Peace and Conflict Studies (Co-Major)
An admissions moratorium is currently in effect for this program.
The Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) Co-Major Program integrates a variety of practical courses and interdisciplinary research to allow students to combine their own majors with training, study, and experience in peace studies and the emerging field of conflict resolution, at the inter-personal, national and international levels. The curriculum deals with the most fundamental of human concerns: how to manage or resolve conflict constructively. Students are introduced to the causes of human conflict and violence, as well as approaches to conflict management ranging from diplomacy, law and negotiation, to mediation and arbitration. Questions are raised concerning the issues of globalization, social justice, non-violence, ethnicity, race, and culture.
The PCS curriculum provides a framework useful for careers in legal, educational, governmental, business, labor, social service, scientific and health professions, as well as in graduate and professional education. Students are offered opportunity for hands-on experience, and are encouraged to build adaptive skills useful for the future. Courses in this curriculum may also count toward the completion of University General Education Requirements, as well as College and Major Requirements.
Students are encouraged to participate in the development of their curriculum; in addition to selecting from a wide variety of suggested PCS electives, co-majors are able to choose other elective courses with prior consent of the Director. Students are also encouraged to participate in the Peace and Justice Student Learning Community, which organizes speakers and other special educational programs and events on various subjects, and to explore credit for internships and study abroad.
The program is designed around a set of core courses, which introduce the student to the field, including various approaches to peace studies and the application of conflict management methods, and finally which assess the student's overall progress in a senior research seminar project. Five courses in conflict-related elective courses are required, but students must have a minimum of three courses that are counting towards the PCS co-major elective requirements and are not fulfilling any other major, minor, or co-major requirements.
Core Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PCS 2000 | Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies | 3 |
| PCS 6000 | Senior Seminar in Peace and Conflict Studies | 3 |
| Select two of the following (additional courses can count as electives): | 6-8 | |
| Black Social and Political Thought | ||
| World Cultures | ||
| International Trade | ||
| American Foreign Relations Since 1933 | ||
| Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies 1 | ||
| Science, Technology, and War | ||
| The Study of Non-Violence | ||
| Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery | ||
| Special Readings/Research | ||
| Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Political Philosophy: What is Politics? | ||
| World Politics | ||
| Ethnicity: The Immigrant Experience | ||
| Psychology of Social Behavior | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Dispute Resolution | ||
| Community or International Internship | ||
| Advanced Special Topics | ||
| Five courses in conflicted-related elective courses 2 | 15-20 | |
| Total Credits | 30-38 | |
- 1
May be taken only once for core requirement, and repeated for electives.
- 2
Students must have a minimum of three courses that are counting towards the PCS co-major elective requirements and are not fulfilling any other major, minor, or co-major requirements. Permissible elective courses are listed in the WSU course bulletin, or can be approved in consultation with the program director.