Presented during the 2017 Presidential Peace Conference in Atlanta. Track D, Session 2: The Future for Peace Conflict Resolution Studies

1. Interdisciplinary Studies
Department
Diversity, Community Engagement, Social Justice
Dr. Robbie Lieberman
June 10, 2017

2. 2
ISD Offerings
Majors
Asian Studies
African & African Diaspora St
Minors
 African & African Diaspora St
 Asian Studies
 Comparative American Studies
 Gender & Women’s Studies
 Latin American / Latin@
Studies
 Peace Studies
 Religious Studies
Certificates
Diversity and Community
Engagement
Gender & the Workplace
Graduate
Master of Arts, American Studies
Certificate, American Studies
Certificate, Doing Business in
Asia
Other Opportunities:
Peace Corps Prep Program
Courses in Science, Technology,
and Society
“Year of” program

3. 3
WHY ISD?
• Interdisciplinary study lays the foundation for work in a
variety of professional areas by producing creative,
independent thinkers who are able to carve out career
paths and determine the advanced training, additional
coursework, or graduate programs that they need to
fulfill their goals.
• ISD majors and minors have excellent communication
and analytical skills and can be successful in a number of
fields including, teaching, media, museums, foreign
service, law, publishing, public history, human resources,
and much more.

4. 4
• Fifteen hours total
• Two Required Courses
– PAX 3600 Theories of
Non-Violence
– PAX 4000 Peacebuilding
Methods
• Students will choose three
electives from a list of
courses that include
selections from
Communication, Philosophy,
Sociology, Music, and other
PAX and ISD courses. KSU Community attempts world
record for largest peace sign,
2012.
PEACE STUDIES MINOR

5. 5
PEACE CORPS PREP PROGRAM
• The Peace Corps Prep Program is not an additional
degree program. The courses you take will be ones that
will fit into or complement your major. You’ll build 4
core competencies through coursework, hands-on
experience, and professional development support. The 4
competencies are:
• Training and experience in a specific work sector, such as
health or education
• Foreign language skills
• Intercultural competence
• Professional and leadership development

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CERTIFICATE IN DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
• Ten hours of coursework
• Required Courses
– ISD 2001: Introduction to Diversity and Social Justice (3 hours)
– ISD 3398: Internship (3 hours)
– ISD 3399: Colloquium (1 hour, taken in conjunction with 3398)
• Elective course (3 hours) can be chosen from among ISD department
courses. Examples include, but are not limited to:
– AMST 3760 Advanced Studies in American Identities
– AMST 3780 The U.S. in the 1960s
– GWST 3070 Gender and Social Justice
– PAX 4000 Peacebuilding Methods
– AADS 4040 Hip Hop Feminism

7. 7
Annual Pathways to Peace Lecture
• 2017, Yang Sophorn, president of
Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions
• 2016,Winona LaDuke,
environmental activist and writer
• 2015, Greg Van Kirk, co-founder and
president of the Social Entrepreneur
Corps
• 2014, John Hunter, World Peace
Game inventor
• 2013, Jessica Jackley, social activist
and Kiva.org founder
• 2012, Jody Williams, Nobel Laureate
• 2011, Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize
winning journalist.

8. 8
• “I was impressed by the show of
competitive cooperation among
students of peace studies and the KSU
police. It is a good example of the kind
of civility needed in our country and
world.” – Joe Bock, Director, School of
Conflict Management, Peacebuilding
and Development
• “As someone who has been involved
with sports and peacebuilding
programs in the US and Haiti, I can
attest to the importance of a little
friendly competition as a building block
for transforming attitudes and
relationships. I hope that this is the
beginning of a more significant project
to humanize the relationship between
law enforcement and students.”
- Sherrill Hayes, Director, Master of
Science in Conflict Management
Engaging the Community

9. 9
Peru Study Abroad

10. 10
Symposium on Asia-USA Partnership Opportunities (SAUPO)

11. 11
People’s Climate March, 2014

12. 12
RECENT PEACE STUDIES AFFILIATES
• DENIZ GUMUSTEKIN is currently doing her PhD in International Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University. She worked for the
International Rescue Committee in Atlanta and participated in international missions and conferences. Her research interests are intra-
national conflicts, in particular the cases of Kurds and Tamils. Gumustekin has a special interest in comparing deeply divided societies and
the reasons for delays in peace negotiation processes. In her current project, Gumustekin studies the impact of external threats on
cooperation/non-cooperation among co-ethnic organizations.
• DR. LAURENCE SHERR is Composer-in-Residence at Kennesaw State University, where he developed a Music
and the Holocaust course that recently became associated with the Peace Studies program. His compositions have
been performed worldwide, and he has been awarded numerous prizes, grants, and fellowships.
• LAURENCE STACY is a graduate student in Kennesaw State University’s International Conflict Management
program, and a Research Assistant for Dr. Anne Richards. He is working with Dr. Richards to create an online
database of literary works related to peace studies and global conflict that will serve as a resource for K-12
educators. Laurence is interested in the potential of literature to enhance discourses of peace studies. Upon
completion of his degree, he plans to teach in the field of peace studies.
• DR. PRANAYA RANA is an Assistant Professor of Peace Studies at Kennesaw State University. Rana has a Ph.D.
in the International Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University '16. His research interests include
refugee empowerment, humanitarian work, and peacebuilding. He is a former Lieutenant from the Nepalese Army
Elite Forces. He has served as a U.N. Peacekeeper in post-earthquake Haiti, a Refugee Resettlement Program
Officer in Connecticut, USA and worked with the Carter Center in 2013 as a program support for elections
monitoring and local governance programs in Nepal.

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PROGRAM AND DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP
• Peace Studies Program: Dr. Anne Richards
• Expertise: Islam in America
• aricha31@kennesaw.edu
• Peace Corps Prep Program: Tom Pynn
• Expertise: Literature, Philosophy, and Religion
• tpynn@kennesaw.edu
• ISD: Dr. Robbie Lieberman
• Expertise: Protest Songs and U.S. Social Movements
• rlieberm@kennesaw.edu
• Department web site: isd.hss.kennesaw.edu