This is an archived copy of the 2014-2015 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu.

Peace Studies Minor

There are more than 160 higher learning institutions offering Peace Studies programs in the United States and more than 500 colleges around the world. The United States government gave official recognition to the field of Peace Studies in 1984 when it established the U.S. Institute of Peace. In 1987, the Peace Studies Association, a professional academic body, was established. In addition, the field is represented by the Consortium on Peace Research, Education, and Development (COPRED). There are at least six scholarly journals devoted to Peace Studies.

Peace Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study housed primarily in the social sciences. Other labels for Peace Studies include “peace and conflict studies,” “peace and justice studies” and “conflict analysis and resolution." Peace Studies explores the causes and nature of human conflict from the interpersonal to the global level. Historically, Peace Studies programs concentrated on “negative peace” or absence of war. Today, more attention is devoted to the concept of “positive peace” promoting social, political, and economic justice. A partial list of topics under Peace Studies includes violence, war, ethnic conflict, conflict management, conflict resolution, peacemaking, law, human rights, values, justice, environment, racism, sexism, and nonviolence. Normatively, the goal of Peace Studies is to promote a more just and peaceful world.

The Peace Studies minor selects courses related to this topic from a variety of departments and programs including Anthropology, Biology, East Asian Studies, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, International Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, and Women’s and Gender Studies.

The Peace Studies minor allows students to group a number of courses to advance their interest in conflict, violence, justice, and peace. A Peace Studies concentration will enrich students’ understanding of their respective majors and prove useful to careers or graduate studies in a variety of fields, including journalism, education, media, politics, public policy, law, business, domestic and international organizations, and international relations.

The Peace Studies minor will consist of five courses, none of which can be double counted in the student’s major and with no more than three of those five courses being in the same department.

Select two of the following:2
The Philosophy of Peace and Nonviolence
War
Peace Studies
Select three of the following: 13
Animal Behavior
Modern Africa
Animal Behavior
East Asian Politics
China Since 1800
International Relations in East Asia
Modern Japanese History
Chinese Politics
U. S.-China Relations
African Economic Development
Unemployment and Poverty
Intermediate Political Economy
Seminar in Economic Topics
African-American Literature
Gender and Sexuality in America
Green Utopias
Environmental Injustice
Environmental Law
Human Impact on Environment
Economic Geography
Urban Condition
Political Geography
Third World Development
American Civil War and Reconstruction
Twentieth-century African-American History: Eyes on the Prize
Contemporary Europe, 1890-1995
Europe Imperialism and Colonialism
African History II
U.S. History since 1865
Chinese Politics
East Asian Politics
International Law
East Asian International Relations
International Relations of Migration
Latin America: An Introduction
Colonial Latin America
International Politics
Comparative Politics
Third World Politics
Latin American Politics
Russian Politics
Government and Politics of the Middle East
Chinese Politics
East Asian Politics
Women and Politics
American Foreign Policy
U.S. National Security Policy
Global Governance
East Asian International Relations
The International Relations of Latin America in the 21st Century
United States and the Middle East
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
U.S.-China Relations
Social Psychology
Black Psychology
Animal Behavior
Advanced Abnormal Psychology
Conflict and Peace in Northern Ireland
Islam
Hinduism
Environmental Ethics
Issues of Religion and Culture
Religions of China
Religions of Japan
Religion and Constitutional Law
Religion and American Politics
Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives
Criminology
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
Violence and Society
How Holocausts Happen
Remember the Holocaust
Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
Women and Politics
1

Students can propose to include another relevant course by consulting with and obtaining approval from the coordinator of the minor. Students also can manage to have an internship or field work related to the minor count for credit. 

Faculty

Coordinators: Tansa G. Massoud