Peace & Conflict Resolution, B.A.

Four Core Courses

• IS 101 Introduction to Global Studies (4 Credits)
• PS 140 Introduction to International Relations (4 Credits)
• One additional 100-level course from the following list:
• PS 150 Introduction to Comparative Politics  (4 Credits)
• AN 120 Cultural Anthropology  (4 Credits)
• RE 105 Living Religions in a Global World  (4 Credits)
• HS 116 Race, Class, & Gender in Modern America ​​ (4 Credits)
• HS 130 Where Continents Meet: Contact, Coexistence and Conflict in the Modern Mediterranean World  (4 Credits)
• PL 175 Introduction to Ethics  (4 Credits)

 

• PS 243 Introduction to Peace and Conflict Resolution (4 Credits)

Three Research Writing Courses

• PS 201 Political Science Research Writing (4 Credits)
• PS 490 Senior Thesis Seminar (4 Credits)
• PS 491 Senior Thesis Seminar (4 Credits)

Five Peace & Conflict Resolution Courses

Students must complete five of the following courses.  At least three of these courses must be at the 300 level or above. The internship course (PS 380 ) may count toward the major but cannot count as a 300+ level elective course.

• PS 240 U.S. Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
• PS 281 Model United Nations (4 Credits)
• PS 311 International Law (4 Credits)
• PS 317 Antiracist Immigration Law and Advocacy (4 credits)
• PS 321 Global Governance and International Organizations (4 Credits)
• PS 335 Politics of Russia and East Europe (4 Credits)
• PS 370 International Human Rights
• PS 380 Political Internship
• GFS HAPS taught or other approved global field study (4 Credits)
• HS 218 The Rise and Fall of a Racial State: South Africa’s Long March in Global Context (4 Credits)
• HS 238 Prejudice and Persecution in Western History (4 Credits)
• HS 355 The World at War, 1914 to 1945 (4 Credits)
• IS 320 Global Poverty and Inequality (4 Credits)
• IS 330 Social Life of War (4 Credits)
• IS 340 Law, Disorder and Globalization (4 Credits)
• PL 350 Social Justice (4 Credits)
• PL 360 Global Ethics (4 Credits)
• US 273 Visual Propaganda of Armed Conflict

• Note: Courses completed abroad and/or electives not listed above may satisfy major and concentration requirements with approval from the Program Director—Political Science majors or the department chairperson.

Elective Course Requirement

Students must complete one 4-credit elective course offered in the Historical and Political Studies Department that will complement career goals or allow for intellectual exploration.

Suggested Undergraduate Courses

Students are strongly encouraged to take PL 155 : Applied Logic and MA 141 : Elementary Statistics before taking PS 490 : Senior Thesis Seminar.

Note: Courses completed abroad may satisfy major and concentration requirements with approval from the Program Director—Political Science majors or the department chairperson.  

Joint and Accelerated Programs

The Peace & Conflict Resolution major offers several ways to pursue graduate school including:

• A 4+ 2 program with Arcadia’s International Peace and Conflict Resolution master’s program

• An accelerated 3+2 with Arcadia’s International Peace and Conflict Resolution master’s program

• An accelerated 3+3 program with Drexel University’s School of Law

• An accelerated 3+2 program with the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy

Study Abroad and Away

Peace & Conflict Resolution majors are encouraged to study abroad for a semester, a year, or another time that meets their curricular and personal needs. For example, the Department of Historical and Political Studies has global field study courses that combine traditional course work with a seven- to ten-day overseas travel component.

When studying abroad, students should try to enroll in appropriate courses that are not offered on the Glenside campus, giving students a unique opportunity to interact with other students, faculty and public officials from another culture and political system.

If studying abroad for a semester or a year, Peace & Conflict Resolution majors can plan to study abroad during any semester except senior year due to the required Senior Thesis Seminar course sequence.  Since it is important that students plan ahead for study abroad, they should consult with their advisers as soon as possible and make their intentions known to the Program Director—Political Science majors and the Division of Civic and Global Engagement.

Internships and Experiential Learning

Peace & Conflict Resolution majors are strongly encouraged to pursue internship opportunities. The Department of Historical and Political Studies offers an internship course to encourage this, PS 380 (Political Internship), designed to be taken in either the Fall or Spring semester, in addition to other coursework.

Arcadia University also participates in the Washington Semester Program at American University and the Washington Center Program. Each offers an off-campus experience of seminars and internships, drawing on the resources of the Washington, D.C., political community. Internship experiences will assist students in deciding what career to pursue after graduation and provide them with valuable personal and professional experiences, connections, and references. Students may also pursue internships over the summer, though these typically do not come with academic credit.

Studying abroad is another way to supplement and expand upon learning that takes place in the classrooms in Glenside. Peace & Conflict Resolution majors study away through Arcadia’s College of Global Studies at sites in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and more. International internships are also available through Arcadia’s College of Global Studies; While abroad you may also do an internship in the British or Irish parliaments.  Finally, students have the opportunity to participate in and travel with an award-winning Model UN team. This allows studies to experience how the United Nations, an intergovernmental organization, works to address global issues.

Senior Capstone

The Senior Capstone Project is the opportunity for students to bring four years of coursework and academic and personal experiences together by engaging in an extended project. Peace & Conflict Resolution majors complete a two-semester Capstone course that challenges them to integrate their education, interests, and career plans into producing a polished research-based thesis and presentation.