Most students at Elizabethtown College finished their classes for the year during the first week in May, but some in the Education Department finished their coursework abroad.
Students in ED 372—Peace Education and Integrated Schools in Northern Ireland and the U.S.—had the unique opportunity to travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the United Kingdom for a week. This two-credit class allowed students to examine strategies in peace education in the United States and Northern Ireland and gave them the chance to compare the relative stability of the US and a nation evolving from a difficult conflict.
The spring semester class, cotaught by Dr. Elizabeth Coyle, Dr. Rachel Finley-Bowman and Dr. Shannon Haley- Mize, involved students who completed and presented a research project at the Peace Education Symposium at the Scholarship and Creative Art’s Day
The best part of the trip was seeing our students experience the situations firsthand…”
Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland
“The best part of the trip was seeing our students experience the situations, firsthand, that we had discussed in class and contemplate how these situations might influence their own practice in their own classrooms,” said Finley-Bowman, associate professor of Education. “Their enthusiasm to share their own research was exciting and we all were proud of their professionalism, intellectual growth and commitment to further their study. They are excellent representatives of the Department and College.”
Students worked with key stakeholders in the region’s integrated schools, including faculty members of Queens University in the Centre for Shared Education, and leaders in the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education. There also was time for students to sightsee key cultural landmarks around Belfast such as Carrickfergus Castle, the Titanic museum, the Giant’s Causeway and the murals of The Troubles.
“I feel so lucky to have had a chance to go to Northern Ireland through such an interesting course,” said rising senior Joanna Loewenstein. “Education majors have a difficult time trying to study abroad due to field placements and all of the credits that we are required to take. ED 372 Peace Education and Integrated Schools in Northern Ireland and the U.S. is a wonderful opportunity to go to a new place, bond with professors and fellow education majors, learn a lot and make a difference along the way.”
The department plans to offer the course again in spring 2016.