Peace and Justice Studies will be the first new major added to the Wartburg College curriculum in 11 years.

The major, which was approved Thursday by the faculty, will begin in the 2012 Fall Term. It is aimed at students who are passionate about “changing the world.”

Wartburg offers more than 50 academic majors in the liberal arts and in professional areas. According to Dr. Fred Ribich, interim dean of the faculty, a new major had not been added since 2001-02.

The Peace and Justice Studies major will be directed by Dr. Jennifer McBride, assistant professor of religion and Regents Chair in Ethics, and a team of faculty mentors across disciplines. It was developed by a group of faculty members, including Dr. Walter “Chip” Bouzard, professor of religion and chair of the religion and philosophy department.

“We hope to send students out — from the perspective of their own locations and professions — literally to change the world,” Bouzard said. “And if the goal of changing the world sounds immodest, just imagine a company of doctors, lawyers, teachers, social workers, politicians, nurses, artists, biologists, chemists, and more who leave Wartburg, year after year, trained and prepared to make peace and justice a reality.”

McBride said, “Students often feel paralyzed by the size and complexity of the social problems we face. This major will give them the analytical and practical tools they need to address these challenges in concrete and constructive ways.”

The major will prepare graduates for careers in non-governmental or church-related organizations doing humanitarian work and for vocations as varied as religion, law, environmental protection, politics, diplomacy, journalism, social entrepreneurship, social work or international relations.

The course of study will offer students:

  • Tools for understanding causes of violence, oppression and injustice
  • Theories of peace and justice that ground concrete practices
  • A historical understanding of the struggle to promote human rights, peace, justice and freedom from oppression
  • Strategies for the remediation of violence and injustice
  • Skills for conflict mediation, peace and justice advocacy, and political action

The major comprises eight core courses — including a one-year internship — and four courses in an area of specialization selected by the student. The minor requires completion of the eight core courses.

The core curriculum includes Introduction to Peace and Justice Studies, Research in Peace and Justice, Problems of War and Peace, Contemporary Political Dialogue, Macroeconomics, World Religions in Dialogue, and a capstone course, Building Peace and Justice.

The specialty tier involves courses from a wide range of disciplines — business/economics, international relations, communication and persuasion, social structures and attitudes, environmental studies, gender studies, and religion and philosophy.

McBride joined the Wartburg faculty during the current academic year and has a background in peace and justice issues.

She serves on the English section of the Board of Directors of the International (Dietrich) Bonhoeffer Society, studying the German Lutheran pastor-theologian, best known for his leadership in resistance movements against Nazism. She is coeditor of “Bonhoeffer and King: Their Legacies and Import for Christian Social Thought” and author of  “The Church for the World: A Theology of Public Witness.”

While a postdoctoral fellow and visiting lecturer at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, McBride directed the Atlanta Theological Association’s Certificate in Theological Studies at Metro State Prison for Women. She has worked at the Southeast White House, an inner-city community house in southeast Washington D.C., and the Open Door Community, a house of hospitality that is part of the Catholic Worker Movement.

“After Jenny had been hired, I approached her about the still-unofficial Peace and Justice major,” Bouzard said. “The fit is a natural one, not only for her scholarly interests, but also because as the Regents Ethics chair, she is charged with the responsibility of bringing ethical reflection and education to the entire campus. The Peace and Justice major is an excellent vehicle for that.”

According to McBride, an estimated 32 colleges have a Peace and Justice major, but Wartburg will be the first college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to offer the major.

“Our college’s mission is to ‘challenge and nurture students for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning,’” McBride said. “The Peace and Justice major will, we believe, embody and enrich that mission.”