Department: Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Website: http://iip.rutgers.edu/educational-programs

Overview

The minor in peace and conflict studies is a flexible program designed to complement any undergraduate major. It provides an interdisciplinary structure for examining issues of peace and conflict--from interpersonal to international.

The minor is designed to offer a unique and challenging course of study that draws on perspectives from anthropology, political science, psychology, and sociology. It encourages students to think critically about violence, its causes, and consequences, both at home and abroad. Violence is defined in terms of overt manifestations--such as domestic violence, gang violence, police brutality, human rights abuses, genocide, and war--as well as the structural violence of social inequalities that prevent people from meeting their basic needs in a dignified manner. The program encourages students to understand how acute conflicts can be waged through methods of nonviolent action and the necessary conditions for peace.

Students completing a minor in peace and conflict studies will gain in-depth knowledge of: (1) forms of conflict and violence; (2) psychological, political, cultural, and structural bases of conflict; (3) historical and ongoing conflicts; and (4) conflict resolution and nonviolent strategies for social transformation. The minor will also facilitate the students' ability to identify alternatives to violence and encourage students' awareness, responsibility, and active engagement in public and global affairs.

Requirements

A total of 18 credits are required, which must come from at least two disciplines. Courses counted toward meeting the requirements of a student's major cannot also count toward the minor. Each semester there are additional courses offered--that are not listed below--that may count toward the elective requirement with the approval of the director of the program.

Anthropology

21:070:306  Anthropology of Power (3)

21:070:320  Human Rights in a Global World (3)

21:070:321  Genocide (3)

21:070:324  Human Rights: Theory Into Practice (1)

21:070:325  Human Rights: Applied (1)

21:070:337  Anthropology of Inequality (3)

21:070:390  Culture, Political Violence, and Genocide (3)

21:070:420  War (3)

Political Science

21:790:460  Topics: Gender, Peace, and the Environment (3)

21:790:460  Topics: Nationalism, Revolution, and War (3)

21:790:463  Topics: Social Movements in American Politics (3)

21:790:466  Topics: The Causes of War (3)

Psychology

21:830:417  Theories of Interpersonal and Social Conflict (3)

Sociology

21:920:307  Social Protest and Revolution (3)

21:920:308  Social Movements (3)

21:920:325  Human Rights in a Global World (3)

21:920:346  Political Sociology (3)

21:920:380  Civil Conflict and Violence (3)

21:920:390  Sociology of Peace and Conflict (3)