Alternative Spring Break Trips
Funded by generous friends of the College, these trips provide immersive multi-day experiences engaging political and social diversity, and provide a memorable opportunity for Middlebury students to meet and speak with people who may hold similar or very different social views than their own.
Conflict Transformation: On-The-Ground Case Study in Northern Ireland
The Scott Center for Spiritual & Religious Life, in conjunction with the Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, is pleased to announce a Spring 2025 course, “Conflict Transformation: An On-The-Ground Case Study in Northern Ireland (INTD 0160).
The course is a case study of the historical, political, and religious context for the peace process in Northern Ireland through a conflict transformation lens, featuring a spring break trip with dual-narrative tour guides from the region. We’ll be learning from people who have been personally engaged with and affected by the conflict. The practice and application of skills in conflict transformation will be central to the course.
Team-taught by Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life Mark Orten, Rabbi Danielle Stillman, and Muslim Chaplain Zahra Moeini, along with Political Science Professor and Director of Conflict Transformation Sarah Stroup, this half-credit course includes a 7-night trip to Ireland during spring break.
Applications open in early September, with an October 15 deadline to apply.
Itinerary of our Dual-Narrative Tour of Ireland and Northern Ireland: Spirituality, Identity and Reconciliation
(subject to change)
We are pleased to be working with Mejdi Tours as our trip coordinators in Ireland.
March 15 — Evening departure from Boston Logan Airport
March 16 — Arrive in Dublin. Visits include Glasnevin Cemetery to hear stories of foundational figures for modern Ireland, and Trinity College to view the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the Gospels.
March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day. Travel to Belfast.
March 18 — Down Museum and Cathedral, Belfast Hebrew Congregation and Belfast Islamic Center. Our dual-narrative guides (one with “loyalist” and another with “republican” background) join us to begin a discussion on the history of regional conflict in and around Belfast.
March 19 — Visits to the Troubles Display, and the the Art of the Troubles Gallery in the Ulster Museum. Tour the barriers and walls that still divide post-conflict Belfast, including the Peace Wall.
March 20 — Travel north to the Ballycastle community of Corrymeela, Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization, and participate in a morning workshop exploring their unique approach to healing divides. Mini-hike at the Giant’s Causeway, and a visit to Dunluce Castle.
March 21 and 22— Travel to Derry/Londonderry. Possible visits include the Peace Bridge and Derry Walls, the Siege Museum, Bloody Sunday Memorial, Museum of Free Derry, the Craft Village, and the Millenium Forum for a theater tour and discussion on the role of the arts in reconciliation processes.
March 23 — Depart from Dublin Airport and arrive in Boston mid-afternoon.