Peace and Justice Studies Program

Sr. Mary Anne Foley, C.N.D., Ph.D., Director

The Synod of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church (1971) reported that “actions on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel….” The 32nd General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (1974-75) established a pedagogical norm for its own institutions of higher education when it determined that the practice of faith was inextricably linked to the promotion of justice. In this vein the University’s Peace & Justice Program was instituted to bring academic studies, including classes, community service and interdisciplinary research, into the process of building a more just and thus more peaceful society.

The Peace and Justice Concentration will be an attractive complement to the academic programs of students planning careers in law, international relations, human services, ministry and teaching — to name only the most obvious. However, any students who have a personal interest in the problems of peace and justice, regardless of their career goals, can benefit from its multi-disciplinary concentration of courses. It is open to majors from all the undergraduate schools of the University. Eight courses (24 credits) must be taken by students in order to have “Peace and Justice Concentration” added to their transcript. Courses may be taken as part of the cognate requirement (with permission of the chairperson of the major) or as part of the general-education requirements.