The course begins with reflection on “vocation” or “calling” in life. One of the Beatitudes Jesus proclaimed in His Sermon on the Mount was “Blessed are the Peacemakers.” Throughout this course we will consider the lives of various persons who have responded to a call to be a peacemaker. We will be alert to the variety of ways such a call found expression in their lives. Together we will study the vocation or “call” to nonviolence of Mahatma Gandhi and of Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will elect to study the life and writings of other peacemakers. These include but are not limited to the following:

Arias Sanchez, Oscar - Peace Negotiations in Central America
Aung San Suu Kyi - Solidarity; Human Rights & Democracy in Burma
Berrigan, Rev. Daniel, S.J.- Nonviolence; Resistance to Vietnam War
Caldicott, Dr. Helen - Antinuclear Activist
Carson, Rachel - Care of Creation
Chavez, Cesar - Human Rights esp. of Farm Workers
Day, Dorothy - Nonviolence; Preferential Option for the Poor
Dear, Rev. John, S.J. - Power of Nonviolence
Mandela, Nelson - Antiapartheid in South Africa; Antinuclear Weaponry
Menchu, Rigoberta - Common Good; Human Rights esp. Indigenous
Muste, A. J. - Peace Agitator; Direct Action and Resistance
Romero, Archbishop Oscar Solidarity; Preferential Option for the Poor
Teresa of Calcutta (Mother) Life and Dignity of the Human Person
Thich Nhat Hanh - Buddhist Monk Committed to Nonviolence & Compassion
Tutu, Archbishop Desmond Truth and Reconciliation as Way to Peace; Antiapartheid
Walesa, Pres. Lech - Democracy; Workers Rights
Wiesel, Elie - Holocaust Survivor and Humanitarian
Williams, Betty & Corrigan Mairead - Peace activists in Northern Ireland
Williams, Jody - Banning of Landmines

An essential component of this course is examination of the meaning of peace and justice and of war and its causes. We will see how the Christian churches have given prominence to peace and justice in their social teachings. In considering the meaning of negative peace and of positive peace we will focus attention on a number of global issues including human rights, poverty and development, population growth, environmental degradation, militarization (including weapons proliferation, sales and disarmament) and security in the Post-Cold War World.
This is a broad agenda intended to cast light on many areas with the expectation that a more detailed study of particular issues will follow in other courses.

Course Goals


1. To explore the concept of vocation and reflect on how a commitment to peace and justice might be an aspect of one’s life work

2. To gain a basic understanding of some of the major issues in our society and the world as they relate to peace and justice;

3. To provide a framework for future study in the peace and justice minor;

4. To understand and appreciate the social teachings of the Christian churches and other religions as they relate to considerations of peace and justice;

5. To promote commitment to working actively for change in our world in those situations where justice and peace are not given due attention.

David P. Barash & Charles P. Webel. Peace and Conflict Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2002.

Fischer, Louis (Editor). The Essential
Gandhi. Random House, NY: Vintage Books, 1962.

King, Martin Luther Jr. Why We Can’t Wait. New York: Penguin Books, 1963.

Articles and Pamphlets

1. Regular Attendance & Participation


2. Assigned Readings (see tentative calendar that is attached)


3. Four reflective essays (2-3 double-spaced typed pages) based on our study and discussion of each section of our text:

Teaching and learning, though closely linked, are not the same. It is the teacher’s responsibility to organize educational experiences so that maximum opportunity exists for students to learn. Students are responsible for their own learning. Learning is a process more than a product. It takes time and requires a great deal of reflection, questioning, and critical thinking on the part of the students. The teacher, as facilitator and guide, assists the students in their learning process so that it is more meaningful, reflective and substantive. The teacher, too, is always learning. I look forward this shared learning experience about Peace and Justice this semester.