Peace and Conflict Studies Minor

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The interdisciplinary minor in Peace and Conflict Studies consists of five 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 multidisciplinary 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.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

Reason, analyze and engage in critical thinking about the roots of conflict and the responses to conflict.
Understand diverse worldviews and perspectives as they influence major approaches to war, conflict, and peacebuilding.
Identify and cultivate a sense of purpose by practicing skills in conflict transformation.

For further information, contact the Peace and Conflict Studies Minor Advisor, Dr. Michael Long, Department of Religious Studies.

The requirements for the Peace and Conflict Studies minor are:

Required introductory courses:

Three approved elective courses from the following:

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:

PCS 465 - Directed Research Project in Peace and Conflict Studies