The Undergraduate Program in Peace Studies
For more than three decades, the Undergraduate Program in Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute has provided students with the means to explore questions of peace, violence, and justice. Not only do students excel in the classroom, but they translate their peace studies learning into extracurricular engagement and leadership both on and off campus.
The 2022-23 academic year demonstrated continued interest in the program, attracting stellar students from a wide range of disciplines across the University. Seventy-four students made up last year’s peace studies program, enrolled as either supplementary majors or interdisciplinary minors, with 27 seniors graduating in May 2023.
In addition to this group, 25 students participated in the international peace studies concentration through the Keough School's global affairs’ supplementary major.
Yarrow Award in Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame seniors Farah Khashman and Thanh Nguyen were honored as the recipients of the 2023 Yarrow Award in Peace Studies. The annual award is given by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies to an undergraduate student or students who demonstrate academic excellence and a commitment to service in justice and peace.
Khashman, a computer science major with a supplementary major in peace studies, knew she wanted to combine and transplant her interests in computer science, peace, and justice from the classroom to life outside of Notre Dame. With financial support from the Kroc Institute, she attended the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Denver, Colorado in April 2023.
The potential for a career that merged her interests became real for Khashman when she interned as a research and software development assistant with Tim Weninger, Frank M. Freimann, Associate Professor of Engineering, and worked on a project focused on using machine learning algorithms to increase literacy and prevent political violence.
“I realized that I could truly contribute my skills and interests – there’s a space dedicated to people like me who want to do this type of work,” she said.
Khashman is working as a quantitative developer for Acadia, a financial technology company, where she interned last summer at the Dublin Global Gateway. Once she’s gained more technical experience, Khashman would like to pivot to the nonprofit field or go into research software development, and eventually return to her native country of Jordan, where she can put these skills to use.
What started as a pre-med major for Nguyen flipped to political science, with a supplementary major in peace studies, after taking the course, “Holy Cross-roads: Religion and Politics from South Bend to South Asia,” offered in conjunction with the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion.
During the summer of 2022, Nguyen interned with Sabeel, a Palestinian liberation theology center, located in Jerusalem. The internship marked a profound moment for Nguyen, “which showed me how religion can be a very prophetic tool and a prophetic way of life for many people.”
Nguyen’s senior thesis focused on the settler-colonial paradigm in the context of Israel/Palestine, which she presented at this year’s Notre Dame Student Peace Conference. Since graduating, Nguyen has returned to Israel/Palestine to work with Sabeel.
Senior Seminar Essay Awards
The Senior Seminar Essay Award is announced each year during Commencement Weekend to honor two graduating peace studies students who have demonstrated excellence in peace studies research and academic writing in the senior seminar course.
First Prize honors went to Eliza Smith (psychology, global affairs-peace studies) for her essay, "A Critical Analysis of the Scope and Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Practices in the Cases of Sexual Violence," while Jennifer (Jenn) Eburuoh (environmental science, global affairs-peace studies) garnered Second Prize honors for her essay, "Understanding Narratives in the Farmer-Herder Conflicts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt."
Notre Dame Student Peace Conference and Kroc Student Conference Leadership Fellows
Following a three-year window that included a cancellation, then primarily virtual delivery of content due to COVID-related precautions, the 2023 Notre Dame Student Peace Conference returned to its former glory this spring, bringing together students from around the world to share their passion for peace studies.
New this year: Two student leaders were selected from a competitive applicant pool and awarded fellowships to direct all organization and logistics of the conference, which is an annual, signature event of the Kroc Institute. Its mission is to provide space for undergraduate and graduate students to dialogue about peacebuilding, social justice, and conflict transformation.
Students within the United States were encouraged to attend on site, while registrants from outside the continental U.S. could attend virtually. The net result was a conference that attracted more than 120 participants from 27 colleges and universities representing more than 15 countries around the globe: Armenia, Canada, China, Colombia, England, Egypt, Germany, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Uganda, the United States, and Venezuela.
This year’s theme, “Voices: Naming War, Speaking Peace,” was inspired by the 2022-2023 Notre Dame Forum theme of “War & Peace.” The conference took place April 14-15 and was chaired by two Kroc Student Conference Leadership Fellows: Jenn Eburuoh (B.A. ‘23), an environmental science and global affairs-peace studies major, and Allison Doctor (B.A. ‘23), a Spanish language and literature and global affairs-peace studies major. Nearly 30 sessions were offered over the two days, with contributions from 33 presenters and a keynote address from Sara Cobb, Drucie French Cumbie Chair at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.
#SheLeads4Peace Summer School - Geneva, Switzerland
In August 2022, the program was offered the opportunity to send a group of its female peace studies undergraduates to Geneva, Switzerland, for the 2022 #SheLeads4Peace Summer School hosted by UNITAR – United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
Focused on encouraging women's leadership in peace and security, UNITAR’s #SheLeads4Peace Summer School allows participants to learn first-hand about working for the United Nations and other international organizations while also providing young women with the opportunity to network and explore their own strengths as effective leaders for peace.
Seven undergraduate women were selected out of 22 applications for the inaugural seminar, with the program covering the costs of tuition and airfare for all participants. The women were also able to join three female Kroc Institute alumni in Geneva for a group dinner.