Collaborative Research
Conduct research with faculty and community partners. Past topics include the impact of human rights education, supporting a social food business and indigenous land issues.
Bachelor of Arts in Justice and Peace Studies
How will you make change? Justice and peace studies at the University of St. Thomas will teach you to analyze problems of violence and injustice with the goal of strategically enacting positive and sustainable change in society.
Why Justice and Peace Studies at St. Thomas?
Our program begins with direct and indirect experiences of injustice by engaging in descriptive analysis of these events through the social sciences. We will challenge you to question and comment on the world around you and to make strategic and ethical plans of action for improving society along the way. We invite guest speakers like state legislators, social justice advocates, environmental activists and more to speak with students about the causes they are supporting. You will have access to multiple career paths such as law, medicine, social work, education and more.
Transforming Society
Course Requirements
You will start by introducing yourself to the field of justice and peace studies, and then progress to classes focusing on topics like active nonviolence, the theology of justice and peace, public policy and more. From there, you will tailor the program to your interests. You can focus your studies on policy analysis and advocacy, conflict transformation or leadership for social justice.
Four-Year Plan
Our program is flexible, so we recommend connecting with the program director to plan your studies accordingly.
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Arts in Justice and Peace Studies
- Minor in Justice and Peace Studies
Scholarships
We offer the Martyna Quintana Scholarship to juniors studying justice and peace studies. A St. Thomas alumnus created this scholarship in honor of his mother to promote the values of good education, family and social justice. Please contact us if there are questions about this opportunity.
Contact us for more information:
- Email - justpeace@stthomas.edu
- Phone - (651) 962-5420
Outside the Classroom
Because of our action-based approach, most of our classes integrate experiential or community-based learning in a focused classroom project. In the past, projects have included a field experience at the Peace Coffee Roastery, a semester-long project with Soliya Intercultural Dialogues, a collaborative book project with Metro Transit and research with the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Tribal Community.
Course Requirements
Course Requirements
You will start by introducing yourself to the field of justice and peace studies, and then progress to classes focusing on topics like active nonviolence, the theology of justice and peace, public policy and more. From there, you will tailor the program to your interests. You can focus your studies on policy analysis and advocacy, conflict transformation or leadership for social justice.
Four-Year Plan
Four-Year Plan
Our program is flexible, so we recommend connecting with the program director to plan your studies accordingly.
Degrees Awarded
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Arts in Justice and Peace Studies
- Minor in Justice and Peace Studies
Scholarships
Scholarships
We offer the Martyna Quintana Scholarship to juniors studying justice and peace studies. A St. Thomas alumnus created this scholarship in honor of his mother to promote the values of good education, family and social justice. Please contact us if there are questions about this opportunity.
Contact us for more information:
- Email - justpeace@stthomas.edu
- Phone - (651) 962-5420
Outside the Classroom
Outside the Classroom
Because of our action-based approach, most of our classes integrate experiential or community-based learning in a focused classroom project. In the past, projects have included a field experience at the Peace Coffee Roastery, a semester-long project with Soliya Intercultural Dialogues, a collaborative book project with Metro Transit and research with the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Tribal Community.
Making a Difference
Our faculty are your teachers and mentors, dedicated to passing along their knowledge and expertise to you in preparation for a long and fruitful career.
Dr. Michael Klein
Mike is an associate professor who teaches classes on leadership for social justice, social movements, qualitative research and art for social justice. He received a 2007 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship for doctoral research on democratizing leadership in organizations, institutions and communities. Mike is also a public sculptor and community mural artist. In all of his work, he strives to develop personal and collective agency to promote structural and cultural change.
Dr. Amy Finnegan
Amy is a sociologist whose teaching and research interests include social movements and social change, peace and conflict, global health, human rights, medical sociology, globalization and health policy, service learning, and African studies. She is also the co-director of SocMed, a non-profit organization that advocates for and implements global health education in the pursuit of justice and equity through immersion courses in northern Uganda and now, Haiti.
Dr. Obasesam Okoi
Obasesam awakened his passion for social justice when he worked briefly as a project engineer in the oil industry, where he experienced staggering levels of inequality and the negative impact of energy corporations on the environment and local communities. He earned degrees in international development studies, public policy, political science, and peace and conflict studies. His research explores natural resource conflict resolution, violence prevention and transformation, and the complex relationships between engineering and peace.
Career Paths
There are a number of career paths available to you after graduating from St. Thomas, such as:
- Immigration law
- Environmental advocacy
- Peace research
- Public policy
- Restorative justice facilitation
Lead the Change
You have numerous opportunities to get involved at St. Thomas with student-run clubs and organizations, research and more.
Publish
As part of JPST 365 – Leadership for Social Justice, you will write a book chapter on a leadership and become a published author in the Leadership for Social Justice book series.
Lead
Students for Justice and Peace (SJP) club provides leadership opportunities to educate and act on social justice issues in our community and around the world.
Get Involved
Whether you are volunteering in the community or presenting your research at a conference, we are sure you will find plenty of opportunities to get involved at St. Thomas.
Advancing the Common Good
Living the university mission to advance the common good by transforming all coffee on-campus to fair trade is a practical reflection of the principles of Catholic social thought.
Committed to Peace
Participating in nonviolent demonstration and protests to work in solidarity with social movements commits to a sustainable and lasting peace through justice.
Give Back to Those in Need
We raised funds to support a water project in the Iraqi city of Najaf that brought clean water to schoolchildren.
Justice for All
Justice and peace studies students at St. Thomas utilize a deep knowledge of the social sciences to address strategic and ethical plans for improving our world. No matter what their path is, our students are equipped with the tools they need to make an impact and transform society.
Take the Next Step
There is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.