Peace Studies - minor
The faculty of Westminster College officially established a Peace Studies Program in the Spring of 1995.  Implementation of the new program began with the academic year 1996-97.  The Peace Studies Program complements Westminster’s new curriculum for the twenty-first century which stresses interdisciplinary study.

Peace studies engages faculty and students in an enduring human question:  what are the causes of conflict and the means for resolving and preventing conflict?  Addressing this fundamental question requires the study not only of political and social forces and realities but also of the very nature of being human.  In addition, uncertainties about the nature of world security in the post-Cold War era make the present an especially opportune time for peace studies.

American students see the high level of violence and conflict in the world, but are not adequately equipped to understand the problems or to respond to them in a positive fashion.  In their first course, Introduction to Peace Studies, students will become engaged in the enduring human questions at the core of the program.  And the many local, national, and international problems investigated through the other courses in the program will challenge them to address difficult ethical and societal concerns, the grounds for their decisions, and the complex nature of the problems in question.  Through service projects at the local, national, or international levels, students will translate their competencies into action.  In the seminar in Conflict Resolution they will have a chance to practice “real world” conflict resolution. After graduation, students from a variety of majors will be able to draw upon their training as they respond to a diverse, global environment.

What kind of students, for example, will find peace studies courses of practical value in their pursuit of a meaningful career?

 ...The pre-law student having a special interest in international law.

...The environmental science major who wants to affect legislative changes to protect and restore the environmental and needs to understand the competing value system.

...The elementary education major who is committed to teaching at an inner-city school who wants to learn more about minorities in American culture and how to be sensitive to cultural differences in the classroom.

...The psychology, sociology, or business major who needs to develop shills for conflict resolution in public schools, or in institutional or corporate settings where diversity leads to misunderstanding and conflict.

OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS IN THE PEACE STUDIES PROGRAM:
Students may elect either a minor or a concentration in peace studies to enhance their major.  A minor will include two specific courses: 1) Introduction to Peace Studies and 2) a seminar in Conflict Resolution; as well as four electives (designated as peace studies courses) from regular courses in many departments.  At least 8 semester hours must be outside the major.  A concentration is similar to a minor except that only two electives are required.

Class requirements for the peace studies minor, concentration, and tracks include:
To fulfill the minor or concentration each student must take PAX 101:  Introduction to Peace Studies, and PAX 301: Seminar in Conflict Resolution.  The other courses required for the minor or major should be taken from the following list of designated cou8rse offered by other departments (see the appropriate program for a course description):  ES 260, HIS 125, HIS 152, HIS 223, HIS 231, PS 241, PSY 321, PSY 331, REL 152, REL 264, REL 265, SOC 104, SOC 105, SOC 109.

Other courses may be taken for peace studies credit with the approval of the coordinator of the program.  Coordinators, Andrea Grove and Eugene Sharkey.