Peace Studies is defined as the interdisciplinary examination of the conditions that make for peace. It also investigates the obstacles to the realization of these conditions, drawing on theories and methods from diverse disciplines to focus on what makes for the development of a just and peaceful world order. Peace Studies relates scholarship to practice and challenges those who engage in it to develop new ways of thinking and acting in the world.

Notre Dame's Undergraduate Peace Studies program divides its curriculum of primary and crosslisted courses into three related but distinct areas:

Area A:	The role of international norms, institutions, and states in a peaceful world order: An exploration of ways of making governmental and intergovernmental institutions more effective and representative, and of strengthening governmental compliance with fundamental norms of peace and human rights.
Area B:	The impact of religious, philosophical, and cultural influences on peace: The study of the ethics of the use of force, theological and philosophical visions of global justice, the ways in which the world's religious traditions foment violence or encourage peace, the practice of nonviolence, and the linguistic, literary and historical dimensions of cultures of peace.
Area C:	The promotion of social, economic, and environmental justice: The study of social change, with specific attention to the role of nongovernmental organizations, commercial enterprises, and states in fostering sustainable economic development, respect for human rights, conflict resolution and nonviolent conflict transformation, support of gender and family issues, and protection of the environment.

In both the supplementary major (24 credit hours of required coursework) and the minor (15 credit hours of required coursework), students will complete an introductory course, explore the three key areas of peace studies, and participate in an integrative senior seminar.

In addition to regularly scheduled on-campus offerings, course work in various international study abroad programs also provide unique classroom and service opportunities for our students. In some cases, courses taken abroad may count towards a peace studies supplementary major or minor. Peace studies students who are considering applying for study abroad should contact Rosemarie Green to schedule an appointment with the Director of Academic Programs to discuss their plans.

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