Building Zion Beyond Borders: Women, Faith, and Community in Western Canada

Western Canada provides a distinctive setting for studying the ways gender, culture, religion, colonialism, and civic life shape people’s experiences of belonging. Through GWS 222, Introduction to Global Women’s Studies, and IAS 397R, Fostering Belonging, students will examine the contributions of women to Canadian politics, social reform, religion, the arts, environmental stewardship, and community building. Particular attention will be given to Indigenous women’s resilience and leadership, and contemporary efforts toward truth, reconciliation, and decolonization, and the experiences of early LDS women settlers. By learning in the places where these histories unfolded and from people whose communities continue to be shaped by them, students will explore how Christlike compassion, civic leadership, peacemaking, and covenant belonging can help create communities in which all people are valued.

The study abroad will begin in Calgary, Alberta, with travel through Banff, Lake Louise, Waterton, and surrounding communities before continuing to British Columbia and Vancouver Island, and ending in the city of Vancouver. Experiences will include visits to sites connected to the Famous Five and women’s political leadership, museums and historic locations examining pioneer life and social reform, and cultural and natural landscapes of multiple Canadian national parks. Program activities may include Indigenous-led cultural learning, Heritage Park, the Royal BC Museum, First Peoples cultural centers, and sites connected to Indigenous stewardship and reconciliation. Throughout the program, students will experience Canada’s remarkable history, cultures, cities, and natural landscapes while considering how women and marginalized communities have contributed to building more peaceful, inclusive, and equitable societies.

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