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Crests
Credits & Copyrights
The Book That Never Was
The Beautiful History
Of Club Crests, Club Colours & Nicknames
Aldershot (Town)
Aldershot was a mere village before the Army established a permanent military camp here in 1854. Football began as a pastime for soldiers. A football club for officers was in existence in 1863, the year of the formation of the Football Association, but it would take more than 60 years to establish a senior civilian club in the town.
The prime movers behind the idea were Jack White, a much-travelled sporting journalist, and Llewellyn Griffiths, the town clerk. Early in December 1926 a meeting was held in the Council Chamber, resulting in the formation of Aldershot FC. The newly formed club successfully applied for admission to the Southern League. A suitable venue, albeit just a pitch with stone terracing and no stands, was found at the council owned Recreation Ground in High Street, close to local facilities and running alongside the main railway line.
In those days many footballers were members of the Army Physical Training Corps. Actually a few players did play while serving with the Army but mainly from ordinary regiments. Players serving with the PTC played for the Shots during WW2 when many International players were stationed in Aldershot e.g. Tommy Lawton, Stan Cullis, Joe Mercer etc.
Their first competitive match was against Gray's Thurrock in August 1927. They were clad in red shirts with blue sleeves, a blue and red collar and white shorts. Other combinations of kit for 'The Shots' as they were appropriately nicknamed were red shirts with blue edgings, blue and red stripes and quarters. The choice of this wonderful and in football terms rare combination was inspired by the livery colours of the council. It is also thought that the colours were inspired from those used by the Royal Engineers based in the Military Town. The old football team of Royal Engineers, who played in the very first FA Cup Final, wore red and blue hooped jerseys.
One of the first signs of the club's first emblem is an autographed scroll of honour, representing wartime guest players from 1939-45. The town's coat of arms also appeared on shirts shortly after the War. The arms were granted in 1923. Aldershot, as part of the Hundreds of Crondall, anciently belonged to the Bishops of Winchester; hence the mitre in the first quarter of the shield. In 1599 the Manor of Aldershot passed to the Tichborne family, from whose arms the vair (the squiggly blue and white bits – representing fur) in the shield, the hind's head in the crest, the supporting lions and the motto 'Pugnia pro Patria' were taken. By sheer coincidence this Tichborne motto, meaning 'Fight for the Country' is especially appropriate to Aldershot, containing the headquarters of the largest military command in the British Empire- a fact to which the crossed swords in the fourth quarter of the shield refer.
Did you know, by the way, that vair as shown in Aldershot's arms also explains one otherwise inexplicable piece of English storytelling? The story of a poor servant girl and her fur or "vair" slippers came across from France, and "vair" was misquoted as "verre" – meaning glass. Fur slippers became glass slippers, and Cinderella never looked back. Nothing to do with football of course, but educational nevertheless.
The start of the Fifties saw the arrival of a shield inside which an interlocking design of the initials AFC and underneath a scroll inscribing Aldershot FC appeared. This emblem appears on team pictures until the late Fifties. It is a mystery when it ceased to exist.
In 1973 Aldershot took on another insignia, consisting of a red and blue shield, one half containing a canon as a punning device, the other half depicting a football ensigned with the word 'Shots', alluding to the club's nickname.
1976 saw the arrival of yet another badge. It's a plain and simple design in the ever-present colours of red and blue, depicting a football with AFC and the club's foundation year.
At the start of the Nineties Aldershot Football Club was sinking deeper into financial turmoil after appalling management from a succession of directors at the club. With debts totalling over £1.2m, Aldershot Football Club was formally wound up in the High Court in March 1992 and ceased all fixtures in mid season, the first club since Accrington Stanley in 1962. The badge disappeared with the sad demise of the club. From the ashes of the disaster rose Aldershot Town FC in 1992. Formed by a committee of fans and local businessmen, the club relies almost entirely on the patronage of several thousand passionate and loyal fans, sponsorship and advertising. Quite apt then that the current crest of the club is a Phoenix rising from the flames.
Eleven years after their formation Aldershot Town reached the top flight of non-league football, having gained promotion to the Nationwide Conference. Starting in 1992 they began their new non-league life in the Isthmian Division 3 by winning the division in their first season, with crowds regularly over 2,000. Promotion was achieved again the following season, and with another step up the non-league ladder in 1998 when they were promoted to the premier section of the Isthmian League. Despite finishing runners-up in their second premier season, they had to wait a further three years before wining the Isthmian League championship and gaining a move to the '5th level' of English football.
It was fitting that their first match back in a national league was against Accrington Stanley, who like Aldershot Town are making their way back up the footballing pyramid.
Boston United
Bournemouth AFC
Bradford (PA)
Chester City
Halifax Town
Hereford United
Kidderminster Harriers
Maidstone United
Rushden & Diamonds
Workington
Literature & Sources
What Critics Said
Publisher's Anthology


A very nice opportunity has arisen in the heart of Manchester, for an experienced patent administrator to utilise their experience in an in-house environment. Initially the role is on a contract basis, but there is definitely a potential that the role could go permanent after this.
You will be working with a variety of different technologies on a varied patent portfolio at this organisation. You will be supporting their Head of IP with a number of different tasks, including the coordination of patent formalities. There will also be the opportunity to work on IP related contracts and liaise with external patent attorneys on the necessary requirements of the internal team.
Other ad hoc related IP tasks within the team.
You must have an exceptional eye for detail and be able to methodically work through large volumes of work. Being able to work under pressure is key in this role too, as well as having the understanding of how vital exemplary time keeping is within the IP profession.
To be considered, you must have good IP formalities knowledge and be able to come into the role and hit the ground running. Being familiar with liaising with attorneys is also a must, along with strong written and verbal communication skills.
A competitive salary and benefits package are on offer here, along with the rare opportunity to make the move in-house!


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The Rolling Stones get what they want, Robert Downey Jr. gets engaged? And will Michael Jackson have more children than his father did? Plus: Kylie Minogue says there's too much sex!
By Karen Croft
November 11, 2003 8:14PM (UTC)
It does something to your sense of balance to see Matt Lauer chatting with Keith Richards before 9 a.m. But there they were -- all of the Stones, in fact, talking about the end of their latest world tour. Matt said he couldn't help noticing Keith's hands -- all mangled and bent and well worn. "I've got worse hands than Mike Tyson," said Richards and then laughed that great, gravelly laugh of his. Other news is that Mick Jagger isn't feeling burned out after this tour and Ron Wood is successfully on the wagon. Charlie is still unflappable. You've got to love the Stones. They are in their 60s but they're still boys in a band having more fun than anyone else.
Sexy rock star Kylie Minogue is shocked, shocked at the amount of sex in pop music. In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel she said some of the new videos make her blush. Meanwhile, she is out promoting her new single, "Slow," which has a video showing cutie Kylie in a snug outfit lazing about between two scantily clad gentlemen. But, she says, "I'm just lying there and not doing anything exciting ... My ideal of eroticism is more Brigitte Bardot." A fascinating tidbit in the same article is a statistic: "Researchers at the University of Colorado found that use of the word 'love' in songs had reached an all-time low." What researchers and why are they researching that? (BBC)
I'm pulling for Robert Downey Jr. because he's so witty, talented and bullshit-free. Now that he's also drug-free and in love, reports are that he gave a big fat engagement ring to longtime girlfriend Susan Levin -- a producer on his latest film "Gothika." Go, Robbie. (WENN)
Somebody stop Michael Jackson before he adopts again! The baby-dangler told radio host Rick Dees that he wants to add seven more kids to his current collection of three so he can have "more kids than his father did" (nine). Don't get Freudian on us, M.J. (MSNBC)
"Hustler" publisher Larry Flynt insisting that the photos he's set to publish of a certain rescued female soldier frolicking topless with some male colleagues before shipping off to Iraq -- for which he's said to have shelled out a six-figure sum -- are, in fact, Jessica Lynch: "You think I'm going to publish nude pics that aren't her? I like owning my company." (N.Y. Daily News)
Almost as litigious as David Gest!: Catherine Zeta-Jones' lawyer in a letter sent to media outlets denying that Jones has lost weight via the Atkins diet, as was apparently reported in several publications: "In essence, my client is being made to look as if she's more concerned about her outward appearance than she is with serious health concerns. Nothing could be further from the truth." (The Smoking Gun)
Royal innuendoes, continued: Readers may recall from yesterday Camilla Parker Bowles' unfortunate comment to the press about Prince Charles not "stooping so low" as to take part in a rumored -- and denied -- gay sexual liaison with a member of his staff. Now a Fix reader sends in this headline from News 24: "Ex-servant backs up Charles."
Page Six: New York club Plaid flubs party-hosting duties, loses staffers and celeb standing; Sean "Puffy/P. Diddy" Combs ordered to disclose personal financial information in child-support suit; Pink hangs out in sauna and steam room fully clothed; Gen. Wesley Clark mentions Outkast in Rock the Vote TV spot, surprising Outkast's label, Arista; Boy George said to have posted a personal ad for a fella on gaydar.co.uk, says his "favorite types" are "builders, clubbers, firemen, footballers, geeks, laborers, married men, military (uniforms), policemen, preppies, punks, short guys and tall guys"; Alex Kuczynski set to return to N.Y. Times Sunday Styles duties after taking leave to write book on plastic surgery.
Rush and Molloy: Atkins spokesman Richard Rothstein on Catherine Zeta-Jones' diet dis: "I would like to see Catherine's medical degree"; "Terminator 3" star Kristanna Loken on the politician she's most attracted to: "Physically? Hillary Clinton. That was a joke"; "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell writes backstage-gossip book including the shocking disclosure that runner-up Clay Aiken wears shoes that are a size too big because he doesn't like his toes to touch the tips; Ben Affleck sells Beverly Hills home, may be moving in with Jennifer Lopez. Also selling real estate: Sharon Stone, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Guy Ritchie, the latter possibly to Britney Spears; Tom Cruise almost gets head lopped off in stunt gone wrong; Stephen Glass exposer Adam Penenberg writes book on Ford-Firestone debacle, sells film rights to Michael Douglas; Nathan Lane embraces his "Producers" understudy/replacement Brad Oscar, says, "By the way, Andy Warhol called: your 15 minutes of fame are up."
--Amy Reiter
Bookmark the Fix here. To send a hot tip to the Fix, click here.
Karen Croft
Karen Croft is the editor of Salon Sex.
MORE FROM Karen Croft

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I began martial arts in 1995 because I enjoyed it and my parents sent me to train at a young age.
When I came to South Africa, I wanted to compete in EFC.
I am a three-time Congo Judo champion.
Bernardo Mikixi, 'The Black Panther'.
It is the best place to be a fighter.


Our Annual Concert was held during the heatwave this year (!) although still very much appreciated by the audience. Held in St. Matthew's Church, Yiewsley, we wowed the audience with a variety of music and received a rapturous encore. It also featured our very own Training Band expertly guided by conductor Anna Murray. Well done everyone!
Thanks to Louise for creating very appealing raffle prizes!
This year's prizes went to Paul Miller (Best Performance), Alan Couch (Most Improved Player) and Anna Murray (Bandsman of the Year).


text:
package com.redshape.ui.data.adapters.swing;

import javax.swing.DefaultCellEditor;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.table.DefaultTableColumnModel;
import javax.swing.table.TableColumn;

import com.redshape.ui.data.IModelField;
import com.redshape.ui.data.IModelType;

public class TableColumnModelAdapter extends DefaultTableColumnModel {
	private static final long serialVersionUID = 2811986599491689310L;
	public static int DEFAULT_WIDTH = 100;

	public TableColumnModelAdapter( IModelType type ) {
		super();

		this.init(type);
	}

	protected void init( IModelType type ) {
		for ( int i = 0; i < type.nonTransientCount(); i++ ) {
			IModelField field = type.getField(i);
			if ( !field.isTransient() ) {
				this.addColumn( this.adaptField( i, field ) );
			}
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	private TableColumn adaptField( int index, IModelField field ) {
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		column.setHeaderValue( field.getTitle() );

		column.setCellEditor( new DefaultCellEditor( new JTextField() ) );

		return column;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


A Tattoo isn't for life! We can remove them this Christmas.
Like an unwanted present you've been given, a tattoo might have seemed like a great idea in the lead up, but now that you have had it for a while you might be thinking it wasn't such a good idea to begin with. Looking for a way to remove it? Snowberry Lane might just be able to help out.
When we get to take a look at it during consultation, we can gauge the success we'll have with the removal.
Watching the video above you can see exactly what the process involves. The biggest worry patients have before coming and having a consultation is the fear that the removal will be just as painful as getting the tattoo was. This couldn't be further from the truth. The lasers used are a form of intense light from a concentrated source.
When the laser is passed over the tattoo, it breaks down those ink particles in the skin. Now you might be worried that this will cause some issues with the ink now being in the blood stream, but the lasers break it down to such a small level your body's natural drainage system can easily remove it without any harm being caused at all.
You can find out more about laser tattoo removal and download a brochure right here.
And you can see a great before/after comparison on our Tattoo Removal page.
This entry was posted in Tattoo by Grant. Bookmark the permalink.


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Map: 32°55'40.0008"N, 035°04'54.0012"E
Filed under: Israel and Palestine - Outside Jerusalem,Locations — Tags: Acco, Acre, Ahmed Pasha, Akko, al-Jazzar, Crusaders, harbour, Hospitallers of St John, Marco Polo, Ptolemais, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, St Francis of Assisi, St Jean d'Acre — 11:45 am
St John's Crypt in the Crusaders' Hospitaller Quarter at Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
Because Acre, 22 kilometres north of Haifa, had the best natural harbour on the coast of the Holy Land, it achieved importance from early times.
But its role as the main stronghold of the Crusaders made the most lasting impression on its long and chequered history.
Before the Crusaders took Acre in 1104, the city had been captured by Egyptians, Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks and Muslims. Its name had been expressed as Acre, Akko, Acco or Accho.
It was King Ptolemy of Egypt who called it Ptolemais, the name mentioned by St Luke (Acts 21:7) when he and St Paul visited it at the end of Paul's third missionary journey around AD 58.
By then a Christian community was already established. Christianity spread rapidly in the city and by AD 190 it had a bishop.
Crusaders made Acre their capital
By the 11th century, Muslim forces were oppressing Palestine's Christians and harassing pilgrims, so the Emperor of Constantinople appealed to Pope Urban II for armies to aid the Christians.
Courtyard of the Hospitaller Quarter in Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
The Pope called for a Crusade from Europe to wrest the Holy Land, in particular the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, from Muslim control.
The Crusaders captured Acre in 1104. They made it their capital and the main link between their Latin kingdom and Europe. They also gave it another name, St Jean d'Acre, in honour of the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem.
In 1187 Acre fell again to Muslims after the Kurdish general Saladin finally ended the Crusader kingdom at the battle of the Horns of Hattin, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
In 1191 Richard the Lionheart of England and Philip Augustus of France took Acre back. The Crusaders held the city until 1291, when Mamluk forces penetrated its massive fortifications.
Acre was almost totally destroyed and lay in ruins for 450 years.
Remains of Crusader city can be seen
Street scene in old Acre (Seetheholyland.net)
Among Acre's bewildering network of narrow streets, today's visitors can see much of the old Crusader city. The extensive remains are sometimes referred to as the "Underground City" because they lie well below street level.
The most important edifice is the great refectory hall of the Knights Hospitallers of St John, a chivalrous order concerned with the health and spiritual welfare of pilgrims. It is a fine example of Crusader architecture.
A pit in the hall gives access to an underground passage (perhaps originally a sewer from well before the time of Christ) which the Crusaders discovered and maintained.
There are also Gothic knights' halls (not all open to the public), each belonging to one of the nations represented in the crusading Order of the Knights Hospitallers: Auvergne, England, France, Germany, Provence and Spain.
St Francis and Marco Polo visited
After the Crusader kingdom collapsed, St Francis of Assisi arrived at Acre in 1219. He had gone to Egypt with the Fifth Crusade and walked into a Muslim camp. His peace-loving nature impressed the sultan, Melek-el-Kamel, who allowed him to visit the holy places, then off limits to Christians. Today many of these sites are maintained by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
Khan al-Umdan (Inn of the Pillars) at Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
The Venetian traveller Marco Polo was a later visitor. He made Acre the staging point for his great journey to the Orient.
In the second half of the 18th century, Acre became ruled by a local Arab sheik and then by a harsh Albanian soldier of fortune, Ahmed Pasha, who became known as "al-Jazzar" (the Butcher). The walls were built at this time and they resisted a 60-day siege by Napoleon in 1799.
The present Acre is largely an 18th-century Turkish town built on the ruins of the old city, and almost surrounded by Jewish suburbs.
Above the Crusader town stands the dominant landmark of Ahmed Pasha's domed mosque, known especially for its beautiful courtyard.
Acre's old city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and many archaeological digs have taken place there.
In Scripture:
Paul arrives at Ptolemais: Acts 21:7
Pilgrims in St John's Crypt at Acre (Seetheholyland.net)
Al-Jazzar Mosque at Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
Old Mediterranean sea wall at Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
Pilgrims entering Crusader ruins at Akko (Seetheholyland.net)
Crusader tunnel at Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
Inside Al-Jazzar Mosque at Acre (© Deror Avi)
Crusader constructions on the sea wall at Acre (Seetheholyland.net)
Part of the Mediterranean sea wall at Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
Inside Al-Jazzar Mosque at Acre (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)
Old sea wall at Acre (Seetheholyland.net)
Pilgrims in one of the Crusader buildings (Seetheholyland.net)
Brownrigg, Ronald: Come, See the Place: A Pilgrim Guide to the Holy Land (Hodder and Stoughton, 1985)
Freeman-Grenville, G. S. P.: The Holy Land: A Pilgrim's Guide to Israel, Jordan and the Sinai (Continuum Publishing, 1996)
Gonen, Rivka: Biblical Holy Places: An illustrated guide (Collier Macmillan, 1987)
Inman, Nick, and McDonald, Ferdie (eds): Jerusalem & the Holy Land (Eyewitness Travel Guide, Dorling Kindersley, 2007).
Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome: The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 (Oxford University Press, 2005)
Wareham, Norman, and Gill, Jill: Every Pilgrim's Guide to the Holy Land (Canterbury Press, 1996)
Acre (Custodia Terrae Sanctae)
Acre (Akko) (BibleWalks)
Acco, Ptolemais, Acre (BiblePlaces)
Akko (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)


The Unionville Arms restaurant (189 Main Street) was the subject of a devastating fire this morning (November 30, 2007). Adjacent buildings were saved. This will likely have an impact on the Unionville streetscape.


They apply the SGVB reparameterization trick to parameters instead of latent variables. Most importantly, they chose a reparametrization such that the noise is independent for each observation. Upper figure (from dpkingma.com) illustrates the parameterization with slow learning due to the noise being correlated with all samples in the mini-batch, while the lower figure shows the independent form. This relates to variational interpretation of dropout, but now the dropout rate can be learned in a more principled manner.
The two mains tricks for estimating stochastic gradient for are the log-derivative trick, and the reparameterization trick (used by the first two papers I introduced above). Reparameterization has much smaller variance, hence leads to faster convergence, however, it can only be used for continuous x and differentiable f. Here authors propose an extension of the log-derivative trick with small variance by (numerically) integrating over 1d over the latent variable that is directly controlled by the corresponding parameter, while holding the Markov blanket constant.


Any website that provides information about Weatherford High can be listed on this page. Use the form to have a site checked to see if it can be included in this list of Weatherford High links.
In what state (abbreviation) is Weatherford High School located?


text:
A modern remake of a literary classic is mostly on the mark.
by Ed Blackadder
Written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson in the 1880s, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has shared its characters, or been shot in its entirety over an astonishing three hundred times. In this true-to-text adaptation by B. Luciano Barsuglia, we're gifted with a movie version that serves the dual purpose of entertaining and educating, something lacking in too many treatments these days.
And while that in itself makes this film worth seeing, it's also the very last film of the much-loved, Oscar-winner Mickey Rooney who passed away at the age of 93. Mr. Rooney shared his scenes with none other than Margaret O'Brien (The Secret Garden), another Oscar-winner from the golden age of cinema.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tells the tale of how friendship and honor lead lawyer Mr. Utterson to seek out the horrific truth about his client, Doctor Henry Jekyll, and the unlikely link to the singularly cruel and twisted Mr. Hyde.
This is clearly an independent production with an independent budget to match, but the cast and crew clearly do the best with they have. Taking on the risks of a period piece on a micro-budget is no easy task, but Barsuglia and his crew keep the reality of an unspecified time period circa 1900.
The film is well acted from the key players and the accents are well-done. A few of the actors, such as Gianni Capaldi (Hyde) are UK natives so the accent fits perfect. Leads David Beatty (Utterson) and Shaun Piccinino (Jekyll) do a nice job of tackling their roles in this drama. Capaldi and supporting actor Jed Rowen (Lanyon) have been honored with multiple acting awards on the festival circuit as well.
The retelling is strongest for those watchers familiar with the Stevenson novella. It is a far cry from the monster movies associated with Jekyll and Hyde, but it is a slow-paced, slow burn crime drama, much truer to form. I would expect this movie will find its place in the classroom where it will serve its primary purpose of serving education.
Where this movie falls short are on the clear shortcomings of working on a micro-budget. However, if you let yourself simply enjoy the movie, these shortcomings are easy to overcome.
Keep in mind, this is a low budget production and it does have flaws, however, if you let yourself succumb, it's pure enjoyement and it truly is an accurate adaptation of the novella.
Ed's Grade: B+
Tags:Indie, Independent, Review, Horror, Trailer, Jed Rowen, Gianni Capaldi, film review, movies, film, David Beatty, B. Luciano Barsuglia, Shaun Paul Piccinino
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'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' (2019) Review: It's Entertainment Over Excellence
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Examine the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and that country's efforts to foster peace, unity, and reconciliation. Travel to northern Uganda to experience everyday life in this post-conflict region, and learn how collective strategies of remembrance are being used to counteract genocide denial.
Study the root causes of the Rwandan genocide and the civil war in northern Uganda.
Visit genocide memorials, museums, a refugee settlement, and commissions working toward reconciliation to examine the social, human, psychological, and economic impacts of genocide; the challenges and opportunities of post-conflict restoration in Rwanda; and the very different post-conflict reconciliation process in northern Uganda.
Learn about economic reconstruction from professionals working in peacebuilding, transitional justice, and development.
Attend lectures by academics and visit NGOs, civil society organizations, and communities affected by conflict.
Intensive classroom instruction in Rwanda's national language is complemented by experiential sessions on shopping, dining out, and Rwandan cooking and music. A basic knowledge of Kinyarwanda is important for understanding Rwandan culture and will help you conduct field research for your Independent Study Project.
Spend time in Murchison Falls National Park.
One of Uganda's primary conservation areas, this is where the Nile cascades through a narrow gorge to become a river populated with hippos and crocodiles, waterbucks, and buffalo. The vegetation is savannah, riverine forest, and woodland. Wildlife includes lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, hartebeests, oribis, Uganda kobs, chimpanzees, and many bird species.
Examine healing programs for genocide survivors in Rwanda and victims of displacement in northern Uganda.
During a two-week excursion to Uganda you will compare the issues related to the Lord's Resistance Army conflict in Northern Uganda to the ones that led to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Visit communities working to reconcile and rebuild, and experience everyday life in this post-conflict region.
Learn the fundamentals of research tools and the ethics of doing research in a post-conflict environment.
None. However, emotional maturity is necessary, as studying genocide and its aftermath may be difficult and upsetting. Knowledge of French is not required but students with a background in the language will have opportunities to use it on the program.
This course examines the histories that precipitated the genocide in Rwanda and the twenty-year conflict in northern Uganda, casting a critical eye upon the political institutions of the modern world and popular reductionist explanations that regard conflicts in Africa as driven simply by ethnic tensions. Students will visit sites of historical and political significance in both Rwanda and Uganda, through which they will begin to explore the complex relations between histories of colonization and decolonization, indigenous traditions, and Rwanda's genocide and Uganda's conflict. Lectures on selected topics are delivered by local Rwandan and Ugandan scholars, and students have structured assignments in homestays and conversations with surviving victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and rescuers. These experiences give students extraordinary insights into the issues covered in the course.
This course provides a comparative approach to post-conflict reconciliation, resettlement, and recovery in Rwanda and Uganda. Both countries are emerging from conflict and present excellent settings in which to examine the various measures, strategies, programs, and projects that have been put in place by Western organizations, national governments, NGOs, and communities to mitigate the impact of conflict and to rebuild, reconstruct, and revive fractured relations and displaced communities. Carefully scheduled visits to NGOs, government agencies, and communities in Rwanda and Uganda are complemented by lectures by Ugandan experts and selected reading assignments. The course concludes with a critical focus on the prospects for sustainable peace in Rwanda and Uganda and in the Great Lakes region of East Africa.
The role of Kinyarwanda language training is to provide students with basic tools needed for entry into Rwandan culture. The language training is organized and carried out by a language coordinator and a staff of teachers experienced in teaching Kinyarwanda to non-native speakers. Language study consists of 45 hours of formal instruction including experiential sessions on shopping, eating out, and Rwandan cooking and music. Language study is reinforced through the homestay experience and through interactive assignments. Language study also focuses on training students in post-genocide cross-cultural communication nuances, which further facilitates their ability to conduct field research or do an internship with a local NGO.
A qualitative research design course designed to provide an overview of methodological field study approaches within the local cultural context, affording students the tools necessary to conduct field research in Rwanda. The course has three main objectives. First, the course introduces students to the tools and methods of field study with a focus on how to do field research with victims of genocide and their descendants or violence perpetrators. In doing so, the course addresses the social and cultural dynamics in post-genocide Rwanda. Classes analyze institutional and cultural strategies used to prevent ethnic conflict and interrogate the role of the field researcher in a post-conflict environment. Second, the course details the ethics of field research and introduces students to the Human Subjects Review process. Third, the seminar also devotes time to psychological orientation before site visits and to the processing of field experiences. Given the emotional weight of the program and the impact it may have on students, the program has weekly sessions to debrief, process, and talk about assigned readings, field visits, or testimonies of survivors of genocide. One function of these sessions is to reorient student focus toward positive examples of bravery, caring, and compassion that studies of genocide often reveal.
Conducted in Rwanda in an approved location appropriate to the project. Sample topic areas: unity, justice, and reconciliation; development and reconstruction; refugees and displaced people in the Great Lakes region; approaches to nation building; transnational conflicts and their impacts on the economic and social developments of a country; language and identity; issues surrounding collective memory and memorials; democracy and freedom of speech in post-genocide environments; indigenous mechanisms of conflict resolution.
Travail d'Intérêt Général, a work camp where convicted genocide perpetrators carry out community work.
During a two-week excursion to northern Uganda, you will hear lectures by Ugandan academics, visit NGOs and civil society organizations, visit a former internally displaced persons camp, and experience everyday life in this post-conflict region.
A Rwandan citizen, Celine joined SIT Study Abroad in 2013. Before that, she worked with the Rwanda Peace Academy, a regional center of excellence in the fields of training and research related to post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding and has participated in various research projects—most related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide and its effects. She counts among her greatest passions working in a multicultural learning environment.
She has worked as a consultant for curriculum design with the National University of Rwanda's Center for Conflict Management. Among her publications is her 2012 book entitled Towards the Understanding of Social Transformation Process – Special Focus on Rwandan Context.
Mercy attended Makerere University and received a BA in social sciences with a concentration in sociology. Her passion in student affairs developed at Makerere University, where she was very involved on campus, including with the residence hall association, and with the local radio station where she hosted a youth program. Mercy's professional experience includes working with orphans and disadvantaged youth. Prior to SIT, she worked with Aegis Rwanda on a summer course for Rwandan youth on violence prevention.
Janvier is a Rwandan national based in Kigali. He received his BS in computer science from Kigali Independent University in 2012 and become an IT professional. During his more than ten-year career in management and administration, he has worked in a variety of different sectors including manufacturing, finance, and online marketing. Prior to joining SIT as the office manager in 2019, Janvier provided IT-related support services to the SIT Kigali office as well as a number of other international organizations in Kigali.
Apollon is a Rwandan and Belgian national and a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Inspired by his personal and professional experiences, Apollon is committed to a historically accurate and sensitive memorialization of Rwanda's recent history. He was instrumental in setting up this SIT program in Rwanda.
Apollon has a background in arts, graphic design, and advertising. As Rwanda country coordinator for Aegis Trust in 2002–2003, Apollon spearheaded the concept, design, and construction of both the Kigali Memorial Centre and the Murambi Genocide Prevention Centre. He later served as Aegis Trust's Rwanda country manager, managing the Kigali Memorial Centre and fundraising for Aegis Trust projects. Prior to this, he worked for University College of London's Development Planning Unit and taught genocide prevention at the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre in the United Kingdom. Apollon is founder of Survivors Funds UK, where he served as trustee and member of the organization's management committee. He also worked as a consultant with the Campaign Against Genocide for the Rwandan Parliament; as a fundraiser with the Austria Development Agency Gacaca documentation project; and as a coordinator with Human Remains Preservation, a joint project between Cranfield University and the Rwandan government.
Denis received a law degree in 2004 from National University of Rwanda. From 2004 to 2012 he worked as a lawyer for the National Service of Gacaca Courts, which deals with cases related to the Rwandan genocide. In 2007, he became the National Service director of training, mobilization, and sensitization. Denis has organized training sessions and seminars on unity and reconciliation in Rwanda and abroad, has attended transitional justice and peacebuilding training, and has spent time studying the US judicial system. He has worked with SIT Study Abroad since 2005 as homestay coordinator for this program and as a lecturer for summer and semester Rwanda programs. He is completing a PhD at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Jean Pierre obtained a BA in management from Free University of Kigali in 2007. He has been teaching SIT students since fall 2009 and also works with a variety of expatriate clients in Kigali. His teaching career began in 1996, when he was trained by a US de-mining group who came to Rwanda to train soldiers. Jean Pierre has been a teacher of Kinyarwanda at the International Language School in Kigali since 2004. He also teaches English to Rwandan university students at the Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali and was a translator for English and Kinyarwanda for Swedish missionaries from 2004 to 2007.
Bosco is an assistant researcher and lecturer at the Center for Conflict Management at the National University of Rwanda, where he lectures on conflict transformation and civic and peace education. He received his MA in peace education from the United Nations Mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. After obtaining his BEd in language teaching, Bosco worked for two years as a teacher of English and head of teaching staff. In 2006, he joined the National University of Rwanda as a tutorial assistant in the School of Foundation Language Schools, where he was in charge of teaching English to students ready to commence their university courses.
Frank is an expert on adult education and rural development. He received his PhD in adult education and rural development from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976; an MA in African studies from the University of Sussex, England, in 1968; and a BA in history and political science from the University of East Africa, then Makerere University College, in 1967. His teaching experience includes part-time lecturer at Kyambogo University, teaching associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, head of the Correspondence and Mass Media Department at Makerere University, and resident tutor at Makerere University.
A Rwandan national, Paul holds a PhD in history from Fribourg University in Switzerland. He lectures at the National University of Rwanda and is director of the university's Center for Conflict Management. His focus areas are religion and society as well as conflict transformation and genocide studies. He has published extensively on Rwandan history and has participated in many crucial research projects on topics related to the post-genocide reconstruction of Rwanda.
Bernard obtained a BA and an MA degree from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, between 1976 and 1980. He is completing his PhD at University College of Dublin. He taught for 10 years at Dar es salaam Teachers College before directing a Namibian and South African refugee scholarship program in Tanzania for five years. Bernard has been teaching contemporary Rwandan history at the National University of Rwanda since 1995. He has published on reconciliation and ethnicity in Rwanda. He has also served as a gacaca judge (the traditional jurisdiction system that has been trying genocide related crimes committed in Rwanda between 1990 and 1994). In 2000, he was a Fulbright scholar at Boston College in Massachusetts.
Living for six weeks with a host family in Kigali will help you become immersed in local social and cultural dynamics and give you an inside perspective of life in post-genocide Rwanda. Students often observe and learn from Rwandans' processes of remembering and forgetting, their strategies of overcoming genocide ideology, and their work towards unity and reconciliation. The homestay is also an important setting to improve Kinyarwanda language skills.
Host families are usually middle class and live throughout Kigali. Host parents work in a variety of professions, including as small business owners, government employees, accountants, lawyers, and doctors. Rwandan families often include many children and other relatives. Some families live in large, single and self-contained houses with a fenced garden, while others have smaller homes with outdoor bathrooms and cooking facilities. Soccer and church are important to many Rwandan families. You will typically take public transportation to class, which provides you with a good sense of direction and orientation within the city as well as better insight into the local culture.
Kigali is a medium-sized, modern city that shows clear signs of a successful recovery from the devastating impact of the 1994 genocide. However, parts of the city also reflect the poor living conditions many Rwandans still endure. Kigali stretches across many hills that provide breathtaking views of the city and the surrounding valleys. The city is home to commissions, organizations, and government bodies, as well as a major genocide memorial and information center.
My SIT experience provided me with the foundation to continue expanding my work in forced migration and refugee affairs, and I feel very honored to continue my research as a Fulbright U.S. Student fellow in Uganda.
Your Independent Study Project (ISP) gives you an opportunity to explore in depth a topic, community, or situation related to post-conflict transformation that particularly interests you. The ISP is conducted in consultation with the program's academic director, lecturers, and practitioners. During the research and writing of your project, you may also receive guidance from researchers and experts at the National University of Rwanda, the Commission for Unity and Reconciliation, the Center for Conflict Management, or other institutions related to genocide studies.
Alum presents research at 2016 Human Development Conference at Notre Dame.
peace and human rights activists in their schools, communities, and organizations.
researchers in the fields of peace, justice, and development.
fields related to peace and conflict, conducting further studies at master's and PhD levels.
All accommodations during the entire program period. This includes during orientation, time in the program base (Kigali), on all excursions, during the Independent Study Project, and during the final evaluation period. Accommodation is covered either by SIT Study Abroad directly, through a stipend provided to each student, or through the homestay.