Professional Perspectives
Peace studies is akin to medicine. It is interdisciplinary, applied, rigorous, has a values dimension (privilege, health), and its findings are often ignored by those who would most benefit. But there is this difference: The need for medical schools and medical training is recognized, the need for peace education and training is not.
- Robert C. Johansen, Professor of Political Science, Notre Dame University; Director of Doctoral Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
An interdisciplinary field that looks at economic, political, and social systems and examines ideology, culture, and technology as they relate to conflict and change. Career related activities include policy research, lobbying, public education, petitioning and protest action, community service, and intercultural diplomacy.
- Foreign Affairs Magazine
An interdisciplinary field that analyzes the causes of war, violence, and systematic oppression, and explores processes by which conflict can be managed so as to maximize justice while minimizing violence.
- Daniel Thomas
From its inception as a multidisciplinary field, Peace Studies has included the concepts, methods, and findings of diverse disciplines while focusing on three general areas of study: 1) the causes and conditions that generate and sustain violent conflict; 2) the mechanisms and models for the resolution of violent conflict; 3) and the norms, practices, and institutions for building peace.
- George Lopez of Notre Dame University's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
