Ireland: Transformation of Social and Political Conflict

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Explore the changing face of conflict studies through immersion in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Through thematic seminars, field study, and primary research, students examine current theories of conflict and conflict transformation with a particular focus on the following topics:

• Sectarian and ethnic conflict
• Structural violence and the state
• Historical roots of conflict
• Social and political inequality
• Creation of sustainable peace 

Students consider the ways in which conflict can become embedded in the social, political, and economic realities of societies and cultures. The program also offers an opportunity to explore the connection between the sacred landscape of Irish mythology and a new environmental consciousness that challenges accepted notions of development.

At the Forefront of Peace and Conflict Studies
The rapid pace of change in Ireland is giving rise to a radical reconstruction of Irish identity making this a particularly exciting time to be a student of social and political transformation in the Irish context. The SIT program in Ireland extends beyond the legacy of violent ethnic conflict in Northern Ireland to explore questions of identity, links between social exclusion and violence, the creation of civil society, and issues of social justice and human rights, using Dublin, rural Ireland, and Northern Ireland as principal learning sites. The scale of Irish society offers an intimacy and depth of engagement in issues through personal stories and encounters.

Lecturers and Program Partners
Through the holistic lens of conflict transformation, students learn from and engage with academics, government officials, and social activists to explore contemporary Irish issues from both sides of the island and from multiple perspectives. Lecturers are drawn from Trinity College, University College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast, the University of Ulster, and practitioners in the field. 

In the Irish Republic, students examine issues of urbanization, multiculturalism, the environment, and the creation of new and sustainable communities. During the program period in the North, students focus on the rebuilding of civil society and the creation of an inclusive political process after years of sectarianism and political violence. The challenges presented in both settings stretch traditional notions of identity and culture.

Browse this program's Independent Study Projects/Undergraduate Research