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Peace Studies

Les Field, Director (Anthropology)
Peace Studies Program
MSC01-1040
Anthropology
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-5205
lesfield@unm.edu
http://www.unm.edu/~peace

Desi Brown, Student Advisor
Peace Studies Program
peace@unm.edu
(505) 277-2501

Academic Committee
Thom Alena (Peace Studies)
Colston Chandler (Physics)
Reny Golden (Sociology/Peace Studies)
Alex Lubin (American Studies)
Jennifer Moore (Law School)
Vera Norwood (American Studies)
Joachim Oberst (Religious Studies)
Mark Peceny (Political Science)
Quincy Spurlin (Education)

Advisory Committee
Anita Amstutz
Carole Adolphine
Holly Kawakami
Susi Knoblauch
Mary Nakigan
Sayrah Namaste
Michael Nutkiewicz
Christine Rack
Barri Sanders
Daniel Schwartz

Introduction

Peace Studies is an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary program designed to introduce students to the causes, consequences and solutions of all types of conflict through the attainment of either an undergraduate Minor or Certificate. The program allows students the opportunity to examine alternatives to violence and to reflect upon the nature of peace as a sustainable condition at the individual and collective levels.

In the twenty-first century, the problem of violence exists on multiple levels, from domestic abuse and entrenched poverty to international armed conflict, terrorism and counterterrorism. We face the prospect of a nuclear conflagration on one side, with the daily reality of low-technology conflicts in dozens of countries on another. In the organized violence of warfare, far more civilians die than soldiers, small arms destroy more than sophisticated weaponry, and war-related poverty, displacement, and disease are the biggest killers of all.  Moreover, in refugee camps and urban communities alike, the pervasive incidence of violence within families and communities feeds and is fed by violence in its other forms.

Peace Studies students examine the influences that often lead to violent conflict, and the alternative pathways toward sustainable peace, by using the disciplinary frames found within the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and Law School. American Studies, Anthropology, Communications and Journalism, Economics, Geography, History, Literature, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Sustainability Studies, Women Studies, and many other programs all offer ways of understanding the patterns of conflict we see in our lives and in the world. Through both classroom and experiential learning opportunities, students are invited to think critically about our world, to act creatively, and to fashion their own and our collective future in a holistic and supportive educational environment.

Ultimately, the goals of the Peace Studies program reinforce the overall goals of liberal arts education and critical thinking skills development: to inform, to enrich and to strengthen humanistic values within our society. The Minor and Certificate both offer a unique, interdisciplinary addition to existing programs at the University of New Mexico and is readily integrated into undergraduate programs in other schools and colleges within the university system. Careers in armed forces, education, foreign service, health and human services, law and law enforcement, management, public service and the fine arts are enhanced by the study of conflict and its peaceful resolution.  Understanding issues of social and environmental justice are imperative in today’s world and learning how to use ‘peace making’ tools as actions against the structural violence that surrounds us everyday is a necessity for our planet’s (and humanities) survival.

The UNM Peace Studies Program is a collaborative association of UNM faculty, staff, students and administrators with support from affiliated organizational and community members. The program is committed to a strong citizenship role within the University; participating in campus and community events relevant to critically understanding social and environmental justice issues and looking at ways to peaceably reduce the violence caused by them.