Peace and Justice Studies

Minor

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Students in a peace, justice and conflict studies class

The crossroads of justice and peace

Learn how to confront injustice and build peace.

The peace and justice studies minor examines how people and communities resolve conflict, promote justice and build more peaceful societies. As a result, you’ll learn to think critically and act courageously in the face of injustice, both locally and globally.

The minor also pairs with many majors, from social work and global studies to political science and beyond. Along the way, it deepens your understanding of structural violence, nonviolent social change, and community healing. Despite Goshen’s small setting, the work points outward — into real conflicts, real communities and the wider world. Above all, it asks what your own role as a peacemaker can be.

  • #2
    nationally for graduates entering AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps (Washington Monthly, 2025)
  • 50/50
    "Inside Out" course, where half the class are incarcerated individuals and half are Goshen College students
  • 30+
    years of Roots of Justice, the national anti-racism program your PJCS director co-founded
    Regina Shands Stoltzfus teaching

    What you’ll study

    The minor offers interdisciplinary course options that pair with a wide range of majors. You’ll explore topics like justice in a pluralistic society, mediation, conflict and communication, global poverty, biblical themes of peace and social change movements. Through studying this, you’ll build the analytical tools to understand conflict, and the practical ones to address it.

    Because it’s interdisciplinary, you can shape the minor around your own field and questions. View the complete program requirements in our catalog.

    program requirementsPJCS Major
    woman speaking

    Put the theory into action

    This minor is built on experiential learning. You can intern with peace building organizations, join community development projects, or study internationally through the SST program. At this small college, you’ll engage the world.

    On campus, you can get involved in peacemaking and social justice through student clubs, speaker series, and events coordinated by the religion, justice, and society department, with faculty mentors guiding you from course concepts to real-world work. The program also draws on resources like the Mennonite Historical Library and connections to local organizations doing peace and justice work like La Casa, The Center for Community Justice and Mennonite Central Committee.

    • My greatest takeaways from the peace, justice and conflict studies program at Goshen College all revolve around the idea that ‘Nobody is the worst thing they have ever done.’ At Goshen, we thought endlessly about ways to better serve the world around us. We thought about how to build relationships with individuals who do not think or act like us. We learned about the importance of hearing others and them feeling heard.”

      Clinton Stroble '19

      community supervision officer with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision

    Student sitting with another student

    Paying for Goshen

    Goshen College offers a variety of financial aid and merit-based awards with broader aid that reaches nearly every student. Most traditional students receive financial aid. To see your own price after aid, run the net price calculator or explore your options at the financial aid and scholarships pages.

    financial aidscholarshipsnet price calculator

    Common questions about the peace and justice studies minor

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      Related majors & minors

      All Majors & Minors

      • Interdisciplinary Studies

        As an Interdisciplinary Studies major at Goshen College, you’ll have the freedom to chart your own academic path by combining courses from multiple fields to match your unique interests and career goals.

      • Criminal Justice and Restorative Justice

        In the criminal justice and restorative justice program, you learn to address crime, harm, and injustice in ways that go beyond punishment—focusing instead on healing, accountability, and systemic change.

      • Sociology

        As a sociology major at Goshen College, you’ll investigate the forces that influence human behavior, identity, and inequality—and learn how to be a force for justice and social transformation.

      • Conflict Transformation

        Mediation, negotiation and nonviolent communication define conflict transformation studies at Goshen College, a minor geared toward peacebuilding.

      • Peace, Justice & Conflict Studies

        Study restorative justice, global conflict and reconciliation in Goshen College's Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies major, taught in small classes.

        All Majors & Minors