In January, MPhil students went on their first field trip of the year, accompanied by Dr Geraldine Smyth. They spent three days in Belfast, where they visited Stormont, escorted by an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) and enjoyed lunch in the Stormont dining hall.

Other memorable experiences included tours of the Shankill and Falls Road and lectures on the history of the conflict, as well as a seminar with Healing Through Remembering, an organization seeking to help reconciliation between nationalist and unionist communities.

Some relaxation was offered by evening outings and afternoon tea in the Europa Hotel! Many students found it a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience that they will not forget.

School of  Religions, Theology and Ecumenics

Venue: Lecture Theatre, Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin

‘Religion, Reconciliation and the EuroRare Project’

Tuesday Jan 31, 2012, 17:00 – 19:00

Speaker: Prof. Martin Leiner (Friedrich Schiller University of Jena / Germany)
Prof. Martin Leiner is Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Friedrich Schiller University of Jena. He is the Director of the EURORARE Project on ‘Religions as Agents of Reconciliation?’

All welcome.

EURORARE is a collaborative social science and humanities research project.

One of our future challenges is to create a comprehensive understanding of actions with religious justifications. This raises crucial questions: How do religions contribute to violence and/or reconciliation? Do they have an impact at all? In the last decade there has been increased focus on the destabilizing impact of religiously based thinking and acting. Academic research and media portrayals of religion have emphasised its violent manifestations. Much less attention has been paid to the peaceful side of religion in reconciliation processes during or in the aftermath of a conflict.

EuroRARE will explore these questions by analysing the connections between religious traditions, religiously justified actions, violence and/or reconciliation. Its scientific aim is to develop a framework for a better understanding of the role of religion in conflicts and post-conflict societies.

For futher information, see: http://www.religion-and-reconciliation.eu

Professor Gilbert Achcar, School of Oriental and African Studies, London

Thursday, 2 February 7pm-9pm

Thomas Davis lecture theatre, Arts Building, TCD

The Irish School of Ecumenics has provided some resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:

Order of Service

Homily Notes by Marcin Lisak OP

Alternative Hymns

The newsletter includes information on projects donations supported in 2010-2011, new ventures for 2011-12, and the launch of Evangelical Journeys: Choice and Change in a Northern Irish Religious Subculture, a new book by Claire Mitchell and Gladys Ganiel.

Click here to read The Sheaf.

NGOs and International Politics: Theory and Practice:

International Peace Studies is pleased to announce that a new service-learning internship module will commence in Semester 2, 2013, providing work practice to MPhil students. The overarching theme of this module is to examine the relevance of NGOs to key international politics areas and to evaluate the role of NGOs in the light of academic literature and work placement experience. NGOs currently providing internships to our students are Frontline Defenders, Brussels and Dublin, AIFRI, Dublin, Debt Coalition of Ireland, Dublin, Healing Through Remembering, Belfast, Geneva Forum, Geneva, UN Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit, Geneva, Churches Commission on Migration Issues, Brussels).

NB: Internships are un-paid and students must bear all associated costs (for example, travel, accommodation) of internships themselves.

Intake to this module will be limited in accordance with the number of internships offered.

If demand for internships exceeds supply, selection of students for internships will be decided by staff committee, on the basis of a cv and a statement of interest. Students will indicate their desired NGOs in in order of preference. If demand for a specific NGO exceeds supply selection of students for internship with that NGO will be decided by staff committee, on the basis of a cv and a statement of interest.

You can download a flyer for the event here.

The book will be available for the special launch price of 20 euros.

Please RSVP to Gladys Ganiel, E: gganiel@tcd.ie

Dr Cavatorta gave a whirlwind history of Israel and Palestine, before examining UN resolutions and policies to the area. The lecture was followed by a lively class discussion.

Dr Cavatorta has published widely on the Middle East, including Civil Society and Democratisation in the Arab World, with Vincent Durac, London Routledge and The Failure of Democratisation in Algeria, 2008, Manchester University Press.