UWSP adds peace studies minor

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will add a peace studies minor to its curriculum this fall.

According to Diane Gillo, assistant dean of the College of Letters and Science, upgrading the peace studies offerings from a stand-alone group of courses to an interdisciplinary minor is "reasonable and logical." It relies on existing resources and uses available faculty strength.

Peace studies courses have been available at UWSP since the early 1970s as a response to the Vietnam War and other political issues. The new minor reflects recent trends in the field and will challenge students to define peace according to personal and societal goals and to understand the various definitions and conditions of peace in the contemporary world, according to the committee that planned the curriculum.

Eric Yonke, coordinator of the peace studies minor, is also the associate director of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, headquartered at UWSP.

"The institute has been instrumental in helping me develop the peace studies minor," said Yonke.

Founded in the mid-1980s, the institute is a way for faculty from various schools who are interested in peace and conflict studies to pool their resources. It works to provide a network between various public and private institutions to promote peace research and curriculum development.

Students begin the 18-credit minor with a general examination of the history of warfare, the conditions of peace, and the development of international conflict resolution. They then take courses from various department offerings that deal with either global peace and development or social justice and human rights. A senior seminar course or three-credit thesis completes the minor.

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