Where Do I Seek Advice?

The undergraduate program in peace studies benefits from the involvement of over fifty faculty associated with the teaching and research of the Kroc Institute. The Director of Academic Programs (DAP) and the Student Services Coordinator (SSC) of the Institute provide advising for students interested in declaring a minor or supplementary major in peace studies.

In addition, supplementary majors (only) in peace studies are required to have a faculty advisor, selected in consultation with the DAP or SSC. Advisors provide mentoring and can help students explore interests, recommend courses, and suggest readings and pathways.  Advisors will be drawn from the faculty and faculty fellows of the Institute, who range across many disciplines and are willing to serve. The list of faculty is available at the Kroc Institute web site:

http://kroc.nd.edu/faculty_staff/index.shtml

Supplementary majors must secure the signature of the advisor on the Kroc Institute registration form, showing that the relationship has been established.  The student is then required to meet with his/her faculty advisor every September (by the 30th) and obtain the advisor’s signature on the “Advising Confirmation Form” showing that this meeting has taken place. If a student is abroad in the fall, the advisor meeting should happen by January 31. (For more details, see “How do I become a peace studies student?” below.)

The undergraduate program is administered by the staff of the Peace Institute who work with the Undergraduate Advisory Committee of the Institute to oversee the progress of peace studies students and to discuss short and long term academic policy issues. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please note: for questions about registering for courses which require departmental permission, please contact Rosemarie Green.

What Can I Do with a Peace Studies Major or Minor?

Students and parents often ask two important questions about the program in peace studies: 

1) What are the advantages of completing a major or minor in peace studies? 

2) Can majoring or minoring in peace studies get me a job after I graduate?

There is a two-fold answer to the initial question.  First, at the curricular level, the peace studies program complements the kind of learning provided by the traditional undergraduate major.  Due to its problem-focused and multidisciplinary nature, peace studies helps various "ways of knowing" come alive.  Second, at the co-curricular level, peace studies students often find that various film, lecture and workshop programs sponsored on campus by the Kroc Institute greatly enhance their learning experience at Notre Dame.  A similar feeling exists for students whose learning in peace studies courses sparks their involvement in one or more campus groups such as Pax Christi, Amnesty International, or Women United for Justice and Peace.

The "job question" also warrants a response at two levels.  Generally, we believe that choosing a supplementary major or interdisciplinary minor, much like the selection of a major, ought to emerge from a student's interest in the ideas and issues involved in the mission of the Kroc Institute.  We can even go further and suggest that the issues addressed in the peace studies program are focused on how we ought to live (rather than how we ought to make a living), individually and collectively, in an increasingly violent world.

But, at the same time, we are impressed with the vocational and avocational opportunities that are open to students with skills and background in areas developed in the peace studies program.  During their time at Notre Dame, work in peace studies will also make available to students internship options and other types of learning experiences developing at the Kroc Institute for International peace studies.  Past experience indicates that the combination of a student's major and the supplementary major or the interdisciplinary minor in peace studies provides a very attractive set of skills to a prospective employer.

Finally, we believe that the peace studies program will empower students to be effective and competent citizens in this complex world. 

During the past decade, our graduates have done well. Numerous peace studies students have won graduate fellowships, such as the Marshall Scholarship, the Scoville Peace Fellowship, the Truman Scholarship, Rotary Scholarships, and awards from the United States Institute for Peace and the Fulbright Commission. Additionally, they have won residential fellowships at host institutions, most often in international affairs. They have also gained employment in peace and social justice organizations in the US and abroad.

How Do I Become a Peace Studies Student?

Any student at Notre Dame or St. Mary’s College in any major, from history to engineering or theology to biology, who is interested in the themes of peace, violence, justice and human rights may elect either the supplementary major or interdisciplinary minor in peace studies. 

STEP ONE:

Make an appointment with Rosemarie Green (rgreen@nd.edu or 631-8535) to meet with the Kroc Director of Academic Programs or Coordinator of Student Services.

STEP TWO:

At your meeting, you will complete two sets of paperwork:

How Do I Register for Peace Studies Courses?

During the pre-registration period each semester, check the list of courses under “Institute for International Peace Studies” (IIPS) online using insideND.

Descriptions of the courses can be obtained:

• online at on the Kroc Institute’s internet website:  http://kroc.nd.edu/programs/undergraduate/
• through insideND using the Class Search link
• at the Kroc Institute office in 100 Hesburgh Center (across from the Mendoza College of Business Administration)

How Do I Secure Approval for Studying Abroad?

The Office of International Studies requires students applying for an abroad program to receive approval from each of their majors and minors. If you are a peace studies supplementary major or minor, you must make an appointment with Rosemarie Green (rgreen@nd.edu) to meet with the Director of Academic Programs (not your faculty advisor) for approval.  Please do not wait until the last minute for this meeting!

If you are selected for a study abroad program, you will need to meet with the DAP again the semester before you will be abroad to secure approval for any courses you wish to take abroad towards your supplementary major or minor in peace studies.

How Do I Complete the Program?      

How Do I Participate in the Program in Ways Other Than Taking Classes?

CONTACT INFORMATION

Peace studies at Notre Dame is located in the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the Hesburgh Center for International Studies.