Peace and Conflict Studies Minor
The interdisciplinary minor in Peace and Conflict Studies consists of six courses and a capstone project. The curricular model incorporates three types of courses: required courses, elective courses in a variety of disciplines, and a capstone seminar research project. In order to provide students with adequate conceptual tools and conciliation skills, the program of study is multi-disciplinary in both method and instruction. The introductory courses orient students to basic concepts and approaches in peace and conflict studies. The elective courses, selected from several disciplines, enable students to shape a personal program of emphasis that taps the analytic and practical resources of various academic fields. The capstone project requires students to synthesize concepts and knowledge from several disciplines in order to address a research problem of practical or theoretical interest.
The requirements for the Peace and Conflict Studies minor are:
Required introductory courses: Peace and Conflict Studies 165 and Religious Studies 264.
Elective courses: (3 courses) from the following: Business Administration 251; Communications 251, 252; Economics 311, 312; English 251; History 212; Occupational Therapy H302; Peace and Conflict Studies 460; Political Science 245; Psychology 235; Religious Studies 245, 261, 269, 283, 344; Sociology 204, 301; or Social Work 160. No more than two elective courses shall be chosen from any one Department and at least two of the elective courses must be taken outside
the student’s major department.
Capstone: A required capstone project designed to integrate previous work and culminate in a major research paper: Peace and Conflict Studies 465.
160 Conflict Resolution Practicum
Variable credit. Basic skills required for nonadversarial conflict resolution are provided with significant devotion to exercises and simulated conflict solutions that teach the practice of alternative dispute resolution. Two principal paradigms of conflict resolution: mediation and conferencing receive specific attention.
165 HUM Peace, War, and Nonviolence
4.00 credits. (Humanities Core Course) This survey introduces key concepts and issues in the study of peace and war. The course explores substantive meanings of peace and war, the reasons for war, and the attempts to build both negative and positive peace. The course grants sustained attention to the pacifist tradition and historical tactics of nonviolent resistance.
465 Directed Research Project in Peace and Conflict Studies
4.00 credits. This course is a capstone seminar designed to integrate previous course work and produce a major research project. *Prerequisites: all other requirements for the Peace and Conflict Studies minor.
470 Peace and Conflict Studies Internship
Variable credit. Internships with advocacy groups, government agencies, research institutes, and other not-for-profit organizations in the fields of nonviolence, social justice, human rights, disarmament, environmental protection and Third World development are encouraged. Up to six hours of academic credit may be earned for the internship. *Prerequisites: PCS 160 and 165. Register by Instructor.
For further information, contact Dr. R. William Ayres, Peace and Conflict Studies Minor Program Advisor.
