The Peace and Justice minor is an interdisciplinary program that prepares students to engage with issues of peace and justice both locally and globally. It consists of at least six courses, including an introduction, a capstone, and at least 40 hours of approved and monitored field experience. View the complete minor requirements and course descriptions.

Our Norbertine heritage guides us toward a primary emphasis on conflict transformation and reconciliation. Norbert of Xanten was known as a peacemaker, one who brought enemies together by inviting them to share together in the Eucharist. Such work involves much more than simply the cessation of violence. Conflict transformation means that we must also address the deep-rooted causes of conflict, seeking justice as the establishment of what is good and right. This broad understanding of sustainable peace requires that we draw from all academic disciplines in our analysis and strategic thinking. Students have opportunity to focus on economic and environmental justice, human rights and responsibilities, or conflict and peace.

Why study peace and justice?
Violent conflict remains one of the most serious problems in the world today. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year as a result of war, and millions of refugees are displaced and suffering. The interdisciplinary academic field of peace studies attempts to understand the causes of such conflict and contribute to sustainable strategies that will lead not just to the absence of war, but to genuine human flourishing. Peace scholars respond to the issues of the day, making their work increasingly relevant to government officials, humanitarian agencies, businesses, social entrepreneurs, and others who are seeking to build a more civil society.

At St. Norbert College, the Peace and Justice minor reflects the Norbertine ideal of communio, which encourages us to respond individually and collectively to the needs of our local and global communities. It also honors the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, inspiring all members of the college community to be advocates for the common good. The Peace and Justice minor serves as an important complement to existing academic majors and to programs offered by the Peace and Justice Center, Campus Ministry, the Office of International Education, and the Center for Community Service and Learning.

What can you do with a peace and justice minor ?
Some alumni who have completed the minor have served with the Peace Corps or other volunteer service programs. Others have assumed leadership roles with non-profit organizations or have sought advanced degrees in the field. However, since the minor is not designed to provide professional training, we expect that most graduates will be engaged in issues of peace and justice while working in other fields. This is not a concession, but an ideal. Sustainable peace requires the informed action of change agents from every sector of society, and the Peace and Justice minor at St. Norbert College equips men and women to understand and partner for change in some of the most complex issues of our time.

Rachelle Barina, PJ minor, SNC '09

"When I was a student at SNC, I discerned a deep passion for issues  surrounding social justice and international development.  To ground this passion, I wanted to find an area of study in which I could gain practical knowledge. Because my interests spanned economics, psychology, religion, gender studies, business, and philosophy, I did not feel satisfied choosing a single discipline. Peace and Justice was an ideal fit, as it required enrollment in courses across several disciplines. Looking back now, some of these classes have been foundational for the work I have since pursued. I have found myself recalling Marc von der Ruhr’s Macroeconomics class when teaching my own course in development and poverty alleviation, Sr. Sally Ann Brickner’s Poverty and Justice class when giving pastoral care to death row inmates in Tennessee, and Bridget Burke Ravizza’s Feminist Theology course when working with indigenous women in Guatemala.

"In addition to these ephemeral uses of the major, the Peace and Justice internship I did in the Brown County Jail shaped me in profound and lasting ways. If economics, international studies, or religion gave me tools to engage others and especially the poor and marginalized, my internship reshaped the my worldview. In the jail, I encountered real people struggling with poverty, addiction, abuse and mental illness. I learned about healing, need, vulnerability, loss, hope, and love. The inmates, those marginalized and forgotten by society, were at once alluring and repulsive – alluring because they were so much like me, repulsive because our greatest similarity was the presence of a deep woundedness and frailty.

"Now, as I pursue a Ph.D. in health care ethics, reminders of human frailty abound. Recognizing this frailty in myself, patients, families, doctors, and administrators is crucial to facilitating sound health care decisions. Moreover, P&J gave me a solid base of knowledge upon which my scholarship and teaching continues to draw. In preparing to teach a course in Catholic Health Ethics, for example, I dug up my senior thesis project. Similarly, while writing an essay on resource allocation, I thought back to my economics class. The foundations I gained in P&J have been well worth the effort. I am confident that in the clinical ethics position I hope to one day attain, I will continue to rely on the knowledge I gained from P&J."

Oversight
The Associate Dean for International Education, Joseph Tullbane, supervises interdisciplinary programs including the Peace and Justice minor. A committee of faculty works on assessment and program development, and Bridget Burke Ravizza serves as the Program Director. Also advising students are Robert Pyne, Jason Senjem, Christopher Meidl, and Leanne Kent.