Undergraduate Program

Peace Studies Minor Requirements

The Minor in Peace Studies will require the successful completion of 24 credit hours total. 12 hours of required courses and a remaining 12 hours of electives (details below).

Required Courses – 12 credit hours
Must complete two of the following three groups for 6 hours:

1. PCST 102 Introduction to Peace Studies 3
2. PCST 306
Peace and Conflict
 
-or-
 
PCST 307
Nonviolent Alternatives to Conflict
3
3. PCST 400
Peace Studies Internship*
3
4.
Choose from one of the following areas of focus:
3

Envrionmental Issues focus

3
SUST 134 Introduction to Sustainability and the Environment
-or-
AMST 182 Introduction to the Environment, Science, and Technology
-or-
PHYC 105 Physics and Society
-or-
 
ENVS 101 The Blue Planet
Social Issues focus 3
 
PCST 221
Global Issues  
Political Issues focus 3
PCST 240 International Politics
 
Other upper division (300/400 level) courses may be
substituted with the approval of the Peace Studies Advisor
and/or Director.

 
 



*The Peace Studies Internship entails placement with a community-based organization active in the fields of conflict resolution, peacemaking, social or environmental justice.  This volunteer placement is arranged by the student in consultation with the Peace Studies Advisor and Director and must be supervised by a faculty member.

Distributed Elective Courses – 12 credit hours

Students are required to take courses from a minimum of two of the following areas of focus and are encouraged to choose these electives from at least three different academic programs.  This is to ensure that they receive a robust education on peace and social/environmental justice issues and solutions from a number of different academic perspectives while being allowed to take classes tailored to their specific personal and professional interests.  Applicable courses not listed below must be approved by the Peace Studies Advisor and Director with consent of the Peace Studies Academic Committee.

Group I Thought, Ideology and Ethics of Peace and Social/Environmental Justice
 
  Suggested courses could include, but are not limitied to:  
AMST 320 Topics in Globalization Theory & Practice 3
AMST 182 Environment, Science & Technology 3
ANTH 420 Ethics in Anthropology 3
CJ 318 Language, Thought and Behavior 3
ENGL 420 Language and Diversity 3
LING 490 Topics in Rhetoric of War 3
PHIL 102 Current Moral Problems 3
PHIL 358 Ethical Theory 3
PHIL 441 Philosophical Movements/Contemporary 3
POLS 260 Political Ideas 3
POLS 362 Modern Political Theory 3
SOC 312 Causes of Crime 3
SOC 398 Special Topics in Sociology 3
RELG 347 Religion and Ecology 3
UHON 302 Sem/Modern Terrorism & US Constitution 3
Group II Methodology and Practice of Conflict Resolution  
  Suggested courses could include, but are not limited to:  
AMST 310 Nonviolence Issues 3
ANTH 251 Forensic Anthropology 3
ARTH 429 Topics in Visible Agendas 3
BIOL 402 Topics in Bioterrorism 3
CJ 221 Interpersonal Communication 3
CJ 314 Intercultural Communication 3
CJ 320 Mediation 3
FLC Conflict and Reconciliation 3
POLS 442 International Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution 3
PSY 374 Cross-cultural Psychology 3
PSY 450 Special Topics in Psychological Trauma 3
WMST 279 Intercultural Communication Between Women 3
Group III Conflict and Conflict Resolution at the Regional/National Level  
  Suggested courses could include, but are not limited to:  
ANTH 130 Cultures of the World 3
SOC 461 Dynamics of Social Change 3
HIST 322 History of the Women's Rights Movement
3
HIST 428 Women, War and Revolution
3
POLS 307
The Politics of Ethnic Groups
3
POLS 313 Women and the Law
3
POLS 320 Topics in Middle Eastern Politics 3
POLS 322 Human Rights and Political Violence
3
SOC 216 The Dynamics of Prejudice 3
SOC 331
Social Movements
3
SOC 416 Sociology of Law 3
WMST 353 Women and Creativity
3
Group IV Conflict and Conflict Resolution at the International Level  
  Suggested courses could include, but are not limited to:  
AFST 303 Introduction to Black Liberation and Religion 3
ANTH 339
Human Rights in Anthropology 3
GEOG 140
World Regional Geography 3
GEOG **360 Land Use Management
3
HIST 311 World War I, 1914–1918 3
HIST 338 The United States in the World War II Era 3
HIST 426
History of the Holocaust 3
HIST 440 Atomic America 3
FLC World Religions/Violence in the Name of God 3
POLS 220 Comparative Politics 3
POLS *320 Topics in Comparative Politics 3
POLS 342 American Foreign Policy 3
POLS 345 Inter-American Relations 3
POLS 356 Political Development in Latin America 3
POLS 441 Civil Wars 3
SOC 221 Global Issues
3
SOC 461 Social Dynamics of Global Change 3
WMST 331 Transnational Feminisms 3
WMST 339 Women and Cultural Violence 3
WMST 379 Interdisciplinary Topics 3

Note: Topics courses must significantly address core issues within the Peace Studies program to be applicable.


The Peace and Justice Studies Certificate Program

The Peace Studies and Justice Certificate Program offers all UNM undergraduate and non-degree students the opportunity to both study and promote peace and justice issues through interpersonal, institutional, societal and/or global terms.  The certificate is a component of the UNM Peace Studies Program, administered through the College of Arts & Sciences, which also offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor degree in Peace Studies for students enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences. While the 24-credit minor is available to A&S majors, the 15-credit certificate program has a broader reach. The Peace and Justice Studies Certificate Program welcomes students from all undergraduate academic departments at UNM, including those administered within University College, the College of Education, and the College of Engineering.

Certificate recipients must earn 15 credits, encompassing 3 internship hours and 12 elective hours. The internship component entails a service learning experience with a community peace and justice organization, such the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Catholic Charities, Health Care for the Homeless, Cuidando los Niños, the Women’s Community Association and Enlace Comunitario to name just a few of the possibilities. To fulfill the classroom component, students select four 3-credit courses from the current required/elective courses offered under the auspices of the Peace Studies minor, and under the guidance of the Peace Studies Advisor.

The comprehensive list of Peace Studies electives currently being offered by various departments in the College of Arts & Sciences are listed in the catalog under the entry for the Peace Studies Minor requirements (just prior to this listing). Electives are divided into four substantive categories, comprising the theoretical, methodological, regional/national and international facets of peace and justice studies, respectively. Certificate candidates may select their electives freely, in consultation with the Peace Studies Advisor. Some students may wish to concentrate their electives in one or more category, and others elect to take one from each of the four.  Please note that not all classes are offered every semester, course numbers/content can change and that there are numerous acceptable classes not currently listed in this catalog.

The essence of the Peace and Justice Studies Certificate program is two fold. First, it involves a critical thinking exploration of the causes and consequences of various forms of violence, as well as peaceful alternatives to violence. Second, it encourages students to understand peace as a multi-faceted vision for transformed human relations, which requires implementation on numerous levels and over the long-term. Peace Studies Certificate candidates are encouraged to explore the many dimensions of conflict transformation- including disarmament, sociopluralism, respect for human rights, international peacekeeping, environmental protection and sustainable resource development, and the promotion of "Positive Peace" models of life culture that are designed to deal with the physical and structural violence so prevalent in our homes and on our planet today.

Peace and Justice Studies Certificate Requirements

  Required Courses (3 credit hours)   
400 Peace Studies Internship* 3
  *Details available from the Peace Studies Advisor or Director.  
  Elective Courses (12 credit hours)  
  Students must take a total of four 3-credit courses from any of the required or elective (Group 1-4) options available to a Peace Studies Minor as noted just before this listing.  These are suggested courses; substitution of courses of similar nature is permitted with approval of the Peace Studies Advisor and/or Director.  
Group I Thought, Ideology and Ethics of War and Peace  
  suggested courses: see Group I electives for Peace Studies minor  
Group II Methodology and Practice of Conflict Resolution  
  suggested courses: see Group II electives for Peace Studies minor  
Group III Conflict and Conflict Resolution at the International Level  
  suggested courses: see Group III electives for Peace Studies minor  
Group IV Conflict and Conflict Resolution at the National and Sub-national Level  
  suggested courses: see Group IV electives for Peace Studies minor  


Courses

PCST 102. Introduction to Peace Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



PCST 221. Global Issues. (3)



PCST 240. International Politics. (3)



PCST 306. Peace and Conflict. (3)



PCST 307. Nonviolent Alternatives. (3)



PCST 400. Peace Studies Internship. (3)



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