Peace and Reconciliation Studies
Peace and Reconciliation Studies is defined as the interdisciplinary examination of the conditions that make for peace, with a special emphasis on reconciliation (forgiveness) as a vital factor in the realization of peace. It also investigates the obstacles to the realization of these conditions, drawing on theories and methods from diverse disciplines to focus on what makes for the development of a just and peaceful world order. Peace and Reconciliation Studies relates scholarship to praxis and challenges those who engage in it to develop new ways of thinking and acting in the world. The University of Maine Peace and Reconciliation Studies Program focuses on education for peace, justice, human rights, nonviolence, tolerance, global understanding, interdependence and mutuality, and environmental responsibility.
The program consists of an articulated series of courses in selected areas. You may choose to study great activists for peace and reconciliation, peace and popular culture, including technology, permaculture, ecology and spirituality, and perhaps take a travel-study course. You will study the theories of peace and reconciliation, perspectives and perceptions of nonviolence, and seek opportunities to practice what you are learning, through a variety of means, and to present your research at periodic Peace Conferences held at UMaine and elsewhere.
For more information, contact Peace and Reconciliation Studies program coordinator Jason Canniff, jason.canniff@maine.edu.
What can I do with an education in Peace and Reconciliation Studies?
A peace studies education prepares students for a wide variety of careers. Graduates become researchers, educators, negotiators, mediators, government officials, business people, activists, and professionals in organizations focused on human rights, dispute resolution, environmental protection, international law, and human and economic development.
Gandhi said that there is no education happening unless there is peace education at the core. He said this is true whether we’re talking about engineering, science, arts or the humanities. Peace and reconciliation students understand Gandhi’s point and faculty realize the importance of partnership pedagogy in building a culture of peace, nonviolence, reconciliation, forgiveness and restorative justice.
Peace jobs, internships and volunteer work
Peace Action Jobs
The Carter Center Internship Program
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Internship Program
Fund for Peace Internship Program
Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective Internship Program
Justice Africa – Working for Peace and Rights in Africa Internships
Foundation for Middle East Peace Internships
Transitions Abroad International Internships
Washington Peace Center
The Future of Peace Operations (FOPO) program internships at the Henry L. Stimson Center
