Psychology Professor, Kathryn Sperry, Adjunct English Professor, Candy Fox, and Assistant Director of Cultural Programming, SallyAnn Majoya, recently joined faculty and staff from 18 colleges at the University of Notre Dame’s prestigious Kroc Institute’s fifth annual Summer Institute for Faculty, "Teaching Peace in the 21st Century.”
Faculty and administrators at these institutions are committed to exploring and strengthening interdisciplinary peace studies programs, which have been shown to enhance civic engagement and community development, faculty teaching and research, and global studies.
According to Dr. George Lopez, leader of the Kroc Institute, "Faculty are creating new and challenging courses that enhance their social work, criminal justice, international relations and professional education courses," he said. "In a world of complex violence and challenges to human rights and justice, it is encouraging to see smart and dedicated faculty from diverse fields create new programs to study, and help solve, these difficult problems."
Well respected in his field, Lopez, holds the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Chair in Peace Studies. Lopez's research interests focus primarily on economic sanctions, gross violations of human rights, and ethics and the use of force. His work has been published in a wide range of social science and policy journals.
“We were surrounded by top scholars in the peace studies field who not only informed us, but helped empower us about possibilities of starting a peace studies program at Castleton,” said Candy Fox of the conference. “I came away even more convinced of the necessity of a peace studies program at Castleton.”
More information about the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.