Peace and International Studies Degree (B.A.)

This seminar course assembles profiles of developing countries and regions from a wide variety of sources to give students a foundation to understand theories focused on the Developing World. Such a foundation includes examinations of the interacting forces of economics, culture, politics, and the natural world.
 

What constitutes “nonviolence”? Is violence ever involved in nonviolent movements? This course will explore the historical context, actions, and outcomes of selected nonviolent movements from across the globe. It will examine theoretical foundations for nonviolent activism, the political, economic, and cultural factors that motivated nonviolent movements predominantly outside the United States and strategies used in the movements. 

A survey of the history of immigration to the United States. The course examines the impact of immigration on American society and culture. Several groups are studied in some detail as the topics of family, the workplace, urban politics, nativism, religion, and assimilation are explored. Kansas City’s immigrant groups are used as a laboratory.

Complex constructions of “racial” and “ethnic” identity have often played a profound role in developing the religious worldviews of institutions and individuals. This course surveys examples of this interaction throughout history and seeks to give students a better understanding of how theological expression both shapes and has been shaped by race and ethnicity.