Description: Offered by the Humanities & Western Civilization Program, Peace & Conflict Studies is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to the study of human conflict. It examines the origins and nature of conflict within and among societies and the various ways in which humans address conflict. Through academic coursework and the possibility of practical experience, Peace & Conflict Studies offers students a concentrated program of study of one of the most central and urgent human issues: the causes and consequences of human conflict and the achievements and possibilities of building peaceful and equitable forms of social existence. An undergraduate minor in Peace & Conflict Studies was inaugurated in the spring semester of 2003.
The Graduate Certificate program in Peace & Conflict Studies is designed to provide students with a focused program of study in the subject area and certification of the completion of the program on the graduate transcript. Enrollment in the program will be open to students admitted to a regular KU graduate program or to non-degreeseeking graduate status. A Graduate Certificate in Peace & Conflict Studies should be of interest and value to students across a broad range of humanistic and socialscientific disciplines, especially in such fields as the international area studies programs, History, International Studies, Political Science, and Religious Studies. The certificate will enhance the credentials of students seeking careers in government service both civil and military, nongovernmental organizations, international business, law, and teaching. The present proposal is a response to expressions of interest on the part of several KU graduate students who heard about the minor the first semester it was offered and inquired about whether they could pursue a graduate certificate in the same area.
Requirements: 12 hours of graduate coursework including:
HWC 801 Peace & Conflict Studies: Texts and Methods (3 hours)
An interdisciplinary study of the historic literature on human conflict and
peacemaking and the methods used to analyze and interpret the literature. Peace
literature encompasses a range of genres that include religious teachings, philosophical
essays, political proposals, treaties and conventions, fiction, poetry, and drama.
Approaches to solutions to human conflict cover a spectrum including rejection of
all violence, active nonviolent strategies, balance of power requiring force, social
and political revolution, diplomacy and treaties, international law and organizations,
and world government. Students produce a substantial graduate-level research
project. Required for the Graduate Certificate, and to be taken as early as possible
in the student’s program of study. Open only to graduate students.
HWC 850 Research Seminar (3 hours)
The capstone of the Graduate Certificate program, providing a substantial and indepth study of a particular topic in Peace & Conflict Studies, to be chosen by the instructor. The members of the seminar have the option of doing a research project or supervised practicum resulting in a substantial paper that integrates their work in the program. Required for the Graduate Certificate, and open only to graduate students. Prerequisite: at least six hours of coursework toward the Graduate Certificate including HWC 801.
Elective Courses
The following list consists of currently approved courses. Courses included for elective credit are reviewed by the Coordinating Committee and updated each year. The Program Coordinator annually requests information (including syllabi) about new courses that faculty are proposing for inclusion in the Peace & Conflict Studies program. The Coordinating Committee reviews and accepts or rejects the Coordinator’s proposals for including new courses.
ENGL 790 Northern Ireland (same as POLS 669 & EURS 511)
EURS 505 Studies in Exile Literature (3)
HIST 599 The Rise and Fall of Apartheid
HIST 705 Globalization in History (3)
HIST 952 Seminar: Ideology, Violence, & Social Change in Latin America (3)
HWC 555 Topics in Peace & Conflict Studies: __________ (3)
HWC 565 Literature of Human Rights (3) (same as ENGL 479 & EURS 565)
HWC 760 Investigation and Conference in Peace and Conflict Studies
INTL 750 Topics in International Studies: Making War and Peace (3)
PHIL 555 Justice and Economic Systems (3)
POLS 650 Palestinians and Israelis (3)
POLS 663 Protest and Revolution
POLS 671 International Cooperation (3)
POLS 673 International Organization (3)
POLS 679 International Conflict (3)
POLS 684 International Law: The State and the Individual
POLS 685 International Law: War, Territory, and Diplomacy (3)
POLS 760 The Politics and Problems of Developing Countries (3)
POLS 774 International Law (3)
POLS 789 Topics in International Relations: _______ (3) (with PCS approval)
POLS 853 Comparative Social Politics (3)
POLS 972 Theories of International Conflict (3)
POLS 974 International Mediation and Conflict Resolution (3)
POLS 980 International Organizations (3)
POLS 981 Global Development (3)
PSYC 572 Psychology and International Conflict (3)
REL 667 Religious Perspectives on War and Peace (3)
REL 669 Human Conflict and Peace (3)
REL 771 Seminar in Religious Movements and Social Change
SOC 531 Global Social Change (3)
SOC 534 Comparative Racial and Ethnic Relations (3)
SOC 873 International Political Economy (3)
SOC 875 The Political Economy of Globalization (3)
WS 651 Women and Politics in Latin America
WS 653 Gender, War, and Peace
Application and Admissions Procedure
Current Students
Current KU graduate students wishing to be admitted to the Graduate Certificate
Program will write a letter stating their interest in Peace & Conflict Studies and its
relationship to their graduate course of study, accompanied by a current ARTS form.
A graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for admission. Application materials
should be sent to Sandra Zimdars-Swartz (szindars@ku.edu), Peace & Conflict Studies Coordinator,
Humanities & Western Civilization Program, University of Kansas, Bailey Hall, 1440
Jayhawk Blvd., Room 308, Lawrence, KS 66045-7574, (785) 864-3011.
New Students
Students applying for admission to another graduate program at KU will send a letter
of application stating their interest in Peace & Conflict Studies, and after receiving
formal notification of admission to the other program must request that a letter of
confirmation be sent to PCS. They will be admitted to the Graduate Certificate Program
on the condition that they are admitted into regular status by the other program.
Non-degree Applicants
Non-degree-seeking graduate students must complete an application for non-degree
C status to the Graduate School and submit an application fee, two copies of official
transcripts from all previous post-secondary educational institutions, a personal
statement of the student’s interest in Peace & Conflict Studies, and two letters of
recommendation from persons familiar with their academic work and potential for
graduate school. Minimum requirements will be a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 or
higher GPA. The GPA requirement may be waived at the discretion of the PCS
Coordinator.
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Humanities & Western Civilization Program University of Kansas Bailey Hall 1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 308 Lawrence, KS 66045-7574 Phone: 785/864-3011 Fax: 785/864-3023 Email: hwc@ku.edu |
Photos © The University of Kansas Office of University Relations. This file was modified 05/05/08 11:10:32 AM |
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