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College of Letters and Science Peace Studies Minor

Minor

Peace Studies is a response to the serious problems facing humanity, including war, violence, and oppression. Problems such as these reach well beyond any single academic discipline, and require a sharing of research and analysis across the spectrum of knowledge.

At its core, Peace Studies asks: How do we build and sustain peaceful and just societies? Peace Studies is an opportunity to devote part of your college career to the problems of war, violence, and oppression. More importantly, it is a place to explore what we can do about them. What are our responses to a world hungering for peace and justice? What can we do for the victims of poverty, war, and oppression?

What can I do with a Peace Studies Minor?

Peace Studies now encompasses the study of nonviolence, social justice, and the root causes of war as well as conflict mediation and transformation, transitional justice, and post-conflict development. “Practitioners” can be found working to limit violence in families and impoverished neighborhoods, helping reconstruct civil society in war-torn regions, and building sustainable communities in the U.S. and overseas. They work for positive social change through non-profit organizations, government agencies, and business firms in jobs such as project coordinators, media specialists, lobbyists, grant writers, counselors, area specialists, and lawyers.

A variety of excellent graduate programs are available. For more information on careers and graduate studies, visit the links at www.peacejusticestudies.org.

A minor in Peace Studies consists of, 18 credits:

  1. An Introduction to Peace Studies (PAX 200, 3 credits)
  2. 12 credits in an area of concentration, chosen from the following: Conflict Studies, Global Development, Social Justice and Human Rights
  3. A senior seminar or individually planned thesis project (PAX 490 or 491, 3 credits)

    For more information, visit the Peace Studies page in the UWSP Course Catalog or contact the program coordinator, Jennifer Collins at jennifer.collins@uwsp.edu