Goshen College

PJCS courses

PJCS 201 Viiolence and Nonviolence 3
People are capable of both violent and peaceful behaviour, and yet violence is a destructive force in human society in so many ways. 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 Perspectives course in the Goshen core. Prerequisite: Engl 105 or equivalent.

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 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 develope 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 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 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 sometimes 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 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.