Core courses

This course introduces students to the theories, concepts, histories, and actors that are fundamental to the field of peace, conflict, and justice. Students will discuss meanings, causes, obstacles, and sustainability of peace and justice through the discussion of historical and contemporary cases from around the world. Stemming from the interdisciplinary aspect of the field, students will learn a wide range of theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented perspectives on thematic topics such as protection and violation of human rights, social and economic inequalities, and causes of violence and oppression. This course is intended for first year PCJ students and it serves as a gateway for all other courses offered in the PCJ program. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

This course introduces students to key research methods employed in the study of peace, conflict and justice. It considers both qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research frameworks prominent in PCJ research drawn from a range of disciplines and approaches. Some methods explored in this course might include: descriptive analysis, correlational studies, bivariate or multivariate regression models, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and country case studies. The class teaches students how to read, understand and critique these frameworks and the scholarship they influence/produce. Concepts of internal and external validity, inductive and deductive reasoning, and ethics in research will also be covered. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

This course builds on various multi-disciplinary approaches to explore how inequalities shape violence, conflict, and post-conflict dynamics. It teaches students to understand and engage critically in debates in the field and to discover connections between the power structures that shape the emergence of violent conflicts, their dynamics, and their legacies. In addition, this course will offer students practical tools to analyze the intersection of conflict and inequality, as well as the implications of that intersection for pursuing peace. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

Students are given a service learning placement in the GTA in partnership with local, national, or international not-for-profits or governmental organizations. Students work in teams of 2-7 students, and help partner organizations solve important problems. Student teams mostly work independently of the organization, while receiving some mentoring, critique, and advice from the organizations. Students are expected to invest 5-7 hours per week in course projects, in addition to class time. In this non-competitive course, students are asked to engage in deep personal reflection, help teammates, advise other teams, and contribute their skills and talents to their community partners. The course will emphasize how groups work to achieve community goals, how grassroots politics works, the power of social capital, and how these topics link to questions of conflict resolution, brokering peace, and achieving justice. Required for PCJ Majors and Specialists.

This course guides each student through their own individual research project, embedded in an interactive group learning process, to offer an applied introduction to research methods for peace, conflict and justice studies. Students work through the research in the field of peace, conflict and justice studies, such as: identifying a research question, learning how to write a critical literature review, developing a rigorous research design, and applying quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to answering research inquires. The final deliverable is a draft of a research proposal or an empirical research-based paper. This course is a requirement for PCJ Specialists and open to PCJ Majors with approval from the Director.

Topics vary annually. The objective of the course is to explore emerging issues in Peace and Conflict Studies. The focus of the course will be on a specific topic, rather than a broad survey of the field. Students can take PCJ444H1 in lieu of PCJ460H1.

This course explores selected issues in the field of Peace, Conflict ands Justice. Topics may vary from year to year. Through a suite of recent readings, students will strive to critically examine implications and challenges of, and solutions to the issues being studied. Please visit the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice website for current offering information.

This course examines the responses of justice system institutions to concerns over crime, violence, and policing in Europe. Our substantive focus will be on how police and other justice institutions (such as prosecution and courts) respond to crime, violence, and insecurity, the outcomes of these interventions, and the views, hopes, concerns, and aspirations of individuals who experience them. We will also examine concerns and proposed solutions regarding police violence, bias, discrimination, and the effects of justice interventions for inequality and social cohesion, including the social upheavals and political disputes generated by high-profile events, current and past. Course readings will draw from a wide range of materials, ensuring that students engage with diverse perspectives, including social science research, legal texts, official documents, and journalistic accounts. Since the course is thematic, we will include research and examples from a range of countries, likely including France, Denmark, and Sweden, along with attention to the UK, and with occasional comparisons with North America. 

This discussion-based seminar requires students to complete all assigned readings before class and to engage in collective discussions weekly.

Topics vary annually. The objective of the course is to explore emerging issues in Peace and Conflict Studies. The focus of the course will be on a specific topic, rather than a broad survey of the field. Students can take PCJ460H1 in lieu of PCJ444H1.

This course introduces students to the theories, concepts, histories, and actors that are fundamental to the field of peace, conflict, and justice. Students will discuss meanings, causes, obstacles, and sustainability of peace and justice through the discussion of historical and contemporary cases from around the world. Stemming from the interdisciplinary aspect of the field, students will learn a wide range of theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented perspectives on thematic topics such as protection and violation of human rights, social and economic inequalities, and causes of violence and oppression. This course is intended for first year PCJ students and it serves as a gateway for all other courses offered in the PCJ program. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

*Please note that you do not need to take the new PCJ 200 level courses: PCJ200H1 and PCJ210H1 as these have since replaced PCJ260H1 and PCJ261H1.

This course introduces students to key research methods employed in the study of peace, conflict and justice. It considers both qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research frameworks prominent in PCJ research drawn from a range of disciplines and approaches. Some methods explored in this course might include: descriptive analysis, correlational studies, bivariate or multivariate regression models, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and country case studies. The class teaches students how to read, understand and critique these frameworks and the scholarship they influence/produce. Concepts of internal and external validity, inductive and deductive reasoning, and ethics in research will also be covered. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

Please note that you do not need to take the new PCJ 200 level courses: PCJ200H1 and PCJ210H1 as these have since replaced PCJ260H1 and PCJ261H1.

This course builds on various multi-disciplinary approaches to explore how inequalities shape violence, conflict, and post-conflict dynamics. It teaches students to understand and engage critically in debates in the field and to discover connections between the power structures that shape the emergence of violent conflicts, their dynamics, and their legacies. In addition, this course will offer students practical tools to analyze the intersection of conflict and inequality, as well as the implications of that intersection for pursuing peace. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

Students are given a service learning placement in the GTA in partnership with local, national, or international not-for-profits or governmental organizations. Students work in teams of 2-7 students, and help partner organizations solve important problems. Student teams mostly work independently of the organization, while receiving some mentoring, critique, and advice from the organizations. Students are expected to invest 5-7 hours per week in course projects, in addition to class time. In this non-competitive course, students are asked to engage in deep personal reflection, help teammates, advise other teams, and contribute their skills and talents to their community partners. The course will emphasize how groups work to achieve community goals, how grassroots politics works, the power of social capital, and how these topics link to questions of conflict resolution, brokering peace, and achieving justice. Required for PCJ Majors and Specialists.

This course guides each student through their own individual research project, embedded in an interactive group learning process, to offer an applied introduction to research methods for peace, conflict and justice studies. Students work through the research in the field of peace, conflict and justice studies, such as: identifying a research question, learning how to write a critical literature review, developing a rigorous research design, and applying quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to answering research inquires. The final deliverable is a draft of a research proposal or an empirical research-based paper. This course is a requirement for PCJ Specialists and open to PCJ Majors with approval from the Director.

Topics vary annually. The objective of the course is to explore emerging issues in Peace and Conflict Studies. The focus of the course will be on a specific topic, rather than a broad survey of the field. Students can take PCJ444H1 in lieu of PCJ460H1.

This course explores selected issues in the field of Peace, Conflict ands Justice. Topics may vary from year to year. Through a suite of recent readings, students will strive to critically examine implications and challenges of, and solutions to the issues being studied. Please visit the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice website for current offering information.

This course examines the responses of justice system institutions to concerns over crime, violence, and policing in Europe. Our substantive focus will be on how police and other justice institutions (such as prosecution and courts) respond to crime, violence, and insecurity, the outcomes of these interventions, and the views, hopes, concerns, and aspirations of individuals who experience them. We will also examine concerns and proposed solutions regarding police violence, bias, discrimination, and the effects of justice interventions for inequality and social cohesion, including the social upheavals and political disputes generated by high-profile events, current and past. Course readings will draw from a wide range of materials, ensuring that students engage with diverse perspectives, including social science research, legal texts, official documents, and journalistic accounts. Since the course is thematic, we will include research and examples from a range of countries, likely including France, Denmark, and Sweden, along with attention to the UK, and with occasional comparisons with North America. 

This discussion-based seminar requires students to complete all assigned readings before class and to engage in collective discussions weekly.

Topics vary annually. The objective of the course is to explore emerging issues in Peace and Conflict Studies. The focus of the course will be on a specific topic, rather than a broad survey of the field. Students can take PCJ460H1 in lieu of PCJ444H1.

This course introduces students to the theories, concepts, histories, and actors that are fundamental to the field of peace, conflict, and justice. Students will discuss meanings, causes, obstacles, and sustainability of peace and justice through the discussion of historical and contemporary cases from around the world. Stemming from the interdisciplinary aspect of the field, students will learn a wide range of theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented perspectives on thematic topics such as protection and violation of human rights, social and economic inequalities, and causes of violence and oppression. This course is intended for first year PCJ students and it serves as a gateway for all other courses offered in the PCJ program. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

*Please note that you do not need to take the new PCJ 200 level courses: PCJ200H1 and PCJ210H1 as these have since replaced PCJ260H1 and PCJ261H1.

This course introduces students to key research methods employed in the study of peace, conflict and justice. It considers both qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research frameworks prominent in PCJ research drawn from a range of disciplines and approaches. Some methods explored in this course might include: descriptive analysis, correlational studies, bivariate or multivariate regression models, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and country case studies. The class teaches students how to read, understand and critique these frameworks and the scholarship they influence/produce. Concepts of internal and external validity, inductive and deductive reasoning, and ethics in research will also be covered. This course is a requirement for PCJ majors and specialists.

Please note that you do not need to take the new PCJ 200 level courses: PCJ200H1 and PCJ210H1 as these have since replaced PCJ260H1 and PCJ261H1.

This course explores selected issues in the field of Peace, Conflict ands Justice. Topics may vary from year to year. Through a suite of recent readings, students will strive to critically examine implications and challenges of, and solutions to the issues being studied. Please visit the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice website for current offering information.

Please note that you are not eligible to enroll in the newly offered PCJ350H1 course if you have previously taken PCJ261H1 with Professor Laura Garcia-Montoya in Academic Year 2023-2024. Therefore, PCJ350H1 is not a requirement for you. Rather, PCJ360H1 is a requirement.

Students are given a service learning placement in the GTA in partnership with local, national, or international not-for-profits or governmental organizations. Students work in teams of 2-7 students, and help partner organizations solve important problems. Student teams mostly work independently of the organization, while receiving some mentoring, critique, and advice from the organizations. Students are expected to invest 5-7 hours per week in course projects, in addition to class time. In this non-competitive course, students are asked to engage in deep personal reflection, help teammates, advise other teams, and contribute their skills and talents to their community partners. The course will emphasize how groups work to achieve community goals, how grassroots politics works, the power of social capital, and how these topics link to questions of conflict resolution, brokering peace, and achieving justice. Required for PCJ Majors and Specialists.

This course guides each student through their own individual research project, embedded in an interactive group learning process, to offer an applied introduction to research methods for peace, conflict and justice studies. Students work through the research in the field of peace, conflict and justice studies, such as: identifying a research question, learning how to write a critical literature review, developing a rigorous research design, and applying quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to answering research inquires. The final deliverable is a draft of a research proposal or an empirical research-based paper. This course is a requirement for PCJ Specialists and open to PCJ Majors with approval from the Director.

Topics vary annually. The objective of the course is to explore emerging issues in Peace and Conflict Studies. The focus of the course will be on a specific topic, rather than a broad survey of the field. Students can take PCJ444H1 in lieu of PCJ460H1.

This course examines the responses of justice system institutions to concerns over crime, violence, and policing in Europe. Our substantive focus will be on how police and other justice institutions (such as prosecution and courts) respond to crime, violence, and insecurity, the outcomes of these interventions, and the views, hopes, concerns, and aspirations of individuals who experience them. We will also examine concerns and proposed solutions regarding police violence, bias, discrimination, and the effects of justice interventions for inequality and social cohesion, including the social upheavals and political disputes generated by high-profile events, current and past. Course readings will draw from a wide range of materials, ensuring that students engage with diverse perspectives, including social science research, legal texts, official documents, and journalistic accounts. Since the course is thematic, we will include research and examples from a range of countries, likely including France, Denmark, and Sweden, along with attention to the UK, and with occasional comparisons with North America. 

This discussion-based seminar requires students to complete all assigned readings before class and to engage in collective discussions weekly.

Topics vary annually. The objective of the course is to explore emerging issues in Peace and Conflict Studies. The focus of the course will be on a specific topic, rather than a broad survey of the field. Students can take PCJ460H1 in lieu of PCJ444H1.