Peace and Social Justice Minor

Peace rooted in justice requires teaching peace and social justice to cultivate those who will become socially responsible leaders.

Why Peace and Social Justice at Valpo?

Valparaiso University nurtures a community whose members learn to embody social responsibility. The community challenges its members to discover ways of using their abilities in the service of the whole human family. Peace rooted in justice requires the nurturing of a culture of peace in homes, schools, communities, religious institutions, nations, and across the world. Peace rooted in justice requires teaching peace and social justice to cultivate those who will become socially responsible leaders.

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About Our Peace and Social Justice Minor

General Information

Overview

The Peace and Social Justice Studies Minor is an interdisciplinary program focusing on social responsibility by examining the means of establishing justice, achieving peace, and resolving conflicts nonviolently. There are two alternative tracks in the program. The International/Global Track concentrates on social responsibility between nations and other large groups, while the Individual/Local Track focuses on social responsibility among individuals, small groups and communities.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 18 credit hours is required for the minor in peace and social justice studies. Specific required courses are listed below.

Program Core
PSJ 201	Principles of Peace and Social Justice	3 credits
PSJ 386	Internship in Peace and Social Justice Studies	3 credits
International/Global Track		9 credits
Concentrates on social responsibility between nations and other large groups Nine credits from the following options (no more than two courses from specified General Electives and no more than two courses from a single department):
HIST 329	Revolution! Insurgence in Latin America	3 credits
HIST 350	Colonialism and Independence: Understanding Modern Africa	3 credits
HIST 355	Modern Middle Eastern History	3 credits
POLS 230	International Relations	3 credits
THEO 334	Holocaust Theology	3 credits
THEO 345	The Church in the World	3 credits
THEO 362	Islamic Religion and Culture	3 credits
Individual/Local Track		9 credits
Concentrates on social responsibility among individuals, small groups, and communities Nine credits from the following options (no more than two courses from specified General Electives and no more than two courses from a single department):
ECON 136	The Economics of Health, Education, and Welfare	3 credits
ECON 233	The Economics of Race and Gender	3 credits
HIST 225	Alternative Perspectives of United States History	3 credits
POLS 340	Constitutional Law I	3 credits
POLS 345	The Judicial Process	3 credits
SOC 130	The Criminal Justice System	3 credits
SOC 210	Contemporary Social Problems	3 credits
SOC 275	Systems of Social Stratification	3 credits
SOC 360	Penology	3 credits
SOC 390	Issues in Sociology	3 credits
SOCW 260	Diverse Populations: Human Rights & Justice	3 credits
THEO 329	Topics in Christian History (when topic is appropriate)	3 credits
THEO 333	Black Theology and Black Church	3 credits
THEO 349	Topics in Religious Ethics (when topic is appropriate)	3 credits
THEO 353	Studies in Theology and Practice	3 credits
General Electives
No more than one course at the 100-level and no more than two courses from a single department
PHIL 250	Political Philosophy	3 credits
POLS 250	Political Philosophy	3 credits
POLS 361	Public Policy	3 credits
POLS 490	Seminar in Political Science	3 credits
PSY 125	Social Psychology	3 credits
PSY 390	Special Topics in Psychology	3 credits
THEO 318	Jesus and the Gospels	3 credits
Several other courses, offered as topics courses and seminars, will be publicized when approved by the administrative committee. A student who wishes to include a course not on the list of electives must obtain the approval of the administrative committee before enrolling in that course.

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