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Hello, I'm Russ Vandenbroucke. Can you conceive of a more just and peaceful
world? Want to expand human rights and social justice or contribute to diminishing violence?
Are you eager to see how individuals really do make a difference?
Then, consider one of the newest programs at UofL: an undergraduate
certificate in Peace, Justice & Conflict Transformation. This certificate can
be pursued in conjunction with any major in any college. Our pre-professional program
enhances educational opportunities for undergraduates and gives them a competitive advantage in
the job market and in pursuing other studies. Furthermore, the subject itself is fascinating
and you can apply what you learn to conflicts each of us faces every day.
Prior to taking the Peace, Justice and Conflict Transformation class, I didn’t really have
a clear concept of what peace was. I was definitely able to recognize conflict around me, conflict
within myself. I’m a social work major, so a lot of what we do is deal with conflict
in our daily lives. I thought that I could take the Peace course so that I might learn
how to utilize tools taught in the course to address some of the conflict that we do
see in our daily lives. I thought this would be a good way for me to be able to learn some
of those tools.” Our interdisciplinary
certificate requires only four courses: an introduction to the fundamentals of peace,
justice, and conflict transformation; a course focused on developing mediation skills; a
capstone learning experience that concentrates on volunteer opportunities with a local, national,
or international organization where students put principles of peacebuilding into practice;
and an elective chosen from 140 in eighteen different departments. You might have already
completed that elective as a General Education course or as a requirement for your major
or minor. My path to peace studies began when I started
mediation training and became a mediator for community conflicts. I found that through
this training I was able to obtain better inner peace, to maintain more control over
my own life in family settings and in my intimate conflicts with people. Also I was
able to help my community develop smarter ways to go about conflicts. Peace Studies
added to my expertise and education in psychology and sociology and encouraged me to continue
on to greater education. I will be applying to earn a Ph.D in community psychology. I’m
hoping to use this degree to better research and develop community in my society.
For further information contact me at 502-852-8448 or rjvand01@louisville.edu
Join us. Earn a certificate in Peace, Justice & Conflict Transformation.
Make a difference in your life, in your family's, and in the world we share.
Undergraduate Certificate Proposal: Peace, Justice & Conflict Transformation
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