San Diego City College Peace Studies Certificate

Organizers
Stephen Bouscaren, Ph.D.
Jelena Cingel, M.A.

Staff
Matt Babby
Ryan Ballard
Rachel Brewer
Beau Demkar
Ryan Robinson

Sponsors
World Cultures Program
San Diego City College

Special Thanks
President Terry Burgess

San Diego City College
Peace Studies Certificate

The Peace Studies Certificate Program will be starting in Fall 2008. Read more to find out details of the program. If you have further questions please email one of the contacts listed below.

The Peace Studies Certificate offers an interdisciplinary, theoretical, and practical approach for students to enter into the academic and/or professional field of Peace Studies. Students gain skills to critically analyze current affairs related to peace and conflict. Students evaluate global consequences of events leading to violent conflict to offer alternative solutions to create more peaceful, just and equitable societies. The Peace Studies program allows students to gain professional experience with an organization working within a related field through participation in the required one-unit capstone course on service learning.

To provide the opportunity for the student to contemplate, analyze, and discuss issues related to peace and conflict on all levels; to apply theory in academic disciplines such as literature, anthropology, environmental science and philosophy to the field of peace studies; to critically think about their role in the world and their possible contributions to a more peaceful world; to demonstrate theories related to both positive and negative peace; to gain an understanding of the role of human rights and other moral and ethical concepts.

The four main pillars of the Peace Studies program are human rights, conflict studies, peace processes and the concept of justice in relation to peace. The program explores issues related to these four pillars on an inter/intra personal, communal, and global level. An emphasis is placed upon 1) the interdisciplinary nature of addressing issues related to peace and conflict, 2) active participation and involvement in the service learning component of the required capstone course, and 3) affective and analytical responses to concepts related to the four pillars.

This Certificate prepares students to enter into academic and professional fields related to peace studies. Available career tracks include working for non-profit agencies, international organizations, governmental agencies, public institutions and educational institutions. Students may select a professional or academic focus such as peace building, conflict management, mediation, international law, international relations, political science, history, environmental science, anthropology, comparative literature, peace psychology or philosophy. Most career options directly related to Peace Studies require a four year degree, however some examples of career options with the Certificate may include: Program Coordination, Human Rights Advocate, Community Liaison, Relief / Aid Worker, Peace Activist, Mediator, Resource Developer, Educator, Philanthropist, Environmentalist, Anthropologist, Event Coordinator, and Board Member for a Non-Profit Organization.