Peace and Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies: Concentration

Peace and Conflict Studies combines an in-depth study on the causes of war and social conflict, and ways of preventing and ending them. You will address crucial challenges of the contemporary world and develop the knowledge and skills necessary for effective citizenship in the post-Cold War world.

With a commitment to peace, you will examine issues of national and international security and the common causes of conflict such as economic disparities and religious, ethnic, racial or gender discrimination. You will develop an understanding and awareness of the responsibility of citizenship in an age of nuclear weapons; regional, ethnic and religious conflicts; environmental deterioration; and global economic interdependence. This responsibility to construct alternatives to war and violence and to foster a just and peaceful world is integral to personal development, education and civic life. The Peace and Conflict Studies concentration will enhance your capacity for global citizenship, whatever your major and whatever career you may choose.

Program Highlights

Students in the Peace and Conflict Studies program will learn to:

  • Understand concepts fundamental to the study of peace and conflict.
  • Recognize how different values (cultural, religious and philosophical) inform conflict and conflict resolution.
  • Closely examine large-scale conflicts and their consequences.
  • Critically evaluate the factors underlying structural violence (i.e., inequitable social arrangements and their impact on people).
  • Analyze the lived experiences and perspectives of people involved in conflicts and efforts at reconciliation.
  • Assess peace and conflict from the perspective of multiple disciplines and integrate different disciplinary approaches.
  • Develop their capacity for self-awareness and recognize how their actions, or inaction, have implications for peace and conflict.
  • Within the Peace and Conflict Studies concentration, students in class years 2021 and later can now pursue a Social Justice Track.
Professor and a student
Research

Study the causes of war and conflict and ways it can be prevented or peacefully resolved.

Individuals sitting at tables in the Hogan Ballroom
Programming

Hear a diverse range of perspectives, from academic experts to affected populations like asylees.

Student sitting in a professor's office
Sample Courses

As an interdisciplinary program, you can take courses from many different departments.

Peace and Conflict Studies News

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Blog: Casey ’15 Looks Forward to Having Class Held in Rain Forest
NAME Meghan Casey ’15 HOMETOWN North Attleboro, Mass. AREAS OF STUDY Self-designed global health studies major with premedical and Africana Studies concentrations WHERE SHE’S STUDYING Costa Rica through Duke University’s Organization for Tropical Studies WHY SHE CHOSE COSTA RICA “I’ve …
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28 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Students Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
Twenty-eighty students from the class of 2014 at the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society, on October 27. Alpha Sigma Nu seeks out students at Jesuit institutions of higher learning who …
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17³Ô¹ÏÍø to Host Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence from Sri Lanka
The 17³Ô¹ÏÍø has been selected to host Gamini Keerawella, senior professor of history at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for the 2013-2014 academic year.  Keerawella, an expert in south Asian …