Peace and global studies (PAGS) majors explore strategies for constructing a just and peaceful world. The goal of the program is to develop your competencies in fields contributing toward social transformation and peace.
PAGS is a great choice for students who are activists interested in the work of justice and peace: nonviolent strategies, anti-racist work, anti-poverty work, community organizing, addressing climate change and engendering more expansive human rights. The PAGS program draws from the disciplines of anthropology, economics, history, philosophy and politics to explore problems of systemic violence and how these can be addressed. The PAGS major offers students concrete grounding and enriched conceptual frameworks for strategizing for social change to address the most pressing challenges of our time.
PAGS is a rigorous major, but the challenge is invigorating! Our students are known for their serious work ethic combined with their unmatched senses of humor.
PAGS students are also known as passionate campus activists. They’ve been involved in organizations such as the REInvestment Campaign to urge Earlham to divest from coal and petroleum extraction; and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, in support of Palestinian nonviolent resistance to occupation.
As a peace and global studies graduate, you can work around the globe. Like other PAGS alumni, you can be affiliated with non-governmental organizations, human rights groups, political campaigns, environmental organizations, alternative media, religious organizations and international agencies.
PAGS graduates work throughout the world, as rights advocates, journalists, researchers, organizers, lawyers, nurses, doctors, midwives, architects, designers, teachers, and university professors.
To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Global Studies, you must complete all general education requirements in addition to completing six core courses, as well as a minimum of three courses in one of four areas of concentration.
Six required core courses
Two of the following five courses:
The following four courses:
A minimum of three courses in one of four areas of concentration is required:
Religious pacifism
Law & justice
Praxis
"Fourth generation" peace studies
Note: Other courses not currently listed might also count as contributing to each concentration; consult directly with the director of PAGS
96% of recent peace and global studies graduates were working or in graduate school within six months of graduation.
93% of work seekers who majored in a cross-divisional major between 2018-2022 were employed, pursuing graduate school or volunteering within six months of graduation.
Honors
The PAGS program graduated two Rhodes Scholars in three years (Hashem Abu Sham’a ’17 and Summia Tora ’19) and frequently graduates Watson fellows and Fulbright scholars.
Outcomes
Top job industries for peace and global studies majors include community and social services, education, political organizing and lobbying.
What kind of research experience and internships are available?
Peace and global studies majors have interned around the globe, many under the guidance of experienced organizers and activists. Recently, students have interned at organizations like UNITE HERE, Win Without War, the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, LesQueers and World Relief Chicago.
Professors in the PAGS program and the Earlham Center for Global and Career Education can help you identify potential internship sites that match your interests.
Can I do off-campus study
Yes! There are multiple off-campus study programs that are a great fit for peace and global studies majors, including the border studies program in Tucson, Arizona and Tibetan Studies in northern India, among others.
Some PAGS majors also complete their internship requirement while on an off-campus study program.