Nearly every year since 1993, peace studies undergraduates at Notre Dame have planned and directed a Student Peace Conference.
The conference, which takes place during the spring semester, unites undergraduate and graduate students from universities and colleges across the United States and abroad with a spirit of peace, a desire to see a change in the world, and commitment to a rigorous, multi-disciplinary academic program focused on building international peace.
Students present original research, often focusing on case studies that reflect innovative peacebuilding practices.
Recent student peace conferences:
2012 "Strategies of Peace: Transforming Conflict in a Modern World"
Student participants focused on strategic peacebuilding, the Kroc Institute's pioneering approach to peace, examining how processes at local and global levels can foster peace.
Selected papers presented:
- "Women's Human Rights in Iraq: A Peacebuilder's Perspective"
- "Transcending Differences: A Project to Foster a Culture of Peace in School"
- "Climate Change and Strategic Peacebuilding"
- "Do We All Agree? Exploring Group Perspectives on Reconciliation in Post-Apartheid South Africa"
- "Drugs and Peace Duration"
- "Engineering the Future: Nation-building Opportunities Presented by the Arab Spring"
2011 “Partnering for Peace”
This conference highlighted how individuals and organizations collaborate to promote peace through civil society, education of youth, empowerment of women, and partnerships.
Selected papers presented:
- “Partnership Between the Government of Uganda and Peacebuilding Grassroots Organizations: A Case Study of Kyembogo Farmers’ Association”
- “Integrating Health Systems into Nation Building: Utilizing Outside Health Systems to Help Build Peaceful, Healthy Countries”
- “The Role of the Civil Society Organizations in Enhancing the Christian-Muslim Relations in Bethlehem”
- “Interreligious Dialogue as a Peacebuilding Tool in Mindanao”
- “Negotiating Peace in Guatemala: A Critique of United Nations Intervention”
- “Participation, Peace, and Palestine: The Role of Women”
2010 “Invest in Peace: Uncover the Practicality of Peacebuilding”
Student research examined how peaceful conditions can be established through good governance and just economic policies, the empowerment of women, youth, and increased participation in civil society.
Selected papers presented:
- “NGOs and Structural Violence”
- “The International Criminal Court Faces Considerable Barriers”
- “The Role of Civil Society in Peace Processes: Taking the DRC as a Case”
- “Raising the Bar: How the U.N. Global Compact Promotes Sustainable Peace through Corporate Social Responsibility Standards”
- “The Effect of Single Mothers on the Development of Costa Rica”
- “Immigration and Violence: Youth and the Transnational Crime Network”
