Peace and Conflict Studies are assuming increasing importance both internationally and within nations as governments and non-government organisations struggle to find ways of resolving conflicts without recourse to violence. The objective of the peace and conflict studies major is to provide you with an understanding of the causes of political conflict and the possibilities of finding peaceful solutions to them. This requires development of diagnostic tools for the analysis of social and political situations, a capacity to engage in and understand the evaluation of alternative courses of action and the skills to incorporate values within political analysis.