Peace Studies major will be directed from geography

After much effort by all involved, the Interdisciplinary Studies Peace Studies Major has been officially re-established as part of the Geography Department, with Enru Wang as the director. Thanks go out in particular to Dr. Wang, who patiently took the revised program through several curriculum committees, while supervising the work of the students majoring in Peace Studies, as well as developing the new Geopolitics course; to the Geography Department, under the chairmanship of Brad Rundquist, whose members sought to update and strengthen the conceptual framework of the major; to Burt Thorp, the Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program where the major is officially offered; to the College of Arts and Sciences for encouraging the relocation to Geography; and to the Conflict Resolution Center, in particular Director Kristine Paranica, where a number of the majors have found a relevant and welcoming location for their internships.
The introductory course is now Introduction to Geopolitics, which is in keeping with the direction the program had been moving in the past. In addition to the required courses, students gain practical experience through their internship in an established organization. The culmination of the major is senior project, followed by the capstone course, where knowledge and experience are written up and presented to other interdisciplinary majors, in keeping with the applied orientation of this major.
Several dozen students have graduated from UND with the major Interdisciplinary Studies: Peace Studies since the first majors completed their studies in the early 1990’s. Many of them have been double-majors and significant number of students came through the American College of Norway, adding an important international composition and perspective to the student cohorts. Graduates are currently working around the globe in a variety of relevant agencies and organizations.

Since the inception of the program in the late 1980’s, around 80 faculty members at UND have been involved with the development of the program or have taught a peace studies related course. If you are interested in linking a course you are offering with the program, want to sponsor a speaker relevant to geopolitics, peace and justice issues, or want to apply for a grant in this important interdisciplinary field of study, please contact Dr. Wang at 777-4590 or erwang@und.edu. — Janet Kelly Moen, Professor Emerita of Sociology, jmoen@bemidjistate.edu or janet.moen@und.edu .