What Can I Do With a PACS Degree?
Peace and Conflict Skills in Everyday Life
Gelareh Manghebati graduated from the Joint MA in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2015. Prior to this program, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Tehran in Iran, as well as a Master of Arts in Political Science from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Gelareh decided to join the Joint MA in Peace and Conflict Studies program because she wanted to add a practical aspect to her Political Science degrees, helping her to develop skills which would benefit her chances in future employment opportunities.
Gelareh describes her experiences during her degree:
“What I learned is a vast understanding of different topics, including but not limited to violence and reconciliation efforts in different regions of the African continent, issues related to Indigenous people of Canada, and how I can serve my local community just fine and be a force of change without travelling thousands of kilometers.”
She also highlights one of her most memorable experiences as the sharing circles, where everyone sees each other’s faces and talks about pain and trauma without judgement. Gelareh has applied the skills she has learned to her personal life and to resolving conflicts at work and school. She states that the program also improved her self-confidence and made her realize how every person and their experiences are unique and useful in their own way. She explains that the program also taught her to stay true to her narrative, by encouraging her to keep telling her story.
Gelareh is currently in her last year of the Juris Doctor (Law) program at Robson Hall at the University of Manitoba, where she incorporates values of conflict resolution and negotiation into her studies more than confrontation and litigation (despite popular belief about the practice of law). She looks forward to employing these skills after graduation, when she begins to practice law.