PACS 302Special Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies 2
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- Peace and Conflict Studies
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
A seminar course investigating special issues related to peace and conflict. Content may vary from year to year.
Prerequisites
- Complete 1 of the following
- Students must be in level 2A or higher
- Enrolled in Peace & Conflict Studies Diploma
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4488 | 4 / 10 | M 12:30–14:20 W 12:30–14:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
100% liked it100% easy92% useful
From 4 ratings and 3 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
(Topic: Math for Good and Evil)
Readings & Videos are interesting. Workload was light, with weekly reflections & quizzes plus 2 major assignments (1 book review & 1 Media Report). I learnt a ton about peace & its connection to math/CS in this course, and would recommend to anyone in the math faculty looking for a fun elective.Apr 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course covers the intersection between peace and math/cs. It is super interesting and I gained a deeper understanding of how I can use my skills to advance peace in the world! Lots of reading/videos per week, but the readings are engaging.
Mar 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
[Note: this is for the course "Math for Good and Evil"]
To be honest, this course was a tiny bit of a letdown because I knew a lot of these topics already before going into the class. However, I learned lots of tiny little things (and clarified my knowledge on others) that were really interesting. The most valuable aspects of this course are the seminar discussions where you get to learn from other classmates and guest speakers, and the abundance of news articles, books to read, and resources that Professor Judith Koeller will give you. For the online term, the course difficulty was scaled back considerably, and I ended with 100% in the course as a result. This course also gave me an…May 2021 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
8 posts and comments in 8 threads mention PACS 302, January 2022 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2024
Fun/Interesting Electives to take 4 points, 3 comments
“What are some light and easy elective you recommend that are not too time consuming. Preferably nothing related to art or writing since im kinda bad at both lol.”
u/Lucky-Maintenance448: “Pacs 302 - learn about some of the ethical implications surrounding some of the applications of math and cs!”
Fall 2023
Top Tier Electives 1 point, 6 comments
“What are the top tier electives for a first year?”
u/jpnoro2003: “PACS 302”
Spring 2022
Admissions / High School Megathread (Fall 2022) 114 points, 2,348 comments
“This megathread is for prospective frosh and current high school students interested in Waterloo! Ask your questions down below! …”
u/Ok-Height6542: “What are some minimal effort non-math bird courses?”
u/jpnoro2003: “PACS 302 when its offered, super fun and easy course about the ethics involved in math and CS!”
2A math courses 1 point, 9 comments
“What is the typical 2A math course selection? Do people usually take MATH 235 and MATH 237 in the same term? …”
u/jpnoro2003: “I'm currently in 2A hon math (planning on doing math optimization) and on my first co-op search, and my term is MATH 235, CO 250, STAT 230, ENGL 108D, ECON 102”
u/jpnoro2003: “… In 1B I took MATH 136/138, CS 136, PACS 302, ECON 101”
Can any current math/CS students let me know their current course load and term? 10 points, 24 comments
“Which courses? And how difficult does it feel for you? Just trying to get an idea of how I should plan my courses.”
u/jpnoro2003: “Currently in 2A Honours Math (planning on majoring in Math Optimization) 1A: Math 135, Math 137, CS 135, SPCOM 100, PHYS 121 1B: MATH 136, MATH 138, CS 136, ECON 101, PACS 302 2A: MATH 235, STAT 230, CO 250, ENGL 108D, ECON 102”
All of you who compare difficulty of degrees are just stuckup and pretentious 453 points, 110 comments
“There was a post recently comparing how CS has lower workload than engineering. I commented saying that it's pointless to compare those degrees when in reality they are both hard degrees. …”
u/mangoman2316863: “… In my last 3 semesters of CS, i have taken ital101, PACS302, Geog101, and Sci206. There has genuinely not been a single term up until 2B where I had more that 3 courses that weren’t birdies. …”
Winter 2022
Good math electives courses? 1 point, 4 comments
“I was wondering if anybody knew of any good elective courses to take relating to math, economics, business or commerce?”
u/jpnoro2003: “PACS 302 whenever thats offered, interesting course on the role of math/cs on peace and ethics”
Some “useful” arts or STEM faculty courses to take? 6 points, 12 comments
“Edit: you all have been incredibly helpful, thank you ╰(´︶)╯♡ I’m currently a 2nd yr Legal Studies and English (RMPC) student who’s about to take some courses for the first time irl this spring …”
u/zeph-yr: “… INTEG 121 - good course if you don't know much about design thinking, otherwise I'd skip it PACS 302 (Math for Good and Evil) - very broad strokes about math and its ethics in society \- plan 233 (social planning) \- plan 100 (planning history) \- plan 103 (intro to planning …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them