The second Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) Summer School at Belmont University, Nashville, commenced on 3 June. Thirty four students are studying a range of topics such as: Urban design and planning, race, politics, civil rights, immigration, social justice, the US health care system, data thinking mindset and storytelling – all themed and focused towards encouraging our students on a reflective and reflexive journey entitled ‘What’s Your Why?’. 

The students are all from Schools in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at QUB and include a considerable number of School of SSESW students. The Belmont Summer School runs until 21 June and involves students living and studying on the Belmont campus, and exploring the history of Nashville and the social and economic challenges that persist in the city. 

Professor Joe Duffy, Academic Lead for the partnership between Queen’s University Belfast and Belmont University Nashville, also took part in the summer school. He presented to students on ‘Civil Rights and Peacebuilding’ as a forerunner to the symposium he is leading on this theme in February 2025 alongside colleagues from Queen’s, Belmont and Fisk University. Importantly, this symposium will focus on the 60th year since the passing of the Civil Rights Act [1964] and the Voting Rights Act [1965] in the USA and will also reflect on marking 25+ years of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.  

During his visit to Nashville, Joe met all the Belmont staff involved in the Queen’s/Belmont partnership. He also met with Belmont President, Dr Greg Jones. It was a very positive meeting, with Dr Jones expressing a clear and encouraging endorsement of the value of the Queen’s/Belmont partnership, which is approaching 10 years since its first inception. Building on the research strand of this key partnership is an agreed focus going forward.