Introduction to Peace and Justice

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the concepts of peace and justice, the connections between them, and the relationship of these concepts to the idea of faith. The course focuses on case studies beginning with an analysis of the crisis of America's cities and finds the causes in de-industrialization and its resulting poverty. In both cases, the course views poverty resulting from unjust economic and social structures including exaggerated military budgets at home and the militarization of developing countries. Examining these fundamental problems in peace and justice from a variety of perspectives, including Western liberalism, Marxism, and Catholicism, provides a theoretical basis for the study. Each of these traditions has its own perspective for understanding and responding to these problems. In this way the course provides an awareness of the major problems in peace and justice as well as an understanding of the different ways to think about them.