Peace Studies Concentration

Undergraduate Concentration

The Peace Studies program is concerned with analyzing alternative ways that may be used to transform individual behavior, national policy and human institutions in order to promote peace and justice in the world. The program promotes discussion and study on issues of conflict and its management, within the lives of individuals, societies and the world at large. It sponsors research on meditation, mediation, negotiation and ways to reduce violence, build diverse communities and use nonviolent action to defend human rights and promote justice.

Undergraduates may concentrate in peace studies to complement any major. Students may also design a major in peace studies via the University’s self-designed major. The concentration draws together the knowledge of several disciplines in the context of the search for peace, while enhancing students’ critical-thinking skills and awareness of the connections between local and global issues. Departments and programs represented in peace studies include government, history, international development and social change, philosophy, psychology and sociology.

Course work, research and internships enable students to apply their theoretical understanding of the issues of peace to practical situations. The concentrator will develop an active understanding of the relationship between the three spheres of peace: personal, societal and global. These are interlocked, each influencing the others in cyclical patterns. Conflicts often involve links between the hearts of individuals, the structures of societies, and global competition and cooperation. Hence, the concentrator should be engaged in understanding how personal development and societal and global structure can transform conflicts. Students who complete a concentration in peace studies are prepared to enter careers and graduate study in such fields as public policy, international development, labor relations, environment and ecology, and international relations. They are prepared to take an active role in shaping constructive policies in the public sector and civil society.

The Peace Studies Office provides information on internships, jobs and careers; a library; and a computer link to international conferences and bulletin boards.

Program Faculty

Belen Atienza, Ph.D.
Michael Butler, Ph.D.
Joseph de Rivera, Ph.D.
Patrick Derr, Ph.D.
Debórah Dwork, Ph.D.
Jude Fernando, Ph.D.
William Fisher, Ph.D.
Douglas Little, Ph.D.
Ken MacLean, Ph.D.
Dianne Rocheleau, Ph.D.
Robert Ross, Ph.D.
Valerie Sperling, Ph.D.
Johanna Ray Vollhardt, Ph.D.
Kristen Williams, Ph.D.
Walter Wright, Ph.D.

Affiliate Faculty

George Lane, M.A.

Courses

• HIST 230 - History of the Armenian Genocide
• HIST 260 - Rescue and Resistance During the Holocaust
• PHIL 130 - Medical Ethics
• PSCI 010 - Difficult Dialogue Seminar: Israel, Palestine and the United States
• PSCI 080 - Model United Nations Program
• PSCI 117 - Revolution and Political Violence
• PSCI 146 - The United Nations and International Politics
• PSCI 177 - Transitions to Democracy
• PSCI 205 - U.S. Campaigns and Elections
• PSCI 211 - International Cooperation
• PSCI 251 - U.S. Social Movements and Interest Groups
• PSCI 255 - The Politics of U.S. Congress
• PSCI 290 - U.S. - Latin American Relations
• PSTD 070 - Introduction to Comparative Politics
• PSTD 101 - Introduction to Peace Studies
• PSTD 130 - Genocide
• PSTD 131 - Local Action/Global Change: The Urban Context
• PSTD 154 - Introduction To Public Policy in the United States
• PSTD 157 - The Politics of U.S. Environmental Issues
• PSTD 173 - Introduction to Latin-American Politics
• PSTD 223 - The Civil Rights Movement
• PSTD 238 - U.S. Foreign Policy
• PSTD 240 - Psychology of Non-Violence and Social Struggle
• PSTD 246 - Psychology of Peacemaking
• PSTD 250 - U.S. National Security
• PSTD 252 - Race and American Society
• PSTD 253 - Social Movements, Globalization and the State
• PSTD 262 - Law and Society
• PSTD 265 - Social Movements: Quest for Justice
• PSTD 266 - Principles of Negotiation and Mediation: An Overview of Conflict Resolution Approaches
• PSTD 268 - Peace and War
• PSTD 285 - Special Topics in Peace Studies
• PSTD 290 - Peace Research
• PSTD 298 - Peace Studies Internship
• PSTD 299 - Peace Studies Directed Study

Courses

The following is a list of Clark’s peace-studies offerings. Students may petition the Peace Studies Committee to receive concentration credit for courses other than those listed below, including courses that are available through the Colleges of Worcester Consortium. More information may be obtained from the Peace Studies Office, 201 Jonas Clark, (508) 793-7663.

• PSTD 101 - Introduction to Peace Studies