Anyone in this major has probably been faced with a “what is that?” in response to stating they are a Peace Studies major. Now that the major has been changed to Peace and Justice, I haven’t had as many questions, but interestingly, many people have to stop and inquire about what Peace Studies actually is. Answering that is the key to whether Peace can be a profession. 

So, what is Peace? Because it is so much more than the absence of arguments or conflict. Peace studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the causes of conflict and violence and strategies for promoting peace, reconciliation, and social justice at local, national, and global levels. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of our world and how you must consider various disciplines, such as political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and international relations, to understand the dynamics of conflict and develop effective methods for conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and sustainable peace. It aims to foster a deeper understanding of how to address these underlying issues and build a more peaceful and just society by examining the root causes of violence, including issues related to inequality, discrimination, human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and political instability.

I declared the major not even halfway through my semester in the intro course. Shifting from Business Administration into a social science was eye-opening but also exciting. There are so many ways to view the world and explore the things around us, how they happen, and why they happen, and Peace Studies held the answers, or at the very least, the lessons necessary to discover those answers ourselves.

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to meet people from a vast selection of backgrounds and professions throughout my time at Chapman, and it’s so very interesting to see the role that peace plays in them all. From economics to health, there are identifiable factors for decisions, news stories, and policies that can be better understood through peace studies. The addition of justice to the major doesn’t detract from that. If anything, it places a greater emphasis on studying the why behind conflicts, as it allows us to better understand the different sides of conflicts and fosters a greater joint empathetic and compassionate outlook for the people around us.

There are more obvious fields in which peace acts as a profession, as we’ve seen by the emergence of fields such as peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and mediation. Professionals in these fields work towards preventing and resolving conflicts, promoting social justice and human rights, and establishing sustainable peace in communities, regions, and globally. We’ve witnessed professionals work in various capacities, including mediators, negotiators, diplomats, humanitarian workers, researchers, educators, and policy analysts. These peace professionals utilize various skills and knowledge, which are things we’re being taught in the major. Through their efforts and contributions, we might someday have a world where conflicts are managed more constructively and peaceful coexistence is prioritized. All of these factors make peace a viable and essential profession.