Siena will be bringing back its minor in Peace Studies starting in the spring 2019 semester.
The minor will be a good fit for students looking for careers in law, social work, education, politics, criminology and many other fields, said co-directors Dirk de Jong, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work, and Tom Dickens, Ph.D., professor of religious studies.
The 18-credit program has been “revised and reimagined,” said de Jong, “to make it more attractive to students in a wider range of disciplines.”
De Jong and Dickens said the minor will form the intellectual foundation of the skills needed in what is now called “conflict transformation,” whereby groups work toward facilitation and reconciliation, rather than one side imposing a solution. There will also be a large emphasis on social justice.
Each student will take the course Introduction to Peace Studies and a capstone Seminar in Peace Studies, where they will participate in an internship or field research.
The program will be interdisciplinary; students will have the option to take diverse electives in political science, religious studies, social work, environmental studies and sciences, and other departments.
“It certainly aligns with Siena’s Franciscan mission of encouraging students to be peacemakers not only in their own lives but in the world at large,” said de Jong.
