contact the departments directly if you have questions about the new names. If students have any questions about program requirements or course selection, please feel free to reach out anytime to the BA Advising Office.