Overview
Peace and Justice Studies (PJS) is an interdisciplinary program that gives students the opportunity to explore complex social justice and peace issues from the perspective of multiple disciplines. Students acquire depth of learning through the integration of ideas within those disciplines. Through their degree plan they are challenged to offer new vision and leadership for positive social change. The program offers rigorous academic study promoting critical analysis, dialogue and nonviolent approaches to domestic and foreign policy issues. There is both a local and global emphasis in exploring issues of justice and peace for the common good of the human family and of the earth.
Mission
PJS is an integrative/interdisciplinary program that educates students in nonviolent social change, global interdependence and civic engagement. The major seeks to prepare students to find meaningful work in the service of the common good.
Goals
The goals of the Peace and Justice major are to provide students with:
- a wide range of practical and academic skills, including, conflict management and dialogue, nonviolent communication, community organizing, intercultural engagement and critical inquiry;
- an interdisciplinary framework for analyzing and working toward solving complex systemic issues;
- a foundation to explore creative paradigm change for peace building and justice;
- experiential learning opportunities.
History of the Peace and Justice Program at Regis
Regis College initiated an interdisciplinary minor in Peace and Justice Studies (PJS) in 1998. The minor was designed to be consistent with the Jesuit mission of service to others and provide an academically rigorous course of study in the scholarly and interdisciplinary field of peace and justice. An interdisciplinary major program, weaving together classes from twelve academic departments, was launched in the fall of 2007. PJS promotes critical analysis of social issues, dialogue, and nonviolent approaches to personal lifestyle choices as well as domestic and foreign policy decisions. A local and global emphasis explores justice and peace for the common good of the human family and the earth.
Students and alumni of Peace and Justice Studies at Regis promote these values through leadership, contributions to the improvement and transformation of society, distinguished professional work and service. The pursuit of truth, by questioning, "How ought we to live?" is an integral aspect of the curriculum. Interdisciplinary study, a critical analysis of the root causes of poverty and injustice, inquiry and dialogue permeate PJS at Regis. Students act to demonstrate love in service, integrate faith and justice and participate in local and international peace building efforts.
Curriculum
With a solid multidisciplinary core study program, students are introduced to the necessary academic foundation to explore interdisciplinary work. By incorporating theory, concepts and practice together from multiple disciplines students achieve a depth of learning that addresses complex issues in the world. In PJS a student explores a course of study within the framework of a worldview promoting human dignity and the common good. PJS requires a student to achieve the ability to make connections and understand the inter-relatedness of poverty, violence, discrimination, war and justice, security, freedom, peace, and human community. In the PJS program a student explores issues through multiple lenses to discover alternatives to violence and move beyond the limited ideas that maintain the status quo.
Peace and Justice Studies Major Requirements
Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Justice Studies
Minor in Peace and Justice Studies
MAJOR PLAN
The PJS major will be 28 Semester Hours (upper division credits).
1. The Core consists of four required courses in the following sequence. (13 SH)
- PJ 200 Peace and Justice in Theory and Practice 3 SH)
- PJ 400 Foundations of Peace and Justice 3 SH)
- PJ 408 Research Methods(3 SH)PJ 496 Peace and Justice Studies Project (4 SH)
Students are encouraged (not required) to enroll in PJ 200 as the first step in the degree program
2. Concentration/Thematic focus requires 15 SH from PJ cross-listed courses. Beyond the Core PJS courses (above,) students will design a thematic focus with their academic advisor. So, if you are interested in global and environmental studies or law or human rights, your faculty advisor will work with you to set up a menu of PJS upper division classes in those areas.
The PJS Minor Requirements include 16 semester hours
- PJ200 (3)
- PJ400 (3)
- PJ496 (4)
- Two PJS upper division elective course (6)
Prerequisites and Advising
As a PJS student you will receive personal advising from our PJS faculty. We pride ourselves in taking advising seriously and helping our students design programs of study that will help them reach their academic and personal goals. As you enter the the PJS major and determine a thematic focus or concentration, your advisor will review the 200 and 300 level courses necessary to support the upper division courses that will shape the major. For example, if a student decides to focus in the area of human rights, s/he might want to create an interdisciplinary course of study that includes Religious Studies, Economics, and Communication. The advisor would work with the student to select lower division courses such as Christianity, Politics and Public Policy in the U.S., Micro and Macro Economics, and Mass Communication Law. Essentially, these courses become prerequisites for successful advancement into the chosen concentration.
PJS Department faculty include Dr. Geoffrey Bateman, Dr. Eric Fretz and Dr. Byron Plumely. Additionaly, over 20 affiliate faculty from 12 departments contribute courses to the PJS program.
Learn more about our distinguished faculty members by viewing our Department of Peace and Justice Studies faculty profiles.
Engaged Scholar Activist Program
As a PJS student, you will enjoy opportunities to be involved with the Center for Service Learning. The Engaged Scholar-Activist Program engages students from all years in school and across various disciplines of study to act as student leaders in the office, the classroom, and in the community. ESAs help create and plan service learning and community-based learning classes by organizing service placements and activities, and acting as models of leadership and activism for their peers.
This program was inspired by the the nationally recognized “Student as Colleague” model suggested by Campus Compact, which is currently functioning in various colleges and universities around the country. This program utilizes the knowledge and power of students across all class standings and through various disciplines in order to further the work of the Center for Service Learning (CSL) in Regis College. The aims of this program are for students to enhance the work of the CSL in three areas: through working directly with faculty and departments to help plan and implement effective service learning in the classroom; through serving as mentors and resources for students working in the community; and by acting as direct liaisons between CSL and community organizations in Denver.
Internships
Internships are both recommended and encouraged in the Regis Peace and Justice program. The internship experience will be directed according to the guidelines of the College Academic Internship program. Our goal is that internship placement will complement the primary area of concentration in the student plan and will open up many opportunities based on the career goals of the student.
In the past, PJS students have secured internships with the following Denver-based community organizations:
- American Friends Service Committee
- Conflict Center
- Denver Justice and Peace Committee
- The Gathering Place
- Rights for All People
Careers
Our PJS graduates have taken positions as international refugee service providers, environmental workers, social service case workers, teachers, health care professionals, non-profit managers, human rights educators, community organizers, and much more. PJS graduates have also gone to graduate school in humanities, theology, law, medicine, human rights, and social sciences.
Most importantly, though, a PJS degree will change your life. It will make you think differently about the world, about what you can do to create a world of justice and peace, to create a meaningful life for yourself, and yes, to make a living.