Study Abroad Program
Northern Ireland
Conflict, Peace, and Transition
Study the legacy of violent conflict and engage efforts to build a sustainable peace. Examine the role of citizens as agents of transformation in this International Conflict Research Institute-affiliated program.
- Location
- Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland
- Credits
- 16 credits
- Historical Terms
- Fall 2021 and Spring 2022
- Academic Focus
- Conflict transformation, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and democracy
- Program Format
- Coursework, field visits, internship, seminars, and independent research
Program Overview
Discover Conflict, Peace, and Transition
Explore Northern Ireland’s history of identity-based conflict and the continuing work of peacebuilding, reconciliation, justice, and community development. Through academic study, community engagement, field visits, and an individual internship, students examine how citizens contribute to social transformation.
Northern Ireland has grappled for centuries with an ongoing identity-based conflict that divides neighbors, communities, and the country itself.
This history is physically present in the form of imposing walls, some approximately 400 years old and others much more recent, and a border that has divided the island of Ireland for 100 years. Deeply segregated communities are byproducts of the trauma caused by years of violence.
The conflict and its legacy ripple into the language, governance, and everyday life of Northern Irish citizens.
Throughout this International Conflict Research Institute-affiliated semester-long program, students wrestle with challenging questions: What does it mean to be a victim or survivor? What does it mean to be a perpetrator? How can people heal after hurt? How can societies reckon with the full weight of the past?
Students critically examine the work of justice, reconciliation, and repair.
Students live, work, and learn in Derry/Londonderry. In Derry/Londonderry, Belfast, Dublin, and border areas, they meet community members directly impacted by violence who now work to share stories and foster healing dialogue.
Individual internships allow students to become actively involved in ongoing peacebuilding and community development.
Past internship sites have included Children in Crossfire, The Rainbow Project, and The Playhouse Theatre.
Students live in Derry/Londonderry for the majority of the program, with the exception of a four-day orientation on the north coast and an extended field visit to Dublin and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland later in the semester.
Students begin their seven-week internship placements in week four, supported by weekly seminars.
The final two weeks of the program offer time for reflection and completion of independent research projects.
- OrientationFour days on the north coast.
- Initial phaseShort trips along the northern coast to establish historical and cultural context.
- Internship phaseSeven-week internship placement beginning in week four.
- SeminarsWeekly seminars supporting internship reflection.
- Extended field visitDublin and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
- Final phaseReflection and completion of independent research projects during the final two weeks.
The program is based in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with field visits to relevant locations around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Students explore Derry/Londonderry, Belfast, Dublin, the north coast, and border areas. These experiences help students understand how conflict history, community identity, reconciliation, and public policy influence everyday life.
Students engage with community members and organizations working on peacebuilding and social change.
Staff and Faculty
Meet the Program Director
The program combines experiential education, conflict research, peacebuilding, community engagement, and critical examination of identity and reconciliation.
Nigel Glenny is a graduate of Stranmillis University College, associated with Queen’s University Belfast, with a First Class Honours degree in Education, specializing in Religious Studies and History.
He began his career as a history teacher and later moved into local government as an education officer. In that role, he designed and taught a wide range of experiential learning programs for schools, colleges, youth groups, and community groups.
Much of this work used elements of Irish cultural traditions to foster cross-community contact between Protestant and Catholic groups from divided communities within Northern Ireland.
Nigel subsequently worked for several years at a leading nongovernmental organization engaged in peace and capacity-building initiatives throughout the island of Ireland.
At that organization, he developed an international Citizenship Action Project reaching across communities in Northern Ireland, across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and across the Atlantic to the United States.
He created learning materials about peace and reconciliation, led programs on facilitating student engagement, and trained teachers and youth workers throughout Ireland and the United States.
In addition to his role as Programme Director for the Northern Ireland HECUA programme, he is a Lecturer at INCORE, the International Conflict Research Institute, on the University of Ulster’s Magee campus.
Combining research, education, and comparative analysis, INCORE addresses the causes and consequences of conflict in Northern Ireland and internationally and promotes conflict-resolution and conflict-management strategies. It aims to influence policymakers and practitioners involved in peace, conflict, and reconciliation while enhancing international conflict research.
Nigel works on these themes through teaching and research that contributes to the HECUA program, including projects that deepen engagement with community partners and develop international connections.
He is interested in civic engagement, how it is understood, and initiatives designed to facilitate it. With particular reference to Northern Ireland, his interests include the civic mission of universities, the public, community and faith sectors, and how local-global connections can facilitate civic engagement and good community relations.
Study and Practice
Courses and Academic Experience
The supplied 16-credit program combines academic study of Northern Ireland’s conflict, democracy and peacebuilding, an intensive internship, weekly seminars, and reflection on community engagement.
This course focuses on building awareness and knowledge of the local and global implications of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Students deepen their understanding of the characteristics and constituent parts of the conflict. The course presents key social, cultural, and political dynamics, as well as key events and their impact on society.
Specific topics include the historical roots of the Northern Ireland conflict; the role of religion in the conflict; ethnic identity and frontier or contested society; an introduction to conflict theory; cultural and political identities; perspectives on conflict; key events such as Bloody Sunday and Enniskillen; young people and their roles; gender; the roles of prisoners and ex-combatants; sectarianism and division; and victims and survivors.
This course focuses on promoting awareness and understanding of the actions people can take in pursuit of peace and an inclusive, sustainable, and effective democracy.
Students develop an understanding of conflict transformation and the development of sustainable and effective democratic processes. They also develop a critical understanding of the effectiveness of social, civic, and political initiatives working for peace.
Specific topics include the political peace process; the Belfast Agreement; human rights and equality agendas; educational responses to conflict; good relations and community development; segregation and integration; young people and civic engagement; opportunities and challenges; moving from a divided society to a ‘shared society’; legal, policy, and value-based levers for social change; and ways of dealing with the past.
Through the Northern Ireland Democracy and Social Change internship, students develop new skills and gain insights into how different facets of society in Northern Ireland are working toward a sustainable and effective democracy.
Students complete approximately 200 hours during the internship.
Students reflect on their experiences in weekly seminar sessions designed to support deeper self-awareness and a critical understanding of their internship site.
Reflection journals support discussion at seminars.
Seminars are held on Mondays during the seven weeks of the intensive internship.
Internship Placement
Students undertake a structured internship with a local organization, gaining practical experience related to democracy, social change, peacebuilding, community development, or related areas.
Internship Seminar
Weekly seminars encourage students to analyze internship experiences, connect practice with course concepts, and develop a critical understanding of the work being undertaken at their internship site.
Northern Ireland Fall 2021 Syllabus
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Internship Opportunities
Learn Through Peacebuilding and Community Internships
Students gain practical experience with organizations addressing community development, cultural engagement, social issues, and peacebuilding. The organizations listed below are examples of internship sites supplied in the historical program information.
The Nerve Centre is listed in the supplied historical program information as a recent HECUA internship site.
No additional organization description was supplied.
The Verbal Arts Centre is listed in the supplied historical program information as a recent HECUA internship site.
No additional organization description was supplied.
St Columb’s Park House is listed in the supplied historical program information as a recent HECUA internship site.
No additional organization description was supplied.
Children in Crossfire is listed among the past internship sites associated with the HECUA Northern Ireland program.
The supplied program overview identifies Children in Crossfire as an example of an organization where students have undertaken internships.
Historical Financial Information
Program Costs
Review the historical program fee information, included expenses, student housing arrangements, and potential additional costs. All listed prices require verification before they are presented as current program fees.
The program fee includes group transportation to field sites, planned group excursions, lodging, meals, local transportation, medical insurance, and administrative costs.
During the program, students are placed in student housing on the University of Ulster campus and receive a food stipend.
The program costs listed are what HECUA charges for participation in its programs. The final amount a student pays might be higher and can vary from college to college.
Many colleges assess additional fees or charge their own tuition for off-campus programs. Some colleges also have specific financial-aid rules for off-campus programs.
All students should check with their home institution’s off-campus study office and financial aid office to confirm their final cost for a HECUA program.
A full and comprehensive fee breakdown can be found on the Program Costs page.
Full Program Cost Breakdown
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Member schools are institutions that belong to the HECUA consortium. The supplied historical program information lists a program cost of $20,900 for students from member schools.
Students should verify their school’s membership status and confirm the applicable current program fee before making financial decisions.
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Non-member schools are institutions that do not belong to the HECUA consortium. The supplied historical program information lists a program cost of $21,700 for students from non-member schools.
Students should confirm their institution’s status and verify the applicable current program fee before making financial decisions.
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HECUA distributes three scholarships to students from consortium member schools:
- Scholarship for Racial Justice: up to $4,000.
- Scholarship for Social Justice: up to $1,500.
- Scholarship for Community Engagement: up to $750 for semester-long programs and $500 for short-term programs.
Students should verify current scholarship availability, eligibility requirements, award amounts, and application deadlines before applying.
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Good to Know
Practical Information
Learn about the academic partnership, campus arrangements, field study, student accommodation, and visa guidance described in the historical program information.
HECUA partners with Ulster University and INCORE, the International Conflict Research Institute on the University’s Magee campus in Derry/Londonderry.
Classes are held on the Ulster University campus, with internships in Derry/Londonderry and field visits throughout Northern Ireland and into the Republic of Ireland.
The partnership connects the academic program with conflict research and local peacebuilding experiences.
The supplied partnership details refer to the historical program information. Verify current institutional relationships and program arrangements before publication.
During the supplied historical program, students lived in apartments with shared living spaces in Duncreggan Student Village in Derry/Londonderry.
The accommodations were described as student housing associated with the University of Ulster campus. Students received a food stipend.
Field visits included travel across Northern Ireland and into the Republic of Ireland.
Students experienced local communities and engaged with organizations working on peace, community development, and reconciliation.
Verify current housing arrangements before publishing these details as current information.
Students spend the first four weeks making short trips along the country’s northern coast by bus, establishing a basic understanding of the centuries-long conflict in Northern Ireland.
After the travel phase, students spend seven weeks in Derry/Londonderry completing an intensive internship and participating in weekly seminars with Programme Director Nigel Glenny.
The program also includes an extended field visit to Dublin and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, along with time for reflection and completion of independent research projects.
These descriptions represent the supplied historical program structure and should not be used as a guarantee of a current itinerary.
According to the supplied historical program information, HECUA guides students through the process of obtaining a United Kingdom visa to participate in the program.
For more information about the visa process, the historical source provides the following HECUA Student Services contact details:
Email: hecua@hecua.org Phone: 651-287-3312Students must independently verify applicable immigration and visa requirements before making travel arrangements. Visa rules, entry requirements, and program-specific sponsorship arrangements can change.
Do not promise visa approval or present historical visa guidance as legal advice.