Peace Studies

Introduction to the Major

Faculty members talk about what you can learn and what makes this major special.

Mission Statement

The Peace Studies Major aims to train the next generation of peacebuilders who will respect the law and devote themselves to the peace and democratic progress of global society, based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Learning Goals

1. Students learn the structural problems of human society, such as war and conflict, poverty, and the suppression of human rights, as well as their historical origins, and to explore peaceful measures to solve these interrelated problems.
2. Students examine peace issues utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, covering areas such as philosophy, religion, law, politics, economics, social sciences, anthropology, education, psychology and international relations, in order to acquire theories and skills in peace-related contexts.
3. Students develop the ability to organically integrate theoretical research on peace with practical learning at peace activity sites and related organizations.

Specific Courses

1. For General Education courses, students make study plan that will broaden their perspective on the relationship between various academic disciplines and experience of real world before starting this interdisciplinary major.
2. In Foundation courses, students take those such as "Peace Studies" and "International Politics" to acquire the basic knowledge related to peace studies.
3. In Area Major courses, students take courses that deepen their understanding of various fields of peace studies interdisciplinarily, including "International Law" and "International Criminal Law", and others of public policy, political science and international relations, philosophy and religious studies, media, communication and culture, education, psychology, sociology and anthropology. Students are also encouraged to actively participate in study abroad programs at overseas universities with peace studies programs, as well as related study tours in Japan and abroad, and practical courses such as service learning
4. For the senior thesis, students are expected to analyze issues in peace studies from a variety of perspectives and to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge under the supervision of their advisors.

Major Faculty

Explore our Classes Online

Visit the ICU OpenCourseWare site to explore and experience our courses online.