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Revised Summer 2024

War and Peace Studies M.A. Curriculum

M.A. Program Overview

The M.A. in War and Peace Studies is an innovative, interdisciplinary program intended to prepare graduates for work in the growing fields of national/international security and peacebuilding. Combining fields ("War Studies" and "Peace Science") that are often kept separate, this program prepares students to understand both the drivers of global conflict and the sources of community resilience and peace in a holistic, systematic way.

This is a full-time program. Students taking a full load of 15 credits will complete the program in two consecutive terms (fall and spring).

Candidates for the Master of Arts from the Center for International Studies with a specialization in War and Peace Studies (WPS) must complete a sequence of required courses as well as a series of electives designed to provide an interdisciplinary focus. This degree combines a research and professional approach and as such includes research methods and professional/applied coursework.

The M.A. in War and Peace Studies requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. Through the mandatory seminar and electives, the program will emphasize the theoretical basis of War and Peace Studies as expressed in the methods of inquiry and ways of knowing in the disciplines from which the program derives. The M.A. program is distinctly different, both conceptually and qualitatively, from the undergraduate degree programs in the same or related disciplines. With the research-oriented graduate level seminars and methodology requirement, the students will be able to conduct and/ or assess original research related to War and Peace Studies by the end of the program.

Program Learning Outcomes

The WPS M.A. programs provide students with a strong grounding in core disciplines while giving them the opportunity to form their course of study around their professional and academic goals. Students can enroll in courses offered by a range of schools and departments across the university in disciplines of their interest. This flexible design of graduate curricula supports individualized learning experiences across disciplinary boundaries and allows student to take courses and capstone options that help them achieve and demonstrate the WPS M.A. learning outcomes below:

1. Students will be able to synthesize core area or international studies concepts and theories within multiple disciplinary subfields and will acquire the skills to apply and evaluate these concepts to global opportunities and challenges.
2. Students will be able to develop effective written and oral communication skills, characterized by the ability to write and present in the styles and forms that are acceptable in the professional world and/or for research in international studies.
3. Students will be able to develop an effective research skill and demonstrate it in their capstone experience.

Requirements for completion (AY2024-25)

• Core Course (4 credits): SOC 6140: Sociology of War and Violence (4 credits, Fall term only).
• Contemporary Area Studies Course (4 credits): Complete one course focusing on a specific world region in ANTH, GEOG, HIST, POLS, or SOC, determined in consultation with the graduate advisor.
• Methodology Course (4 credits): Complete one course in qualitative or quantitative research design and methods, determined in consultation with the graduate advisor.
• Culminating Experience: All students are required to complete a culminating experience in the form of a comprehensive exam. The examination permits a final synthesis, asking students to relate course work, research skills and literature. It is a final review of the student’s progress and an opportunity for students to draw together their disciplines. One of the major purposes of the comprehensive exam is, in fact, to cause the student to reflect upon the interdisciplinary dimensions of their program. Three possible overall results may emerge from the exam; Pass, Partial Pass where the student will have to follow-up with an oral exam; and Fail.
• Elective Courses (16 credits): Complete four courses focusing on war, violence, security, peace and justice in historical, contemporary and/or comparative perspective, determined in consultation with the graduate advisor. Courses must be from at least two different departments.
• Professional Development Courses (2 credits): INST 5701(Fall) + INST 5702 (Spring) – credits earned primarily through attendance and participation in CIS events.

WPS Course Lists

The War and Peace Studies M.A. is an interdisciplinary program that draws eligible and required courses from across 91̽»¨. Below is a sample list of relevant courses. Please use this list as a starting point only – it is not exhaustive! New courses are continually added to the catalog and not all listed courses are offered every year/ semester. Please note that the WPS director has no control over when courses are taught or scheduled, so consider contacting individual instructors (you can find out who’s previously taught a course by searching the historical course offerings) for additional information. Course choices should be discussed with, and approved by, the Director of the program.

Contemporary Area Studies Requirement: Take at least one of the following (4 credits)

• HIST 5231 Latin American History: From Independence to the Present
• HIST 5232 History of Brazil
• HIST 5452 Southeast Asia, 1945 to the Present: The Search for Stability
• HIST 5641 Contemporary Europe
• HIST 5233 The History of Modern Mexico
• HIST 5371 Middle East History 1500 to the Present
• HIST 5481 Modern Japan
• HIST 5464 History of China from the Early Modern Era to the Present
• HIST 5683 Germany between East and West since 1945
• HIST 5411 History of Africa since 1850
• HIST 5440 History of Vietnam
• HIST 5831 Modern Poland: War, Revolution and Peace from 1905 to the Present
• HIST 6905 Colloquium in Middle Eastern History
• POLS 5300 Politics in Western Europe
• POLS 5310 - Politics in Eastern Europe
• POLS 5440 East Asia in World Politics
• POLS 5340 Government and Politics of Latin America
• POLS 5310 Politics in Eastern Europe
• POLS 5360 Government and Politics of Brazil
• POLS 5370 Government and Politics in Britain
• POLS 5380 Government and Politics in Germany
• POLS 5390 Government and Politics in France
• POLS 5410 African Politics
• POLS 5420 Middle East Politics
• POLS 5440 East Asia in World Politics
• POLS 5450 Government and Politics of Japan
• POLS 5460 Government and Politics of China
• POLS 5470 Government and Politics of Southeast Asia
• POLS 5630 African International Relations
• GEOG 5310 Geography of Africa
• GEOG 5300 Geography of Europe
• GEOG 5350 Geography of Latin America
• GEOG 5380 Geography of Asia

Methodology Requirement: Take one of the following (4 credits)

• POLS 6010 Seminar in Quantitative Research Methods
• POLS 6000 Scope and Theory in Political Science
• ANTH 5010 Visual Anthropology
• ANTH 5560 Ethnographic Methodology and Field Research
• GEOG 5711 Qualitative Methods in Geography
• GEOG 5730 Principles of GIS
• GEOG 5000 Geographic Research and Writing
• SOC 5500 Data Analysis
• SOC 6540 Social Research Methods
• SOC 6010 Qualitative Research Methods
• COMS 6344 Analysis and Criticism of Political Rhetoric
• COMS 7130 Qualitative Research: Ethnography of Communication
• PSY 5110 Statistics for Behavioral Sciences
• MDIA 6030 Qualitative Research Methods in Media Studies
• MDIA 6090 Applied Research Methods in Communication and Development
• JOUR 8900 Advanced Research Methods in Journalism

War and Peace Studies MA Topical Electives (16 Credits)

• HIST 5081 The Civil War and Its Aftermath
• HIST 5164 History of U.S. Involvement in World Affairs, 1945-Present
• HIST 5211 American Military History, 1600-Present
• HIST 5213 War, Violence, Modernity
• HIST 5372 Protest, Rebellion, and Revolution in the Modern Middle East
• HIST 5790 History of Sea Power
• HIST 5682 Nazi Germany
• HIST 5823 The USSR in the World War II
• HIST 5750 World War I
• HIST 5000 Atlantic History
• HIST 5770 History of Jewish Holocaust
• HIST 5821 Russia: Road to Revolution 1825-1917
• HIST 5822 Soviet Union
• HIST 5330 Oil, the Persian Gulf, and World Power
• HIST 5742 The Cold War, 1941-1989
• HIST 5865 Churchill's Britain
• POLS 5550 International Law
• POLS 5415 Religion and Global Politics
• POLS 5490 Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict
• POLS 5580 Introduction to War and Its Causes
• POLS 5560 International Organization
• POLS 5640 Global Humanitarianism
• POLS 5230 Political Leadership
• POLS 5590 Terrorism
• POLS 5400 The Politics of Developing Areas
• POLS 5565 International Human Rights
• POLS 5570 National Security in the Contemporary Era
• POLS 5757 Race, Violence and Human Security
• POLS 5650 Global Media Politics
• POLS 6500 Seminar in International Politics
• CLWR 5420 Political Islam
• CLWR 5810 Myth, Ritual and Symbolism
• CLWR 5340 Hinduism
• ANTH 5510 Political Anthropology
• ANTH 5540 Anthropology of Violence and Peace
• SOC 5140 Contemporary Social Movements
• SOC 5650 Social Change
• GEOG 5480 Migration and Development
• GEOG 5410 Geography of Hunger and Food Security
• COMS 5200 Cross-cultural Communication
• ES 5900 Environment, Peacebuilding and Security
• JOUR 5630 Media and Conflicts
• ITS 5510 Telecommunication Network Security

Culminating Capstone Experience Guidelines

Comprehensive Exam Guidelines

WPS students will undertake a comprehensive exam as the primary element of their Capstone Experience for the course. This will be an exit exam that will be prepared and evaluated by the director of the War and Peace Studies program in consultation with the instructor of the core course and one other faculty member with whom the student has taken courses and that has agreed to be on the exam committee. The exit exam will be in written form; the exam committee will write the questions which will require the student to synthesize the knowledge gained through the courses.

The comprehensive exam consists of two areas of content:

1. War and Peace Studies general synthesis
2. Specific area of thematic or regional focus in relation to War and Peace Studies

The following procedures outline the steps necessary to take the comprehensive exam:

1. The comprehensive exam will be offered in each semester in which students in the program have indicated they want to take it during that specific semester. Generally, it will be given during the tenth week of the semester, with a total of four hours allotted for the exam. Students will take the exam in their second semester of the program. Should it be required the exam can be given in the summer semester should a student be unable to take the exam in the spring semester.
2. Students who intend to take the comprehensive exam must:
   1. Select relevant faculty members who will provide guidance, a reading list, and exam questions. Faculty should be experts in the focus area for which they are responsible. The student and his or her comprehensive exam committee should fill out the Comprehensive Exam Faculty Selection form by the end of the student’s first semester.
   2. Submit a Comprehensive Exam Intent Form to the War and Peace Studies director during the second week of the semester in which the exam will be taken.
   3. Verify that committee members have submitted questions to the director before the fifth week of classes of the semester in which the exam will be taken.
   4. Appear at the designated time and place to take the exam. In certain extenuating circumstances a remotely proctored exam can be undertaken.
3. Comprehensive exam faculty will each prepare an interdisciplinary essay question that attempts to delve into the key debates of war and peace studies. Questions will focus on the students methodological and areas studies interests, which the student will identify to the exam committee. Ideally the faculty will reflect the interests of the students and hold expertise in the area or methodological focus of the student. Relevant faculty will submit their essay questions to the War and Peace Studies director by the fifth week of classes in which the exam is going to be taken.
4. The War and Peace Studies director will prepare the comprehensive exam using the submitted questions. The student will generally be expected to respond to two essay prompts: 1) Debates in War and Peace studies – 2 hours; 2) Thematic/ Region/Area Focus – 2 hours.
5. Faculty members will comment on answers to their own questions, giving the student either a satisfactory or an unsatisfactory grade.
6. The War and Peace Studies director will assign one of three outcomes:
   1. Pass: If the student receives a satisfactory for all three sections of the comprehensive exam, he or she will receive a pass grade.
   2. No Pass: If the student receives an unsatisfactory in one or more sections of the comprehensive exam, he or she might receive a no pass grade. The student may retake the sections he or she did not pass one time only, at a date determined by the exam committee.
   3. Fail: If the student receives an unsatisfactory in all three sections, he or she will receive a fail grade. After completing additional remedial work determined by the examining committee, the student may retake the exam one time. Failure to pass the reexamination will result in the student being dropped from the program.

Required forms for the comprehensive exam:

• Comprehensive Exam Intent Form
• Comprehensive Exam Faculty Selection

Optional Internships

Internships not only provide excellent learning opportunities for students but also create networking opportunities and make graduates more appealing to hiring committees.

Earning Credit for an Internship

• Up to 4 hours of internship credit may be counted toward an Elective requirement.
• Students are expected to work a minimum of 25 hours for each hour of internship credit earned.
• Upon completion of the internship, the student must have his or her supervisor complete the Internship Performance Review form and must write an Internship Paper (guidelines are available for download at:  
• It is suggested that the internship take place during Winter Break or in the summer semester if the student is availing of the summer semester to complete outstanding elements of the degree.

Grades and Standards

1. All students in the M.A. program must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Students who fall below a 3.0 GPA will be placed on probation and required to raise their GPA above 3.0 by the end of the following term – or at least meet agreed upon progress in that direction. Failure to do so will automatically result in the student being dropped from the program. Until the GPA is raised above 3.0, the student will remain on probation. University regulations prohibit awarding any type of financial assistance to students who are on probation.
2. Students with a GPA below 3.0 cannot be awarded a degree and will not be allowed to take the final comprehensive examination. All courses used to meet degree requirements must be completed before the comprehensive examination can be administered. An exception is made for those courses in which a student is enrolled in their final quarter of study.
3. Students receiving more than two grades below a B will be dismissed from the program.
4. The lowest grade that can be accepted for a course included as part of a program of study is a C. Grades below C will be considered as the functional equivalent of failing, and a student who receives a grade below C becomes subject to immediate dismissal from the program. Other types of grades requiring students’ attention appear below:
   1. PR Option (Progress): A PR may be assigned in any course if for reasons acceptable to the instructor all of the requirements cannot be completed by the time final grades are submitted. The PR can remain on course records indefinitely, but is not counted toward computation of the GPA. The accumulation of more than one PR and/or I (Incomplete) is not considered acceptable, and financial aid may be subject to immediate suspension.
   2. I Option (Incomplete): Like the PR, an I may be assigned in any course if for reasons acceptable to the instructor all of the requirements cannot be completed by the time final grades are submitted. Unlike the PR, the I grade can remain on records only until the sixth week of the next quarter in which the student is enrolled, after which the grade is automatically changed to an F unless the work is completed. The consequent F will count toward the students cumulative GPA. Accumulation of more than one PR and/or I (Incomplete) is considered unacceptable; financial aid may be subject to immediate suspension.
   3. CR Option (Credit Reported): Under certain circumstances, a student in the M.A. program may opt to receive a CR/ grade in a course rather than a letter grade. This may be done in two circumstances:
      1. The standard grade for completion of the course is CR; or
      2. The course is not being used to meet any of the major or minor distribution of requirements of the M.A. degree and the student and the instructor have agreed on a CR/ option since no later than the end of the first week of classes. Not all courses are eligible to receive a CR grade.
5. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty (e.g. cheating on exams, falsifying information, and so on) will result in severe penalties. When a faculty member judges that plagiarism or academic dishonesty has taken place, action will be taken against the offender. Such cases will be referred to University Judiciaries. Penalties may include failure of work undertaken, course failure and/or suspension or dismissal from the university.