Earlham College Curriculum Guide
Earlham College





Peace and Global Studies (PAGS)

About the Program

In the Peace and Global Studies (PAGS) Program, students explore strategies for constructing a just and peaceful world. They study issues of war, sexism, racism and poverty; non-violent initiatives for social change; and conflict resolution. The primary goal of the program is to develop students' competencies in fields contributing towards peace and social transformation. Some students combine PAGS with other fields, producing interdepartmental majors with fields as diverse as Spanish, Mathematics, Biology, Art, Theatre, Economics and Management. Others prefer the 10-course sequence of the PAGS Major, described below. In recent years, by combining PAGS courses with offerings in other fields as well as off-campus study, the program has initiated concentrations in conflict resolution, urban studies, social movements, environmental studies and other topics.

PAGS graduates work around the globe. They are affiliated with non-governmental organizations, human rights groups, presidential and gubernatorial campaigns, churches and international agencies. In the United States they are employed as lobbyists, rights advocates, mediators, ministers, doctors, lawyers, teachers and university professors.

The course of study begins with a sequence of classes in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and History. These classes help students understand the structure of our existing society, which in turn is part of an intersecting pattern of global networks, including war and injustice as systemic characteristics.

At the upper-class level, the program offers courses that analyze ways of transforming existing structures on all levels from the personal to the global. Courses such as International Law, Conflict Resolution, Philosophy of Social Science, and special topics seminars such as Marxism, the Urban Political Economy and Methods of Peacemaking expose advanced students to methods and methodologies for change.

Finally, the program is committed to creating opportunities for students to apply what they have learned to particular sites under the guidance of experienced activists. These activities sometimes take the form of semester-long courses in Northern Ireland, Mexico, on the U.S.-Mexican border or at the Indianapolis Peace Institute. They also may involve May Term experiences, internships, workshops and participation in some of the many Earlham student groups committed to progressive social change.

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This page last updated: August 11, 2007