Staff

• Academic
  • Dr Joy Alexander
  • Dr Joe Allen
  • Dr Andy Biggart
  • Prof Paul Connolly
  • Dr Pamela Cowan
  • Prof Karola Dillenburger
  • Dr Caitlin Donnelly
  • Prof Jannette Elwood
  • Ms Lesley Emerson
  • Prof Tony Gallagher
  • Prof Joanne Hughes
  • Dr Ruth Jarman
  • Prof Ruth Leitch
  • Dr Caroline Linse
  • Dr Tim London
  • Prof Laura Lundy
  • Dr Tess Maginess
  • Dr Billy McClune
  • Dr Claire McGlynn
  • Dr Eugene McKendry
  • Mr Cathal McManus
  • Ms Jean McMinn
  • Dr Sarah Miller
  • Dr Hugh Morrison
  • Mr Jim Mullan
  • Dr Colette Murphy
  • Dr Ulrike Niens
  • Ms Elda Nikolou-Walker
  • Dr Aisling O'Boyle
  • Dr Ron Smith
  • Dr Paddy Walsh
• Administrative and Technical
• Research
• Key Contacts
• Staff Intranet
• Tutor Intranet

Lecturer

Room 21
6 College Green
School of Education
Queen's University Belfast

Tel: 028 9097 5904
Fax: 028 9023 9263
Email: u.niens@qub.ac.uk

Leadership Roles

• Chair of the School of Education’s Research Ethics Committee
• Joint Coordinator for MSc Diversity and Inclusion (with Claire McGlynn)
• Editorial board member for:
• Compare
• Peace & Conflict: The Journal of Peace Psychology

Teaching/Co-ordination

• Masters module: ‘Understanding inclusion’
• Doctoral  modules
• ‘Researching children and young people’
• ‘Philosophical and ethical issues in research’ (with Andy Biggart)
• Masters, EdD and PhD dissertation supervision

Research/Scholarship:

Peace education, reconciliation, identity and democracy

Selected Research Projects:

• Promoting reconciliation through a shared curriculum experience, Western Education and Library Board 2011-2013 (£97,763). Principal investigator, with P. Connolly
• Opting out of religious education: the views of young people from minority belief backgrounds, AHRC/ESRC 2009-2010 (£82,000). Co-investigator, with A. Mawhinney & N. Richardson
• Monitoring and evaluating the delivery and impact of the global dimension through the Northern Ireland curriculum, Department for International Development 2008-2010 (£45,000). Principal investigator, with J. Reilly
• Evaluation of Local and Global Citizenship Education in N. Ireland, Council for Curriculum Examinations & Assessment 2003-2007 (£153,527). Grant held in UNESCO Centre, School of Education, University of Ulster. Co-investigator, with A. Smith and U. O’Connor
• Understandings of citizenship education: Stakeholders in Ireland North and South, European Year of Citizenship Education 2005 (€ 5,000). Grant held in UNESCO Centre, School of Education, University of Ulster.  Principal investigator, with L. Heffernan from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
• Review of human rights education and training in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission 2004 (£9,800). Grant held in UNESCO Centre, School of Education, University of Ulster. Principal investigator with J. Reilly
• Evaluation of the Bill of Rights in Schools Project, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission & Department of Education Equality Unit 2003-2004 (£8,2000). Grant held in UNESCO Centre, School of Education, University of Ulster. Co-investigator with A. Smith & J. Reilly
• Women’s political participation in Northern Ireland, Downtown Women’s Group/Women into Politics 2003 (£9,000). Grant held in UNESCO Centre, School of Education, University of Ulster. Co-investigator with J. Reilly

Selected publications:

• Mawhinney A. & Niens U., Richardson N., Chiba Y. (2011) Religion, Human Rights Law, and ‘Opting Out’ of Religious Education. In L. Woodhead & R. Catto (eds.) Religious Change in Britain. London: Routledge (forthcoming)
• Mawhinney, A., Niens, U., Richardson, N. & Chiba, Y. (2011) Religious Education and Religious Liberty: Opt-Outs and Young People’s Sense of Belonging. In M. Hunter-Henin (ed.), Law, Religious Freedoms and Education in Europe. Aldershot: Ashgate (forthcoming)
• Niens, U. & McIlrath, L. (2010) Understandings of citizenship education in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 5(1), 73-87.
• Niens, U. & Chastenay, M.H. (2008) Educating for peace? Citizenship education in Quebec and Northern Ireland. Comparative Education Review, 52(4), 519-540.
• Niens, U. & Cairns, E. (2008) Integrated education in Northern Ireland: A review. In D. Berliner & H. Kupermintz (Eds.), Fostering Change in Institutions, Environments, and People: A Festschrift in Honor of Gavriel Salomon (pp. 193-210). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Niens, U. (2008) Toward the development of a theoretical framework for peace education using the contact hypothesis and multiculturalism. In C. McGlynn, M. Zembylas, Z. Bekerman & T. Gallagher (eds), Peace education in conflict and post-conflict societies: comparative perspectives (pp. 145-160). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Niens, U., Reilly, J.& McLaughlin, R. (2006)  The need for Human Rights Education in Northern Ireland: A pupil survey.  Peace & Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 12(3), 251-268.
• Niens, U., Reilly, J. & Smith, A. (2006) Human Rights Education as Part of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. Journal of Social Science Education, 1, available online: http://www.jsse.org/2006-1/index.html
• Hewstone, M., Cairns, E., Voci, A., Hamberger, J., & Niens, U. (2006) Intergroup contact, forgiveness, and experience of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. Journal of Social Issues, 62(1), 999-120.
• Niens, U. & Cairns, E. (2005) Lessons learnt: Peace Education. Theory Into Practice, 44(4), 337-344.