Program Advisor: Jarem Sawatsky, Ph.D (web page)

Through PACTS you can gain an understanding of the nature and dynamics of human conflict, and will be able to consider alternative ways of dealing with conflict that develop healthy relationships and prevent violence. Conflicts, from interpersonal to international, are analyzed from an interdisciplinary perspective, together with topics such as violence, power, justice, peace, communication, culture, conflict transformation, and dispute resolution.
PACTS will prepare you to understand and interact constructively with personal, local, and global conflict situations.

At CMU, you can study Peace and Conflict Studies as a four-year major (minimum 48 credit hours), a three-year major (minimum 36 credit hours), or a minor (minimum 18 credit hours) within the Bachelor of Arts.

Click here for information about the requirements of this program (PDF). For specific questions about this program, contact the Program Advisor.

Find below a list of courses CMU offers in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. We offer the introductory course each year. Other courses are offered in a rotation so that students will have opportunity to take all the courses required by their majors or minors over the years of their studies at CMU.

Since this is an interdisciplinary major, you may take courses from various other subject fields to complete your major. For information on the other courses you can use for majors and minors in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies, see the lists within the degree program descriptions (page 32).

Courses

The following section contains a complete list of courses for its curriculum. For current course listings please see the Course Description section of our website.

PCTS-1010/3 Peace and Conflict Transformation— Interpersonal and Communal Contexts: This course will enable students to develop a context of the roots and nature of conflict, violence , and peace, as they pertain to interpersonal and community-based peace and conflict transformation. It examines a variety of models for constructive ways to respond to conflict, violence, and peace. Related themes will be examined from an interdisciplinary perspective.

PCTS-1020/3 Peace and Conflict Transformation—Global Contexts: This course will enable students to develop an understanding of the roots and nature of conflict, violence, and peace, as they pertain to global and structural peace and conflict transformation. It examines a variety of models for constructive ways to respond to conflict, violence, and peace. Related themes will be examined from an interdisciplinary perspective.

PCTS/INTG-2221/3 Restorative Justice (Formerly: 20.236/3): Identifies the principles of restorative justice and explores the application of these principles. Includes a critical assessment of victim-offender mediation, and the application of restorative principles within the criminal justice system, as they affect victims, offenders and the community. Alternative models of the justice system as a whole will also be considered. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1010/6.

PCTS-2251/3 Conflict in the Family I (Formerly: 20.231/3): This course is designed to help students understand how conflict develops and manifests itself within familial relationships. It studies the nature of the family, employing a systemic perspective, and differentiates between destructive and constructive conflict processes in the family. It will provide an understanding of how to transform antagonistic conflict into problem solving. Prerequisites: PCTS- 1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS-2252/3 Conflict and Communication (Formerly: 20.233/3): This course will provide some theoretical underpinnings of the dynamics of communication in interpersonal and small group conflict. Issues surrounding diversity will be examined in depth, specifically with respect to individual and cultural differences. Prerequisites: PCTS- 1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS-2261/3 Conflict in the Family II (Formerly: 20.232/3): Building upon the systemic family theory and the life cycle processes studied in “Conflict in the Family I”, this course will closely examine specific family conflicts in marital relations, parents with younger children, parents with adolescents, single parents, step and blended families, and same-sex couples. Prerequisites: PCTS-2251/3. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS/INTG-2262/3 Conflict, Faith, and Community (Formerly: 20.270/3): This course explores how conflict and conflict transformation are linked to personal faith and life in community. Students will first have the opportunity to investigate what is meant by “faith” and “community.” Students will then explore how faith and community can shape their understanding of conflict and the practice of conflict transformation. Diverse views of conflict and faith developed by secular as well as various religious communities will be examined. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6.

PCTS-2271/3 Conflict within Groups (Formerly: 20.234/3): Explores dyadic and group procedures to maintain harmony in relationships in various settings. It will use and build upon the same understanding of interpersonal conflict theories and practice as in the parallel course, “Conflict and Communication.” Each student will have the opportunity to custom design some learning projects for him/herself. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS-2421/3 Legal Systems and Alternative Dispute Resolution (Formerly: 20.235/3): This course compares and contrasts legal and alternative dispute resolution processes, with special reference to the relative benefits and detriments of each. It will also consider the possibilities for change in each. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS-2431/3 Negotiation Theory and Practice (Formerly: 20.237/3): This course will examine the theory and practice of negotiation, including topics such as negotiating skills, contextual factors, agreement implementation and followup, multilateral negotiation and third-party intervention. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS/IDS-2443/3 Conflict and Development Issues in Indigenous Communities (Formerly: 20/30.251/3): Within the broad framework of international development and conflict transformation studies, this course explores the dynamics of indigenous communities globally, with special reference to the Canadian context. Processes of marginalization and underdevelopment will be presented in order to understand indigenous communities’ social, economic and political situation. Prerequisites: either PCTS- 1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 or IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS/INTG-2620/3 Ecological Peacebuilding: This course will explore the role of the ecology in peacebuilding, focusing on relationships between environmental insecurity and conflict, ecological integrity and justice, and on the politics, theory and skills of ecological peacebuilding. Drawing upon a broad range of historical and contemporary case studies, students will be encouraged to apply these insights as part of the learning process. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6.

PCTS-2810/3 History and Strategies of Non-Violence (Formerly: 20.281/3): Non-violence has a long and rich history, usually overshadowed by history as the story of violence. This course reviews the history of non-violent social change and explores the dynamics of non-violent action. It also examines the motivations and strategies of a variety of non-violent actions. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6.

PCTS-2820/3 Aggression, Violence and War in a Social- Scientific Perspective: This course will investigate and assess psychological, sociological, anthropological, and sociobiological perspectives and theories of aggression, violence and war. Case studies will be used to test the applicability of these theories, and their usefulness for approaching peacebuilding work. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6, PSYC-1000/6, SOCI-1020/3 or former SOCI- 1000/6 or ANTH-1610/3 and1620/3.

PCTS-2950/3 Topics in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies (Formerly: 20.295/3): The content of this course will vary from year to year, depending on the needs of students and the interests and availability of instructors. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6.

PCTS-3100/3 Models for Peace and Conflict Transformation (Formerly: 20.310/3): This course examines integrative models of social change, which hold together peace, development, justice, and identity issues. Using such models requires the multifaceted tasks of critical analysis of structural violence and direct violence, nurturing justice through human development, proactive building of dynamic peace cultures, and responding to crises in ways that build on local cultural and faith traditions and that witness to a sustainable and peaceable future. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university-level study.

PCTS-3120/3 Cultures of Violence, Cultures of Peace (Formerly: 20.312/3): A multi-layered examination of peace and violence from the perspective of culture, addressing questions such as: How are attitudes towards peace and violence reflected in the way cultures enact discipline, security, education, reconciliation, etc.? How are peace and violence reflected in expressions of popular culture and various sub-cultures? How are peace and violence modelled in relationships between different cultures? How might the very idea of culture be questioned through the lens of or and peace? Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 OR former PCTS- 1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university-level study, or instructor’s permission.

PCTS-3240/3 Workplace Conflict: This course will examine contemporary workplace issues, causes of workplace conflict and a variety of responses such as negotiation, conciliation, mediation, grievance procedures, and arbitration as well as tribunals such as labour relations boards and human rights commissions. Issues to be examined may include violence, bullying, harassment, organizational culture, ‘constructive dismissal’, and other workplace concerns. Prerequisites: BUSI- 1000/3 or PCTS-1010/3 & 30 credit hours of university-level study.

PCTS-3242/3 Women and Peacemaking (Formerly: 20.238/3): This course will address, from an interdisciplinary perspective, both theoretical and practical contributions that women have made to peacemaking in the 20th Century. It will include analysis of women’s involvement in peace action, research and education. Attention will be given to the challenges that activists face in organizing around their identity as women, such as how to build common ground among women with varied experiences and concerns. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6.
Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS-3600/3 Art of Peacebuilding (Formerly: 20.360/): Peacebuilding is a creative, dynamic art. Through an examination of local, national, and international case studies of peacebuilding, and through careful reflection on the dynamics of conflict transformation and peacebuilding, this course seeks to nurture students’ strategic imaginations and creative capacities as artisans of peace. Prerequisites: PCTS- 1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university-level study.

PCTS/PHIL-3800/3 Whose Violence? Which Peace? (Formerly: 20/62.380/3) The art of naming peace and violence well requires an appreciation of the different and related varieties of peace and violence. It also requires an understanding of how peace and violence are bound up with a variety of complex related practices and realities that might not appear on the surface to be relevant matters. For example, what do speed, technology, media, and virtual reality have to do with questions of violence and peace? What difference does it make if we think about peace and violence in terms of the categories of nation-state, civil society, or church? Prerequisites: Either PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 or 6 credit-hours of Philosophy and 30 credit hours of university-level study.

PCTS-3850/3 Just War Traditions (Formerly: 20.385/3): This course seeks to explore how justice is related to questions of peace and violence through an examination of the history and logic of the just war tradition. Characteristic themes of the just war tradition will be studied, such as the distinction between killing and murder, the presumption against violence, non-combatant immunity, the possibility of honourable defeat, and war as last resort. Special attention will be given to understanding the changing character of the just war tradition in its transition through medieval Christian
to modern secular contexts Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS1100/6 and 30 credit hours of universitylevel study.

IDS/PCTS-3920/3 Action Research Methods (Formerly: 30/20.352/3): Students will investigate research and field methods used by researchers and practitioners in community settings. Participants will reflect on the ethics, values, ideologies, and constraints influencing the researcher. Major assignments provide basic skills needed to design and conduct action-oriented research, for example theory-building; questionnaires; interviewing; life histories; focus groups, participatory learning, and post-field work activities. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university-level study. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS-3950/3 Topics in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies (Formerly: 20.395/3): The content of this course will vary from year to year, depending on the needs of students and the interests and availability of instructors. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university-level study.

PCTS/INTG-4120/3 Senior Seminar in Peace and Conflict (Formerly: 20.412/3): Provides a broad overview of the field, emphasizing major theoretical themes (interests, debates, contentions, etc.), in the context of a collaborative seminar format. The course will attempt to demonstrate the unity in the field at all social levels, and the importance of general theories and practical approaches for addressing different types of social conflicts. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university-level study, or permission of the instructor.

PCTS-4252/3 Advanced Study in Mediation Practice (Formerly: 20.330/3): Provides an overview of contemporary developments in the theory and practice of mediation. Examines several social contexts where mediation is practiced, including such areas as victim-offender conflict, family and divorce, labour management, environmental issues, conflict in schools, and international relations. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university level study. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.

PCTS/IDS-4910/3 Conflict and the Construction of the Other (Formerly: 20.450/3): This seminar addresses a central question raised in postcolonial theory about the way humans construct and maintain an understanding of the Other. We ask the question, “Have scholars found the idea of the Other useful as a synthesizing concept?” This problem-based, interdisciplinary seminar considers particular sites of struggle in cultural, social and individual contexts. Finally, we ask about the implications of this inquiry for our cultural, social and individual circumstances. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1010/3 and PCTS- 3100/3; or IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6, 2110/3, and 3111/3.

PCTS-4940/3 Independent Study in PACTS (Formerly: 20.494/3): A study in a specific area of IDS under the direction of a faculty member Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 and a minimum of 60 credit hours of post-secondary education.

PCTS-4950/3 Topics in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies (Formerly: 20.495/3): The content of this course will vary from year to year, depending on the needs of students and the interests and availability of instructors. Prerequisites: PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS1100/6 and 30 credit hours of university-level study.

Note on Courses in Conflict Resolution Studies at Menno Simons College—It may be advantageous for a student majoring in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies at CMU (Shaftesbury Campus) to complete some courses at Menno Simons College (on the University of Winnipeg campus). Some of the courses listed