The Peace, Justice and Conflict Resolution Studies program at Winthrop University is an interdisciplinary program that seeks to provide students with the practical knowledge, and the theoretical background to help build more peaceful societies. This minor is defined broadly in order to allow professors from many disciplines to teach courses that expose students to war and peace, conflict and conflict resolution, violence and nonviolence. This minor exposes students to the root causes of conflict at the familial, community, local, state, national, and international levels and the social and political movements that have led to the transformation of those conflicts. The Peace Studies curriculum will challenge students to explore the peaceful settlement of disputes through a variety of disciplinary perspectives and pedagogical approaches.
In March of 2014, the Peace Studies program dedicated a Peace Pole in memory of Father David Valtierra, former Catholic campus minister. The Peace Pole is six-sided and bears the message, "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in six languages.
