Academic Program
The Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College provides students with the opportunity to examine conflict in various forms and at levels stretching from the interpersonal to the global. The multidisciplinary curriculum explores the causes, practice, and consequences of collective violence as well as peaceful or nonviolent methods of dealing with conflict.
Students who major or minor in Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore will be able to:
- understand factors shaping human conflict (including psychological, social, cultural, political, economic, biological, religious, and historical factors);
- analyze specific cases of conflict, including interpersonal, intergroup, interstate, and international disputes;
- examine theories and models of peacebuilding and reconciliation and evaluate attempts to conduct, manage, resolve, or transform conflict nonviolently;
- investigate intersectionality; forms of oppression and injustice; and conflict, locally, globally, in the United States, and abroad;
- explore topics relevant to peace and conflict through fieldwork, internships, or other experiences outside the classroom; and
- demonstrate the following skills: critical thinking, analysis, research, writing, communication, and teamwork.
Students who intend to major or minor in peace and conflict studies should consult with the department chair as they prepare to declare their intention during the spring of their sophomore year. Students with any major, whether in course or in the Honors Program, may add a course minor in peace and conflict studies. Alternatively, students in the Honors Program may choose an honors minor in peace and conflict studies. All applications must be approved by the Peace and Conflict Studies Committee.
