College Bulletin 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Peace and Conflict Studies
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Courses
Coordinator:
ELLEN ROSS (Religion)
Anna Everetts (Administrative Assistant)
Committee:
Sa’ed Atshan (Peace and Conflict Studies)
Nanci Buiza (Spanish)3
Wendy E. Chmielewski (Peace Collection)
Denise Crossan (Lang Professor for Social Change, Peace and Conflict Studies)
Emily Paddon Rhoads (Political Science)
Gina Patnaik (English)
Elliot Ratzman (Religion)
Lee Smithey (Peace and Conflict Studies, Sociology and Anthropology)
Krista Thomason (Philosophy)3
Dominic Tierney (Political Science)3
Andrew Ward (Psychology)3
3 Absent on leave, 2016-2017.
The Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Swarthmore College provides students with the opportunity to examine conflict in various forms and at levels stretching from the interpersonal to the global. The multidisciplinary curriculum explores the causes, practice, and consequences of collective violence as well as peaceful or nonviolent methods of conducting or dealing with conflict.
Students who major or minor in peace and conflict studies at Swarthmore will:
- understand factors shaping human conflict, including psychological, social, cultural, political, economic, biological, religious, and historical ones;
- analyze specific cases of conflict, including interpersonal, inter-group, inter-state, and international disputes;
- examine theories and models of peace-building and reconciliation and evaluate attempts to manage, resolve, or transform conflict nonviolently;
- investigate forms of oppression and injustice, and their relationship to conflict, locally and globally; and
- explore opportunities to study topics relevant to peace and conflict through fieldwork, internships, or other experiences outside the classroom.
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The Academic Program
Students with any major, whether in Course or in the Honors Program, may add a course minor in peace and conflict studies. Students in the Honors Program may choose to complete an honors minor in peace and conflict studies. Applications for special majors are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Special Major
Applications for special majors in Peace and Conflict Studies are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students who wish to propose a special major may consult with the program coordinator in the early stages of developing the major. Normally, the student who applies for a special major in Peace and Conflict Studies will have completed (or be in the process of completing) two courses in Peace and Conflict Studies.
Students must complete the “Application for Special Major in Peace and Conflict Studies” form (available on the Peace and Conflict Studies website), respond to the prompts below in writing a Sophomore Plan of Study, and meet with the program coordinator to review the proposed program. Students coming to the special major after sophomore year should update their sophomore plans by responding to the prompts below. A special major in Peace and Conflict Studies consists of ten credits. Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies (PEAC 015) is required and should be taken before the junior year if possible. During the senior year all programs must include a comprehensive exercise that integrates work in the special major. For most course special majors, this will consist of a one-credit thesis. Course students may complete a non-thesis comprehensive exercise with approval of the program committee. For most honors special majors, the comprehensive exercise will consist of a two-credit honors thesis.
Prompts for Sophomore Plan of Study statement:
- What brought you to the decision to apply
- The rationale for the curriculum you have proposed
- Why a special major in peace and conflict studies is necessary to achieve your academic goals
- How classes associated with peace and conflict studies have prepared you
- What has prepared you to undertake the rigors of independent study
- How your special major will impact your life and work after you leave Swarthmore
- Include the names, email, and phone numbers of two Swarthmore faculty members who can be contacted as references.
Students who intend to pursue a course special major in peace and conflict studies should submit a copy of the “Peace and Conflict Studies Special Major Application” form and their narrative Sophomore Plan of Study to the Peace and Conflict Studies program office, Trotter 107, after consultation with the program coordinator.
Course Minor
Students with any major, whether in course or in the Honors Program, may add a course minor in Peace and Conflict Studies. Students who intend to pursue a course minor in peace and conflict studies should submit a copy of their sophomore paper to the Peace and Conflict Studies program after consultation with the program coordinator. The Sophomore Plan of Study should present a plan of study that satisfies the requirements stated below, specifies the courses to count towards the minor, shares the student’s interest in peace and conflict studies, and identifies how the program complements the student’s academic goals.
A minor in peace and conflict studies consists of six credits, of which no more than two may be taken in the student’s major department. Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies (PEAC 015) is required and should be taken before the junior year if possible. Normally, the student who applies for a course minor in Peace and Conflict Studies will have completed (or be in the process of completing) two courses in Peace and Conflict Studies.
Students who intend to pursue a course minor in peace and conflict studies should submit a copy of the “Peace and Conflict Studies Application for Minor,” form and their narrative Sophomore Plan of Study to the Peace and Conflict Studies program office, Trotter 107, after consultation with the program coordinator.
Honors Minor
Students with any major in the Honors Program may choose an honors minor in peace and conflict studies. Normally, the student who applies for an Honors minor in Peace and Conflict Studies will have completed (or be in the process of completing) two courses in Peace and Conflict Studies.
An honors minor in peace and conflict studies consists of six credits, of which no more than two may be taken in the student’s major department. Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies (PEAC 015) is required and should be taken before the junior year if possible. Students in the Honors Program who choose an Honors Minor in Peace and Conflict Studies must complete one preparation for external examination.
A standard two-credit preparation can consist of a seminar, a combination of two courses in different departments, a two-credit thesis, or a combination of a thesis and a course. Any thesis must be multidisciplinary. You should propose a standard preparation unless you have obtained the approval of a sponsoring faculty member to undertake an honors attachment or thesis. The proposed preparation must be approved by the Peace and Conflict Studies Committee.
Students who intend to pursue an Honors minor in Peace and Conflict Studies should submit a copy of their completed Peace and Conflict Studies Application for Minor form; their narrative Sophomore Plan of Study; and their “Honors Application” form, to the Peace and Conflict Studies Program office, Trotter 107, after consulation with the program coordinator. The narrative sophomore plan should present a plan of study that satisfied the minor requirements, specifies the courses to count toward the minor, shares the student’s interest in peace and conflict studies, describes the Honors preparation, and identifies how the program complements the student’s academic goals.
Students whose honors minor in peace and conflict studies can be incorporated into the final requirements for Senior Honors Study in the major should do so. The Peace and Conflict Studies Committee will work out the guidelines for the integration exercise with the student and the major department.
Applying for the Minor
Students who intend to minor in peace and conflict studies should submit a copy of their Sophomore Plan to the coordinator of the program during the spring of the sophomore year, after consultation with program faculty members. The paper should present a plan of study that satisfies the requirements stated below, specify the courses to count toward the minor, share the student’s interest in peace and conflict studies, and identify how the program complements the student’s academic goals.
Honors students’ sophomore papers should describe and justify their proposed honors preparation in terms of its suitability for examination and its contribution to the student’s interests in peace and conflict studies. Students should obtain advance approval from faculty members who teach the courses that are to be included in an honors preparation. If the preparation involves a thesis, the student should specify a thesis topic and a thesis adviser. All applications must be approved by the Peace and Conflict Studies Committee.
Off-Campus Study
Off-campus study is encouraged for both special majors and minors in peace and conflict studies. Many options for off-campus study programs are available through the Off-Campus Study Office.
Normally, up to two courses taken outside of Swarthmore may be counted toward the minor, and up to three courses taken outside of Swarthmore College may be counted toward the major, subject to the approval of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program coordinator.
Research and Service-Learning
Internships
Student programs can include an internship or fieldwork component. An internship is highly recommended. Fieldwork and internships normally do not receive credit. However, students can earn up to one credit for special projects that are developed with an instructor and approved in advance by the Peace and Conflict Studies Committee.
Summer Opportunities
Peace and Conflict Studies Program minors and honors minors are encouraged to apply for funding from the Lippincott Fund, Julia and Frank Lyman Student Summer Research Fellowship, the Joanna Rudge Long ‘56 Award in Conflict Resolution, the Simon Preisler Student Research and Internship award, and/or the Howard G. Kurtz, Jr. and Harriet B. Kurtz Memorial Fund. Applications are due in February, and information can be obtained from the program’s website.
Additional information on funding, internships, training, and career opportunities are also available on the Peace and Conflict Studies Program website at www.swarthmore.edu/peacestudies.
Life After Swarthmore
Peace and Conflict Studies alumni often develop or work in organizations that promote peace and justice locally and globally. Many pursue graduate work in fields directly or closely related to peace and conflict studies. You may find a growing digest of student and alumni activities on the program’s website at http://blogs.swarthmore.edu/pcsstudents/.
Peace and Conflict Studies Courses
The following courses may be applied toward a minor in peace and conflict studies. Each of the courses designated as PEAC is open to all students unless otherwise specified. In the event of an oversubscribed course, preference in enrollment will be given to declared peace and conflict studies minors. Courses that are eligible to count toward a concentration or minor in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights at Haverford College or Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice at Bryn Mawr College may also be applied toward a course minor in peace and conflict studies at Swarthmore. Student programs may, subject to prior approval by the committee, also include independent study; special attachments to courses that are not listed here; courses offered at the University of Pennsylvania; and courses taken abroad.
Courses noted with an asterisk * are eligible for a peace and conflict studies minor by obtaining written approval of the instructor and the program coordinator before the drop/add period ends. Course materials may be requested for confirmation after course completion. Course approval forms may be downloaded from the Peace and Conflict Studies Program website.
Please consult www.swarthmore.edu/peacestudies for updates, descriptions, and scheduling
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