Course details

Peace, justice and conflict studies (PJCS)

Joe Liechty, Department Chair, Associate Professor of PJCS
Carolyn Schrock-Shenk, Associate Professor of Peace, Justice & Conflict Studies

Peace, justice and conflict transformation interests are an essential part of academic and co-curricular programs of Goshen College.

PJCS program offers:

• major in peace, justice and conflict studies
• minor in conflict transformation studies
• minor in peace and justice studies
• certificate in conflict transformation for teachers

Visit the peace justice and conflict studies program Web site.

Peace, justice and conflict transformation interests are an essential part of life at Goshen College. Goshen offers four academic peace programs: a major in peace, justice and conflict studies; minors in conflict studies and peace and justice studies; and a conflict transformation track for the teacher education program. The major introduces students to the array of topics and disciplines that make up peace, justice and conflict studies, while also allowing students to focus in areas of particular interest. The two minors enable students to combine peace, justice and conflict studies content with any recognized major. The minor in conflict studies is oriented toward students completing professional programs in nursing, social work and education as well as students hoping to use conflict transformation skills in a particular career. The minor in peace and justice studies assists students from a wide variety of academic majors who want to integrate peace and justice studies content with their vocational goals. The major and both minors prepare students for work in peace and justice organizations and other service agencies in the United States or abroad. Finally, a conflict transformation studies track, offered in conjunction with the teacher education program, gives a conflict transformation endorsement for education students.

PJCS majors undertake a wide variety of paid and voluntary internships, in Goshen, across the United States and around the world. Examples of recent internships include Mennonite Disabilities, La Casa of Goshen, the Fourth Freedom Forum, the Center for Community Justice in Elkhart, the Elkhart County Probation Department, Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart and Goshen, Jubilee Partners in Georgia and Corrymeela in Northern Ireland.

Campus co-curricular activities include the annual C. Henry Smith Peace lectureship, the annual student peace oratorical contest, the student PAX organization, the peace play competition, peace studies community forums, peace scholars-in-residence, the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship and the peace library collection.

The Orin and Marie Beechy scholarship fund assists students with academic expenses.

The department and its programs are rooted in Anabaptist-Mennonite theology and history. Courses emphasize action-reflection learning in addition to more traditional classroom opportunities. The program encourages internships as a way of gaining additional skills in peace-building. Classes, internships and co-curricular activities equip students with a framework of personal values and skills that will help them make a positive impact wherever they live.

Indianapolis Peace Institute

The Indianapolis Peace Institute began a peace studies program in fall of 2004. Students from three collaborating colleges – Goshen, Manchester and Earlham – join this urban peacemaking experience, involving an internship, several peace studies courses and independent study.

Career opportunities

Students are prepared to enter graduate programs in conflict transformation studies or in peace and justice studies – and any other field of scholarship in which critical and creative analysis of difficult issues is a priority. They are also prepared to work in a wide variety of nongovernmental organizations engaged in work around themes of mission, peace, restorative justice, conflict transformation, social justice, and other forms of service. Professional students electing the minor or professional endorsement in conflict transformation studies will be prepared to assist individuals, organizations and communities to deal constructively with conflict in the work environment.

Major in peace, justice and conflict studies

Requires a total of 41 credit hours
Required courses		20-23 hours
Bibl 321	Biblical Themes of Peace	3
PJCS 311	Junior Seminar	3
PJCS 313	Violence and Nonviolence	3
PJCS 325	Mediation: Process, Skills and Theory	4
PJCS 409	Internship	1-4
PJCS 411	Senior Seminar	3
PJCS 425	War and Peace in the Modern World	3

Limited option courses		18 hours
Econ 202	Introduction to Economics or
Hist 255	History of Global Poverty	3
PJCS 332	Religion, Conflict and Peace or
PJCS 426	Conflict in Groups or
PoSc 200	Introduction to Political Science or
PoSc 308	International Politics	3
Phil 302	Ethics and Morality or
PJCS 312	War, Peace and Nonresistance or
Rel 316	Liberation Theologies	3
PJCS 347	Justice/Restorative Justice or
PJCS 350	Dynamics and Theology of Reconciliation	3
PoSc 210	Introduction to Public Policy or
Soc 322	Social Policy and Programs or
Soc 391	Methods of Social Research	3

Planning guide

SST	Recommended: sophomore year, any summer, spring term junior    year or fall term senior year
First year	General education Expository Writing SST language Transforming Conflict and Violence (recommended but not required)
Second year	General education Violence and Nonviolence War, Peace and Nonresistance Mediation: Process, Skills and Theory Political Science or International Politics Principles of Economics or History of Global Poverty
Third year	General education Junior Seminar Introduction to Public Policy, Social Policy and Programs or    Methods of Social Research Three additional courses required for PJCS major
Fourth year	Balance of general education Remaining courses required for PJCS major Senior Seminar

Minor in conflict transformation studies

Minor in peace and justice studies

Certificate in conflict transformation for teachers

This certificate may be added to an elementary, middle school or secondary education program. For further information, consult with a member of the teacher education faculty. Education students who wish to complete the conflict transformation studies minor at the conclusion of their certificate requirements should declare the minor and consult with a PJCS adviser for further details.

(nine hours)
PJCS 210	Transforming Conflict and Violence	3
PJCS 325	Mediation: Process, Skills and Theory	3-4
PJCS 426	Conflict in Groups	3

PJCS courses

PJCS 209 Field Experience 1 (1-4)
An approved, supervised internship related to peace, justice and conflict studies work.

PJCS 210 Transforming Conflict and Violence 3
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, build their skills for peacemaking and examine their personal temptations for violence. Because PJCS 210 introduces concepts developed in greater depth in PJCS 325, this course may not be taken concurrently with or following PJCS 325.

PJCS 255 History of Global Poverty 3
(Cross-listed from Hist 255) Examination of the phenomenon and roots of global poverty in the colonial expansion of Europe, the rise of nationalism in the colonies and post-colonial globalization and development. Emphasis will be placed on viewing this problem and its solution from the perspective of common people in the global south.

PJCS 305 Prosocial Behavior 3
(Cross-listed from Psyc 305) A study of theories and empirical research concerned with positive human interaction. Topics of special focus include altruism, empathy and service from the perspective of both the helper and the recipient. Some attention to applications in education, government and church agencies. Offered alternate years.

PJCS 307 Conflict & Conciliation Irish Lit 3
(Cross-listed from Engl 207/307) Study of literature shaped distinctively by cultural and theoretical concerns related to ethnicity, gender and race. Field studies in the cultural geography of 20th-century Irish authors, including Yeats, Joyce, Synge, Mary Lavin, Peter Fallon and Seamus Heaney. Conducted during May or summer term at urban and rural locations in the Republic of Ireland.

PJCS 310 Issues in PJCS 3
Contemporary issues, e.g., militarism, organizational power relationships and conflict transformation, nuclear weaponry, economic sanctions, domestic violence.

PJCS 311 Junior Seminar 3
Junior Seminar has three main purposes: to explore classic and contemporary issues in conflict and peace through faculty- and student-led seminars to deveolp research and writing skills appropriate for PJCS; and to begin work toward a major research project to be completed in Senior Seminar.

PJCS 312 War Peace & Nonresistance 3
A survey course that examines the development of warfare ideologies and religious responses to warfare. Includes examination of just war theory and Anabaptist-Mennonite stances on nonresistance, pacifism and nonviolent action.

PJCS 313 Violence and Nonviolence 3
An interdisciplinary study of the nature, causes and types of violence. Examines the juxtaposition of scientific theories and religious teachings about violence and nonviolence.

PJCS 316 Liberation Theologies 3
(Cross-listed from Rel 316) Focuses on three contemporary theologies of liberation (Latin American Liberation Theology, North American Black Theology and North American Fenimist Theology) as they are developing in the Americas. The course examines similarities and differences among these three theologies - in conversation with Womanist and Latina theologies - as each addresses specific theological questions raised by the people of God in actual contemporary situations of exploration and oppression. The course also has a praxis component in which students move outward into the community.

PJCS 319 Doing Theology Abroad 4
(Cross-listed from Rel 319) An intensive seminar taught on location in a southern hemisphere country, focusing on socio-political relations, practical theology and the significance of global Christianity. Participants live and attend church-related activities with host-country families. Proficienciy in language of host country desired, but not required.

PJCS 320 Borderlands 3
This course will take place along the U.S./Mexico border. It will examine border dynamics and their impact on politics, economics, migration, the environment, and more. Students will hear many voices, diverse and somtimes contradictory, of people involved in border communities.

PJCS 325 Mediation:Process, Skills, Theory 4 (3-4)
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 develop the skills needed for mediation in formal and informal settings. PJCS majors and minors, as well as Interdisciplinary majors with a PJCS component, will complete one hour of applied experience.

PJCS 330 Gender in World History 3
(Cross-listed from Hist 330) A comparative studies in world history course. Women have been left out of the world's history, particularly women in the nonwestern world who are stereotyped as oppressed and passive. Putting women back into the center of world history unsettles older historical paradigms and challenges our ethnocentric assumptions. Explores the diverse experiences of women as active agents in shaping their world through a comparative case-study approach.

PJCS 332 Religion, Conflict and Peace 3
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. The course will also consider implications of these themes for Christian mission.

PJCS 335 History of Ethnic Conflict 3
(Cross-listed from Hist 335) A comparative studies in world history course. The world seems plagued with increasing conflict between ethnic groups. Explores the historical roots of this problem through a comparative case-study approach and takes an inter disciplinary approach both to analysis of the problem and its solution. Students will present an in-depth research paper on the historical roots of one conflict.

PJCS 344 Individual Readings 1 (1-3)
Independent reading in peace, justice, and conflict transformation studies. Student takes initiative to develop plan with a department faculty member. By consent of the faculty member only

PJCS 345 Group Readings 1 (1-2)
Working with selected writings, student will examine the themes and issues raised by an important scholar's whole body of work.

PJCS 347 Justice/Restorative Justice 3
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 needs of victims, offenders, communities and broader systems. It will specifically examine the Victim Offender Reconciliation (VORP) model and its role in the North American criminal justice system. It will aslo examine models from other contexts such as family group conferences and circles.

PJCS 348 Sexual Violation and Violence 3
Examines issues of sexual violation and violence within the lives of individuals and communities. It explores the question, "What is the nature of reconciliation, forgiveness and healing in the long-term aftermath of sexual violence?" and considers conflicts of opnion and belief about these issues.

PJCS 350 Dynamics/Theology of Reconciliation 3
An interdisciplinary examination of the work of reconciliation in interpersonal and small group relationships, but especially in large-scale social and political contexts.

PJCS 355 Contemporary Women's Issues 3
(Cross-listed from WoSt 355) An upper-level topics course that explores selected issues in the lives of contemporary women, such as women's bodies, sexuality and health; mother-daughter relationships; women and war; women and sexual violence; women and economic status in globalizing economies. Professors bring an interdisciplinary perspective to the subject. This course is taught in a cooperative learning environment

PJCS 405 Personal Violence 3
Considers the nature and impact of violence in the lives of individuals or small groups. Topics may include, for example, the death penalty, sexual violence, politically motivated torture or right-to-die issues.

PJCS 406 Spiritual Path of the Peacemaker 3
Uses biographical and autobiographical narratives alongside formal and theoretical writings of peacemakers. Investigates the question, "How does a peacemaker's inner spiritual journey relate to her or his peace work?"

PJCS 409 Senior Internship 3 (1-4)
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 congregational and denominational peace centers.

PJCS 410 Senior Advanced Work 1
A written project in which seniors with a Peace and Justice minor or a Conflict Transformation minor reflect on the relationship between their academic major and what they learned in their PJCS courses.

PJCS 411 Senior Seminar 3
Students will complete a major research project on a topic of their choosing. Senior Seminar will also address life-after-college issues such as graduate school, resume preparation and job interviews.

PJCS 425 War and Peace in the Modern World 3
Working primarily from an international relations perspective, this course wlll examine changing patterns of fighting wars and seeking peace.

PJCS 426 Conflict in Groups 3
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 for dialogue, problem-solving, healing, reconciliation and system change. Prerequisite: PJCS 325.

PJCS 430 Healing Wounds of Violence 3
Focuses on interdisciplinary examination and analysis of historical and contemporary models for recognizing, assessing and healing the wounds of violence. Investigates the question, "What are the strategies or healing processes for individuals and communities who seek to heal themselves or others from the wounds of violence?"