37 undergraduate courses in the 2026–27 Undergraduate Calendar, and 28 graduate courses in the Fall 2026 Graduate Calendar.
This course explores ways in which individuals and groups from multiple sectors of society have contributed to peace by engaging conflict constructively and advancing social justice. Attention will be given to the diversity of peacemaking approaches, and to interpersonal and intergroup as well as international applications.
An examination of influential theories about the sources and nature of conflict, violence, and peace. Contributions from the social sciences as well as the humanities will be explored, with attention to connections between interpersonal, intergroup, and international levels of analysis.
An examination of the resolution of conflicts, ranging from interpersonal to broader social and international conflicts. Students are introduced to negotiation, mediation, and nonviolent resistance, and are encouraged to develop their own theoretical understandings that aid in addressing conflict.
A survey of individuals and groups that have created popular movements for peace globally and locally throughout history. The scope will be international, with a particular focus on the 19th and 20th century movements. The choice of peace movements will allow for a contrast in comparison of ideology, strategy, and impact.
A seminar course exploring special issues related to peace and conflict. Content will vary from year to year.
A seminar course investigating special issues related to peace and conflict. Content may vary from year to year.
A seminar course investigating special issues related to peace and conflict. Content may vary from year to year.
This course explores the natural environment as a potential source of both conflict and peacebuilding in local, national, and international contexts. In this course, we examine both the gravity of the global environmental crisis and the inspiration of the growing grassroots movement toward resilience and peaceful change.
This course introduces a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives on international development. It examines current and alternative development programs in terms of their contribution to justice and/or peace at local, national, and global levels.
A study of works of literature and film which express a resistance to war. The course examines how the desire to articulate an anti-war position has engaged the artistic sensibilities and shaped the visions and modes of expression of selected writers and filmmakers.
An analysis of the growing use of mediation and other conflict resolution strategies in community conflicts, race relations, church disputes, and alternatives to the legal system. The course focuses on case studies with attention to both practical and theoretical issues.
This seminar course presents alternative ways of designing the educational experience using restorative justice as a foundation. It applies the principles and practices of restorative justice to many aspects of education including dealing with conflict, curriculum development, school culture, and system issues.
This course is built on the conviction that the kinds of problems engineers seek to address, and the ways they seek to address them, should matter for anyone interested in advancing peace in the world. Topics include historical connections between the discipline of engineering and warfare, understanding the engineering method and mindset, and technological frontiers for peacebuilding.
An exploration of the traditional debates concerning the legitimacy of violence and war as instruments in the pursuit of personal and political goals. The course critically examines a continuum of views from religious doctrines of non-resistance, to various forms of pacifism and non-violent resistance, "just-war theory", and political realism. The strategic arguments for political non-violent action are also considered.
This course confronts the central challenge of how to transition from violence to just peace; from deep-rooted conflict, war, and structural violence to positive peace and transformed relationships. Students will learn key terms and concepts, explore frameworks for peacebuilding, understand central critiques of peacebuilding, and apply concepts of broad-based social change to conflict scenarios. Coursework includes readings, case studies, simulation exercises, and application projects.
Current Christian approaches to peacemaking in areas of conflict: war and militarism, crime, poverty, racism, and gender relations. Attention will be given to various biblical, theological, and historical bases for these approaches.
An examination of various themes in the history of peace and war using gender as a central category of analysis. Theoretical literature and international case studies will be used to explore how the discourse and enactment of war and peace are influenced by societal constructions of gender, both historically and in the present.
This course explores different ways of negotiating between people and groups with conflicting interests. Students will learn the theory behind the strategies and develop practical negotiation skills you can put to use in your daily life at home, at work, and in the community.
This course will explore the tension between the values of human security/human rights and traditional economic policy. The impact of this dynamic relationship on the well-being of individuals as well as on corporations and international economic institutions to promote peace and just development will also be analyzed.
In this course students will draw on case studies from the past and present to understand why people flee their homes and homelands to seek refuge elsewhere. Students will examine the policies and practices of government and non-governmental agencies in facilitating or blocking such movements. Students will also analyze the attitudes, values, and language that shape local and global responses to refugee movements, on the part of civil society and the state. Students in this course will become acquainted with organizations that work with refugees in the Waterloo Region and will gain a critical understanding of Canada's role in refugee reception.
This course investigates the roles of religion and spirituality in peacemaking, exploring both obstacles and opportunities facing religious peace builders. Cases involving representatives of major world religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism) will provide a basis for comparing practices of faith-based advocacy for social justice, reconciliation, and coexistence.
Cultural differences enrich our world while also creating bases for disagreement and misunderstanding among individuals, social groups, and nations. This course explores the cultural dimensions of conflict and conflict resolution, shedding light on major patterns of human difference and their implications for contemporary peacebuilding practice.
This course investigates the history, theory, principles, practices, and people of restorative justice. Content will centre particularly on restorative justice as a way of dealing with crime and interpersonal violence in the Canadian context.
Christians have engaged in complex debates about the ethics of war and peace. Students will critically examine a range of beliefs and practices within Christianity, especially pacifism and nonviolent resistance, just war, and realism. They will examine how diverse Christian beliefs developed in relation to different historical and cultural contexts, and assess the implications of various approaches. Students will encounter practitioners who have sought to put into action various Christian ethical theories and spiritualities in response to armed conflict.
This course examines how attention to trauma and healing can inform processes to transform conflict, violence, and injustice. With case examples from domestic abuse to colonialism and police violence, students explore theories and approaches to trauma and healing to better understand pathways to personal and social transformation and how they can be applied in various contexts. Topics include causes, types, and impacts of trauma; the role of trauma in cycles of violence; and frameworks for healing informed by contemporary social justice movements.
This course will explore ethical challenges in peacebuilding. It will answer the questions: What are ethical problems in peacebuilding? How can we better understand and assess these problems? And, how can we improve our ability to support, or engage in, ethical peacebuilding practice?
This course will give students both a thorough understanding of the mediation process and practical, hands-on mediation experience. Students will develop in-depth, first-hand knowledge and experience resolving conflicts through the role of the mediator as third party. The course will include a series of role-plays, readings, and case studies.
This course examines music's role in peace and conflict from a variety of perspectives through listening, reading, discussion, and using examples from around the world. Topics include the use of music in dissent and resistance, and as an instrument of propaganda, conflict, and peacebuilding.
Why has the Bible inspired so much violence? This course explores how it has been used to justify, and to oppose, violence within the Christian tradition in historical and contemporary contexts. Topics may include the crusades, slavery, colonization, apartheid in South Africa, the residential school system in Canada, gender violence, and the environmental crisis.
An internship allows students to engage in experiential learning with an organization that deals with peace and conflict issues, in either a Canadian or international context. The course integrates theory and practice, while facilitating the development of attitudes, strategies, skills, and knowledge that support work in a peace and conflict studies-related setting. Students will identify an appropriate placement, read relevant texts, and submit a report reflecting on what the internship revealed about the integration of peace and conflict studies theory and practice.
This course provides a framework for students to pursue conflict resolution skills training by completing intensive skills-building workshops in the Certificate Program in Conflict Management with additional academic work supervised by Peace and Conflict Studies faculty.
A travel seminar of approximately three weeks in length, taught on location, which will involve travel to a region that has experienced conflict. Student preparation, in the form of readings and/or written assignments, will be required prior to departure. Regular lectures and interaction with persons who have worked for peace will be scheduled. Hands-on examples merging theory with practice will be emphasized. Possible locations include the Middle East, Central/South America, Africa, Asia.
Students may arrange independent studies in the area of peace and conflict studies on problems of special interest.
Students may arrange independent studies in the area of peace and conflict studies on problems of special interest.
Each student will work on an integrative research project and will meet regularly with other students and faculty for discussion.
A continuation of PACS 401. Each student will work on an integrative research project or projects and will meet regularly with other students and faculty for discussion.
A seminar course offering an in-depth investigation into special issues related to peace and conflict. Content will vary from year to year.
From the Fall 2026 Graduate Calendar.
This course explores the promise and challenge of civil society in relation to transforming conflict and oppression and building peace. Students will critically examine the history and theories of civil society as well as its functions as a site for struggle against oppression and for advancing collective flourishing.
Building capacity for reflective and effective peace practice, students will develop knowledge and skills in reflexivity, applied qualitative research, and assessment methods. Students will also become familiar with professional ethics, including research ethics.
Students will examine creative approaches to involving a wide variety of people in working for peace and justice at the community level. Students will learn participatory methods for fostering critical awareness and reflection on social problems, developing new visions for change, and mobilizing the power and participation of groups targeted for violence and injustice.
This course examines theoretical and practical frameworks for understanding conflict, with particular attention to structures and dynamics inhibiting peace. The course provides students with some of the analytical skills needed to understand how conflicts develop and escalate, to identify factors that can lead to or sustain violence, and to map root causes of conflict (e.g., human rights violations, needs deprivation, cultural and religious differences, inequality, resource misuse and environmental degradation) at interpersonal, intergroup, and international levels.
This course explores the theoretical and practical foundations of various approaches to working with conflict to advance positive goals such as social equity and reconciliation. Attention will be given to a range of conflict resolution methods and practices (facilitation, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, adjudication) as well as to principles of restorative justice and dynamics of collective peacebuilding practice.
Through comparative case studies, this course examines contemporary nonviolent movements that illustrate pacifist and other nonviolent strategies for advancing social justice and other high-value political goals. Local, national and transnational campaigns that seek to shape the agenda for global change are examined alongside movements of more limited scope and ambition (e.g., national liberation movements, civil rights campaigns, struggles for democracy). Throughout, attention will be given to trends in practice and to debates concerning the effectiveness, ethical significance, and current relevance of nonviolent change methods.
This course uses case studies to analyze the complex issues of trauma, abuse, historical injustice and violence - and investigates approaches to healing, forgiveness and reconciliation (including memory, testimony, tribunals and reparation/atonement). The course explores theoretical and practical models for transforming relationships, including indigenous and non-formal mechanisms employed internationally, and teaches skills that are employed by effective agents of reconciliation.
This course explores cultural, religious and identity-based dimensions of conflict and conflict resolution, examining major patterns of human difference and their implications for contemporary peacebuilding practice. Case studies, simulations and role plays are used to expose students to the practical reality of building a common peace in the midst of diversity.
A seminar course investigating special issues related to peace and conflict. Content may vary from year to year. Course may be repeated if course topic differs.
This course requires completion of a research project that develops a student's capacity to do research for an applied objective. The research may be to support a grant proposal, document and contextualize a need or a human rights abuse, analyze what various agencies are doing in the face of common challenges, or write an advocacy brief to a government. Students are expected to demonstrate a high level of competence in research analysis and writing.
This reading course gives students space to study literature that explores the full theoretical and contemporary scope of readings pertaining to the Peace and Conflict Studies field. These readings will be in conjunction with coursework. Students must seek out the approval of a faculty member who is willing to supervise them and have the approval of the department chair. Students must write a topic proposal and outline of coursework prior to obtaining permission to enroll in the course.
The internship allows students to engage in experiential learnig with a research institute, non-governmental organizaton or other agency/entity that deals with peace and conflict issues. Students are expected to read relevant texts before, during and after the field study, to engage in stubstantial research on th eissues addressed by the host agency/entity and to submit a report reflecting on what the field study/internship revealed about the integration of peace studies theory and practice. Field study placements may be either in Canada or international contexts. Departmental consent is required.
This course provides a framework for students to do academic work related to specific conflict resolution skills training they have received through workshops sponsored by the Center for Extended Learning or the Certified Program in Conflict Management or other credible training organizations. Students will complete this additional academic work as a Directed Study supervised by Peace and Conflict Studies faculty. This course is offered on a credit/no credit basis. The course may be repeated once.
A survey of the theoretical and public policy debates relating to regulation of the global economy, examined through case studies ranging from international banking an intellectual property rights, to labour and environmental standards and the control of illicit economic activity.
The course is a study of international and local responses to human rights abuses in the contexts of economic globalization and proliferation of armed violence. It examines major debates on international human rights. It also deals with specific human rights situations in the developing/transitional countries. Topics include: universalism and cultural relativism, global economic justice, rights to food and health, women's and children's rights, the rights of displaced civilians, human rights and R2P, prospects for transitional justice.
This seminar explores current issues and trends in conflict and security (both traditional and non-traditional) and in the study of global and regional governance to prevent or manage conflict and enhance security. Students will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with a variety of metatheoretical approaches to the subject. For Global Governance programs, the seminar will serve as the core course for the Conflict & Security stream.
In this course we examine a range of "security" issues on the global agenda - both traditional and non-traditional - and examine recent and possible future institutional and policy responses. Issues examined include nuclear proliferation, terrorism, intrastate conflict, resource and territorial disputes, climate change, drugs, disease, and migration. Students will have an opportunity to research in depth a specific security issue of their choice.
This course examines the dimensions, causes, and consequences of social inequality. Focus will vary by instructor specialization.
A critical examination of political and governmental strategies for identifying social problems and managing the conduct of individuals, groups, and populations.
The course will explore the theoretical debates within feminist scholarship surrounding the use of Western liberal legal approaches to prosecute gender violence and improve the socio-economic status of women globally. The course readings will draw from various literatures, including liberal and transnational feminist, postcolonial, and socio-legal and governmentality literatures, to analyse and critically evaluate the concept and deployment of women's empowerment in global contexts.
This course surveys the dominant trends in human settlement since the industrial revolution. Emphasis is placed on selected problems (e.g., provision of basic services such as water supply and sanitation, waste disposal, expanding ecological footprints) faced by cities of various sizes (from mid-sized to mega), the resources available to deal with them, and the new approached to sustainability.
This course introduces students to the history, theories and practices of development economics. Select issues such as trade, (Public and private) capital flows, transnational corporations, technological change and innovation, agricultural and industrial policy and production, poverty and reduction, structural adjustment, etc. are treated, as are recent developments in globalization and global economic governance.
The course will provide students with comprehensive background knowledge relevant to the increasingly important policy challenge of 'water security'. The course will explore how the multiple levels of water security - human, community, state, international, global - require broad but considered policy inputs. Emphasis will be placed on the interdependencies of difference sectors (climate security, food security, energy security) that interact within a 'web' of water security.
Theories of justice are concerned with the distribution of the basic goods of society - money, power, status, leisure, and so on. One would expect that they would be of particular interest to feminist theory, which is also concerned with the distribution of these goods. This course will consider how the gender system fares from the standpoint of liberal justice, and to what extent the promises of liberal justice can be used to overturn the unequal treatment of women. The issues of equality and difference will also be explored.
This course examines the causes of ethnic conflict but focuses in particular on the strategies which states use to manage or resolve such conflicts. The review of state strategies is comprehensive in nature, and includes approaches which are morally unacceptable as well as approaches which many consider morally desirable.
Examination of Christian teachings on war and peace from the early church to the present, including crusade, just war, and pacifist traditions, as well as twentieth century discussions of realism, just revolution, nuclear pacifism, and non¿violent resistance.
An examination of diverse biblical views of peace and violence with attention to the use of the Bible within both historical and contemporary conflict situations. Topics may include physical violence, economic violence, gender issues, residential schools, ethnic conflict, racism.
This course will examine several contemporary theological responses to the encounter of Christianity with other faiths. The meaning and dynamics of inter-religious dialogue and the resources within the Christian faith for such an encounter will be explored.