Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies (PJCS)

A study of the themes and concepts that provide a biblical basis for nonretaliation and peace making. Particular attention is given to the nature of God’s sovereignty, forgiveness versus vengeance and love of enemies. Prerequisite: CORE 120.

This course introduces students to criminology and criminological theories. Crime and reactions to crime will be examined as they relate to social and institutional life in contemporary U.S. society. Students will gain theoretical lenses for understanding the situational and systemic...

This course will introduce students to the fundamental concepts of micro and macro economics, including economic relationships and processes, analysis of markets and price behavior, economic activities of governments, aggregate income determination, banking, and trade.

National defense spending is the largest category in the discretionary portion of the federal budget, larger than all the other categories combined. This course examines the benefits and costs of this commitment of public funds. Topics include the armament industry,...

A comparative studies in world history course. Looking at history from the perspective of gender and gender relations provides a new way of seeing historical change. This course takes case studies from the non-Western world and looks at the agency...

This course addresses the questions, when and why are people violent, and when and why are they peaceful? How does nonviolence address the destructive force of violence and stand as an alternative? A Peacemaking course in the Goshen Core.

How do peacemakers sustain their work for peace and justice over a lifetime without burning out? This course examines spiritual paths of peacemakers: theories, teachings and practices for sustaining active nonviolence and peacemaking. A Peacemaking course in the Goshen Core.

Explores the potentially constructive nature of conflict, the destructive nature of violence and the relationship between the two. Examines various patterns of communication, conflict and violence and what is needed for transformation. Students will reflect on their own conflict styles,...

An interactive course which addresses justice from the viewpoints of those both inside and outside the criminal justice system. Half of students in each class are inmates in a correctional facility and half are college students. The course is flexible...

Contemporary issues, e.g., militarism, organizational power relationships and conflict transformation, nuclear weaponry, economic sanctions, domestic violence.

Junior Seminar has three main purposes: to explore classic and contemporary issues in conflict and peace through faculty- and student-led seminars to develop research and writing skills appropriate for PJCS; and to begin work toward a major research project to...

Focuses on the third party role of the mediator. Explores the theoretical basis for mediation, its various applications in North America, and critiques of the appropriateness of mediation for certain types of conflicts. Emphasis will be on experiential learning to...

Examines the role of religion in causing and nurturing violence and in promoting peace themes which have emerged as central to the pursuit of peace in the 21st century.

Begins with an account of some of the classic and mainstream understandings of justice and then moves on to an overview of the foundational principles of restorative justice and its various practical applications. The course will examine and address the...

An interdisciplinary examination of the work of reconciliation in interpersonal and small group relationships, but especially in large-scale social and political contexts.

Analyzes different strategies for achieving change in contexts characterized by high levels of complexity and conflict, with particular attention to the role and significance of the relatively new field of dialogue, deliberation, and civic engagement. Students will draw from their...

A seminar course in which advanced students examine encounters with violence and how healing can be sought. Integrating religious and ethical studies with the social sciences, the course focuses on the socio-cultural matrix of an individual’s encounters with violence.

An approved internship or work experience related to peace, justice, and conflict studies. Examples include supervised activities in shelters for the homeless, work with local, regional, national or international peace, justice and conflict transformation agencies and organizations or work with...

Students will complete a major research project on a topic of their choosing, leading to a 25-35 page thesis.

Working primarily from an international relations perspective, this course wlll examine changing patterns of fighting wars and seeking peace.

Using a systems approach, students will explore conflicts in organizations and communities, locating and examining models for assessment, diagnosis, intervention and evaluation. Working with case studies and real life situations of structural injustice and conflict, students will learn practical strategies...

General comparative survey of political institutions and behavior in various types of regimes, with special emphasis on the American political system. The most appropriate course for students required to take one course in political science. Collateral reading may be adjusted...

Explores the nature of the policy-making process in the United States and, to a lesser extent, other pluralist polities. Topics will include constitutional and structural framework in which policies are shaped, interest articulation, policy formulation and the feedback process.

Examination of the structure, development and operation of the present international political system and its possible alternatives.

Focuses on three contemporary theologies of liberation (Latin American Liberation Theology, Black Theologies and Feminist Theologies) as they are developing in the Americas. The course examines similarities and differences among these three theologies – in conversation with Womanist and Latina...

A study of race/ethnic group interaction, gender and class dynamics focusing on marginalized groups in the U.S. Attention is given to social class, power and majority-group dominance as factors in assimilation and culture-loss or collective self-determination and maintenance of cultural...