Peace Studies, BA

Director: Louise Cainkar, Ph.D.

Reflecting the reality that issues of peace and justice permeate our lives, Peace Studies is one of the fastest growing academic fields. As a peace studies major or minor you can choose from classes in many disciplines (including anthropology, biology, education, health, history, management, nursing, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, theology, and other fields) to first understand the causes of conflict and inequality; second, develop ways to nonviolently resolve and prevent conflict and to reduce human and material inequities; and third, build sustainable and just systems and societies. Through course work you analyze conflicts and inequities varying in scope from international to local through lenses of peacemaking, conflict resolution, reconciliation, community-building, restorative justice, human rights and sustainability.

Peace studies emphasizes valuable skills such as strategic thinking, conflict resolution, restorative practices, creative problem solving, negotiation, persuasion, critical analysis and effective communication. These skills and experiences are attractive to a wide variety of employers including peace and justice organizations, nonprofit and social service organizations, law (e.g., human rights, immigration), nursing, public health, journalism, management, education, counseling and more.