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 & 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: one core course and four electives. No more than two courses may be taken in the same department/program.
| Select one of the following core courses: 1 | 1 | |
| International Law | ||
| War | ||
| Peace Studies: Conflict Resolution | ||
| Violence and Society | ||
| Select four of the following electives: 1 | 4 | |
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| East Asian Politics | ||
| China Since 1800 | ||
| International Relations in East Asia | ||
| Modern Japanese History | ||
| Chinese Politics | ||
| U.S.-China Relations | ||
| Intermediate Political Economy | ||
| African Economic Development | ||
| Gender, Race and Poverty | ||
| Introduction to African American Literature | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in America | ||
| Green Utopias | ||
| Environmental Injustice | ||
| Human Impact on Environment | ||
| Economic Geography | ||
| Urban Condition | ||
| Political Geography | ||
| American Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| Contemporary Europe, 1890-1995 | ||
| Europe Imperialism and Colonialism | ||
| Making Contemporary Africa: 'Early Modern' to the 'Post-Modern' World - 1400 to the Present | ||
| U.S. History since 1865 | ||
| Chinese Politics | ||
| East Asian Politics | ||
| East Asian International Relations | ||
| Latin America: An Introduction | ||
| Contemporary Ethical Theory | ||
| Philosophy and Race | ||
| Philosophy of Revolution | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Politics | ||
| Politics of the Developing World | ||
| Latin American Politics | ||
| Government and Politics of the Middle East | ||
| Chinese Politics | ||
| East Asian Politics | ||
| Women and Politics | ||
| Philosophy of Race | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| U.S. National Security Policy | ||
| Global Governance | ||
| East Asian International Relations | ||
| The International Relations of Latin America in the 21st Century | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy and the Middle East | ||
| The Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| U.S.-China Relations | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Black Psychology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Trauma Psychology | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Islam | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| Holocaust: Event and Reception | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Issues of Religion and Culture | ||
| Religion and Constitutional Law | ||
| Religion and American Politics | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Sociology of Race and Ethnicity | ||
| How Holocausts Happen | ||
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Women and Politics | ||
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Students may propose to include another relevant course to count for the core or elective by consulting with and obtaining approval from the coordinator of the minor. Students also may manage to have an internship or fieldwork related to the minor count for credit.
Faculty
Coordinator: Clare Sammells