Course Listings
Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies (PJCS)
Major in Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies
41 credit hours
- BIBL 321 Biblical Themes of Peace3
- PJCS 311 Junior Seminar3
- PJCS 325 Mediation:Process, Skills, Theory4
- PJCS 409 Senior Internship1-4
- PJCS 411 Senior Seminar3
- Choose six courses from the list below:18
- PJCS 201 Violence and Nonviolence
- PJCS 202 Spiritual Path of Peacemaking
- PJCS 210 Transforming Conflict and Violence
- PJCS 220 Inside Out:
- PJCS 310 Issues in PJCS
- PJCS 332 Religion, Conflict and Peace
- PJCS 347 Restorative Justice
- PJCS 350 Dynamics/Theology of Reconciliation
- PJCS 360 Designing for Social Change
- PJCS 370 Personal Violence and Healing
- PJCS 425 War and Peace in the Modern World
- PJCS 426 Conflict-Healthy Groups
- One of the following:3
- One of the following:3
- One related course:3
Student learning outcomes
Graduates in Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies will:
- Identify, analyze and address various forms of violence, from interpersonal through structural.
- Analyze the relationship of violence to conflict and develop and argue for nonviolent ways of responding to conflict.
- Analyze the process of reconciliation at both interpersonal and structural levels, with particular attention to the complex interplay, and sometimes tensions, between justice, truth, and forgiveness.
- Demonstrate and apply knowledge of conflict and communication theory, process and skills in their own lives and relationships.
- Argue for a personal role in peace-building and social change processes.
- Analyze the role of religion in causing and nurturing violence and in promoting peace.
- Be given every opportunity to embrace peacemaking as integral to faith, and faith as integral to peacemaking.
Planning guide
| SST | Recommended: sophomore year, any summer, spring term junior year, or fall term senior year |
| First Year | Goshen Core Research & Writing: War, Peace & Nonresistance (preferred) SST language Transforming Conflict and Violence Economics or political science course |
| Second Year | Goshen Core Expository Writing (strongly recommended) Violence and Nonviolence Mediation Political science or economics course |
| Third Year | Goshen Core Junior Seminar Additional courses required for PJCS major |
| Fourth Year | Balance of Goshen Core Remaining courses required for PJCS major Senior Seminar |
Planning and advising notes
Students should work with their academic advisor to select some classes designed to help them apply their PJCS major after graduation. Courses that have served PJCS majors well in the past, for example, include Soc 322 Social Policy & Programs and SoWk 391 Methods of Social Research. PJCS 325 and PJCS 347 rotate every other year.
BIBL 321 Biblical Themes of Peace
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.
PJCS 311 Junior Seminar
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...
PJCS 325 Mediation:Process, Skills, Theory
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...
PJCS 409 Senior Internship
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...
PJCS 411 Senior Seminar
Students will complete a major research project on a topic of their choosing, leading to a 25-35 page thesis.