Undergraduate Program

Minor Study

The minor in Peace Studies requires the successful completion 12 credit hours of required courses and 12 credit hours of electives for a total of 24 credit hours.

Required Courses – 12 credit hours

Credit
Hours
PCST 102 Introduction to Peace Studies 3
PCST 306
-or-
PCST 307
Peace and Conflict

Nonviolent Alternatives
3
PCST 400 Peace Studies Internship* 3
Choose from one of the following areas of focus: 3
  Environmental Issues (choose one)
AMST 182 Introduction to Environmental and Social Justice
ENVS 101 The Blue Planet
PHYC 105 Physics and Society
SUST 134 Creating a Sustainable Future: Introduction to Environmental, Social, and Economic Health
Political Issues
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.

Credit
Hours
Group I Thought, Ideology and Ethics of Peace and Social/Environmental Justice  
  Suggested courses could include, but are not limited to:  
AMST 182 Introduction to Environmental and Social Justice 3
AMST 320 Topics in Environmental and Social Justice 3
ANTH *420 T: Anthropology 3
CJ 318 Language, Thought and Behavior 3
ENGL 420 T: Language and Diversity 3
LING 490 T: Rhetoric of War 3
PHIL 102 Current Moral Problems 3
PHIL 358 Ethical Theory 3
PHIL *441 Topics in Philosophical Figures and Movements 3
POLS 260 Political Ideas 3
POLS *362 Modern Political Theory 3
SOC 312 Causes of Crime and Delinquency 3
SOC 398 Special Topics in Sociology 3
RELG 347 T: Religion and Ecology 3
UHON 302 Sem: Modern Terrorism and U.S. Constitution 3
Group II Methodology and Practice of Conflict Resolution  
  Suggested courses could include, but are not limited to:  
AMST 310 T: Nonviolence Issues 3
ANTH 251 Forensic Anthropology 3
ARTH 429 T: Visible Agendas 3
BIOL 402 T: Bioterrorism 3
CJ 221 Interpersonal Communication 3
CJ 314 Intercultural Communication 3
CJ 320 Conflict Management and Mediation 3
FLC Conflict and Reconciliation 3
POLS 442 International Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution 3
PSY 374 Cross-cultural Psychology 3
PSY 450 ST: Psychological Trauma 3
WMST 279 T: 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
HIST 428 Women, War and Revolution 3
POLS *307 The Politics of Ethnic Groups 3
POLS 313 Women and the Law 3
POLS *320 T: Middle Eastern Politics 3
POLS 322 Human Rights and Political Violence 3
SOC 216 Dynamics of Difference, Power and Discrimination 3
SOC 331 Social Movements 3
SOC 416 Sociology of Law 3
SOC 461 Visualizing Global Change 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 Introduction to World Regions 3
GEOG **360 Land Use Management 3
HIST 311 World War I, 1914–1918 3
HIST 426 History of the Holocaust 3
FLC World Religions/Violence in the Name of God 3
POLS 220 Politics Around the World 3
POLS *320 Topics in Comparative Politics 3
POLS *342 American Foreign Policy 3
POLS *356 Political Development in Latin America 3
POLS 441 Civil Wars 3
SOC 221 Documenting Globalization and Human Rights 3
SOC 461 Visualizing 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 and Sciences, which also offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor degree in Peace Studies for students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. While the 24 credit hour minor is available to Arts and Sciences majors, the 15 credit hour 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 credit hours, encompassing 3 internship credit hours and 12 elective credit 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 hour 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 and Sciences are listed in the catalog under the entry for the Peace Studies Minor requirements. 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, there are numerous acceptable classes.

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 today in homes and on the plane.

Peace and Justice Studies Certificate Requirements

  Required Courses (3 credit hours)
PCST 400 Peace Studies Internship*
  *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)



PCST 240. International Politics. (3)



PCST 306. Peace and Conflict. (3)



PCST 307. Nonviolent Alternatives. (3)



PCST 340. Topics in Peace Studies. (3 to a maximum of 15 Δ)



PCST 400. Peace Studies Internship. (3)



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