Minor in Peace and Justice Studies (PJS)

OVERVIEW

Peace Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study and learning process designed to develop the capacity of global citizens to critically understand and transform all forms of violence and the patterns of thought that justify and support them in order to contribute to the creation of a more just and peaceful world through processes of peace building. Peace building is based upon transformative change processes that address the underlying root causes of violence and conflict. Violence is the core problematic that the field addresses, and it is broadly defined in terms of the conceptions of direct violence, structural violence, and cultural violence. Global goals of peace building can be, for example, conflict resolution in war zones, improving mothers’ health, decreasing illiteracy, providing education for all, safeguarding sustainability, and celebrating diversity. This understanding provides a powerful complementary perspective to any major field of study.

Peace studies scholarship supports students in the development of fundamental knowledge and awareness of:

the philosophical and psychological underpinnings of peace, violence, conflict, and cooperation;
histories and evolutions of peace, war, and peace movements;
varying forms of violence and how they are sustained, maintained, deconstructed and transformed;
the systemic and pervasive dynamics of the crosscutting issues of militarism and patriarchy;
systems awareness, holism & interdependence;
intra/intergroup dynamics and power dynamics; and structures of oppression and systems and theories of justice; and
diversity as a multi-faceted issue of democracy and peace building

The practical dimension of peace studies prepares students in:

methods of envisioning alternative futures;
practices of designing alternative institutions;
development of educational interventions and materials;
dynamic and democratic political processes essential for engaging with differences and working toward common goals and purposes;
experiences in practices of change and transformation (including conflict transformation, restorative justice, peace pedagogies, political processes of dialogue and deliberation);
use of and collaboration with news media and other organizations;
and personal and social modes of moral / ethical reflection.

Peace studies also prepares students to address critical issues of the 21st century, requiring students to develop knowledge and awareness and develop new practices and skills to address:

the economics of peace and theories of sustainable development;
ethnicity, age, religion, gender, and sexual orientation as cross-cutting issues;
environmental justice and sustainability – climate change as a threat to all life;
race and class in the 21st century: revisiting moral exclusion and inclusion; terrorism, the international system and transnational justice;
and transformative pedagogies for personal, social, cultural and political change and transformation.

The 18-credit minor includes:

4 core courses (12 credits)
2 elective courses (6 credits)

Core Courses

PJS 1000 Introduction to Peace Studies: From Paradigms of Violence to Paradigms for Peace
This survey course provides an overview to fundamental peace knowledge: theories of peace, ethics, violence, conflict and change in the context of historical and 21st century issues and events.

PJS 2000 Nonviolence and Conflict Transformation: Theory and Practice
This course provides an overview of theories and principles of nonviolence, ethics of conflict, and conflict transformation; it engages students in the application of practical methods and skills of peace building through the lenses of these theories and principles.

PJS 2500 Peace Education: Facilitating Learning for Change in Schools and Beyond
The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic concepts, theories, and approaches to peace education. The course explores the theories of peace education, including pedagogical approaches to peace learning for formal, informal, and non-formal learning settings. The course also introduces the substantive areas of peace education.

PJS 3000 Peace Lab: 21st Century Issues and Practices in Peace & Justice
Peace Lab is an experiential, issue-focused laboratory that introduces students to practical skills of research, design and project implementation for applied peacebuilding in a variety of settings.

Elective Courses

Two elective courses will be selected from those designated in the list below. Other courses can be taken as well with the approval of the Peace Studies Program Coordinator.

Art

ARTH XXXX Arts Diplomacy (XXXX denotes in the approval process)
ARTH 2700 Women Artists in History
ARTH 3750 Art and Disease
ARTH XXXX Reflective Looking
ARTH XXXX Visual Construction of Gender
ARTH XXXX The Art of Progress
ARTH 3750 Art and Disease
ARTH 4000 NM Imaging: Social Documentary Photography

Communications

COMM 2000 Mass Communication And Society
COMM 2050 Media and Society
COMM 2870 Communication Theory
COMM 2890 - Crisis & Conflict in Organizations
COMM 3180 - Mass Communication Law
COMM 3500 - Social Media II
COMM 3820 - Persuasion Theory
COMM 4090 - Mass Communication Ethics
COMM 4250 - Mass Communication History
COMM 4830 - Gender, Culture & Communication

Disability Studies

DST 2020 Introduction to Disability Studies
DST 3030 Disability Culture
DST 4400 Gender and Disability
DST 4XXX Disability in American Literature (at the end of the approval process)
DST 4640 Disability, Law, and Human Rights
DST 4980 Special Topics in DST

Economics

ECON 1010 Introduction to Economic Issues
ECON 1150 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 1200 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 2400 The American Economy in the Twentieth Century
ECON 3410 World Economic History
ECON 3240 Environmental Economics
ECON 3270 Economics of Natural Resources

Environmental Studies

EEES 1010 Physical Geology
EEES 1020 Introductory Geology Lab
EEES 1150 Marine Biology
EEES 1170 Microbes and Society
EEES 2010 Intro Environ Studies
EEES 2200 Climate Change
EEES 2150 Biodiversity
EEES 2400 Oceanography and Water Resources
EEES 3050 General EcologyEEES 4750 Conservation Biology

Legal Specialties

LGL 1010 Introduction to Law
LGL 1160 Legal Research and Writing
LGL 2020 Civil Procedure
LGL 4030 Contract Law
LGL 4330 Mediation: Topics and Techniques

Philosophy

PHIL 1020 - Critical Thinking
PHIL 2190 - Life, Nature, Technology
PHIL 2400 - Contemporary Moral Problems
PHIL 3180 - Environmental Ethics
PHIL 3540 - Feminism And Philosophy
PHIL 3710 - Philosophy Of Law
PHIL 3750 - Social And Political Philosophy
PHIL 4400 - Ethics SeminarPHIL 4750 - Political Philosophy Seminar

Religious Studies

REL 1220 - World Religions
REL 2000 - Introduction To Religion
REL 2300 - Understanding The Monotheistic Religions
REL 3100 – Islam
REL 3420 - Christian Ethical Perspectives
REL 3500 - Eastern Thought
REL 3570 - Philosophy Of Religion
REL 3580 - Contemporary Issues In Islam
REL 3980 - Special Topics In Religious Studies
REL 3900 - Seminar-Contemporary Religious Thought

Sociology/Anthropology

SOC 2640 Race, Class, and Gender
SOC 3640 Social Inequality
SOC 4040 Classical Theory
SOC 4100 Community Organizing and Development
SOC 4170 Law and Society
ANTH 3330 Food, Health, and Society
ANTH 4450 Exploring the City
ANTH 4760 Culture and Health Care

Women and Gender Studies

WGST 2010 Introduction To Gender Studies: Gender, Sex And Difference
WGST 2400 Women's Roles: A Global Perspective
WGST 3010 Issues in Women’s Studies
WGST 3200 Issues In Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual And Gay Communities
WGST 3400 Feminist Approaches To Social Problems
WGST 3550 Feminism And Philosophy
WGST3750 Women And Literature
WGST 3800 Sexual Politics
WGST 4610 Feminist Political Theory
WGST 4870 Feminisms
WGST4880 Queer Theory

Education

EDP 3200 Applied Psychology for Teachers
EDP 3210 Child Development for Early Childhood
EDP 3290 Lifespan Development
EDP 4220 Adolescent Behavior and Development
RESM 4100 Educational Statistics
SPED 2040 Perspectives in the Field of Exceptionalities
TSOC 3000 Schooling and Democratic Society
TSOC 3540 Education and the Construction of Societies

Business

MGMT 3630 Conflict Management: Mediation and Negotiations

Other

COCA2000 Mindfulness & Creativity

Peace Education and Peace Studies