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The 16-credit interdisciplinary minor in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) equips you with the analytical tools to examine conflicts around the world and develop the skills to understand and foster peace-building efforts. Through coursework that you can complete across the university – both in New York and at NYU sites around the world – you will have opportunities to explore a wide range of issues from war and terrorism to cultivating peace and civil resistance. This minor is open to all undergraduates at NYU who have completed at least one semester.

Core Course Sequence

You will come together with students from diverse programs of study who have a shared passion to better understand current events, learn how to critically analyze conflict and peacebuilding efforts, and gain skills to engage in the world.  We are proud to often hear that the PACS minor is the most impactful part of our students’ undergraduate careers!

In the order of your choosing, you will complete 4 PACS-related courses:  1 required anchor course as an introduction to peace and conflict studies; 1 restricted elective from a choice of two focused on conflict, education and human rights; and 2 unrestricted electives that you select from a wide variety of options. Approval can be requested for other electives to count towards the minor and some PACS classes may also count towards your major or other programs of study.  

Our talented PACS minor graduates have gone on to careers in the United Nations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, human rights monitoring and advocacy, and international development work. One early PACS graduate, now working at a peacebuilding organization, even hired a more recent PACS graduate!  Our faculty also write many reference letters for our PACS students, who have gone on to prestigious graduate programs in the United States and around the world in peace and conflict studies, international relations, human rights, law, international development, political science, journalism, or international education, among other disciplines. 

Program Requirements

The minor requires the completion of 16 credits, comprised of the following:

Course Title Credits
Required Core Course
INTE-UE 1013Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies Course4
Restricted Electives
Select at least one of the following:4
INTE-UE 1028
Comparative Politics, Education and Conflict
INTE-UE 1010
International Human Rights Activism/Education
Unrestricted Electives
Select 8 unrestricted elective credits by advisement (see below for additional information)8
Total Credits16

Unrestricted Electives

Students must choose 8 unrestricted elective credits from a wealth of options across the University, both on Washington Square and at NYU’s global sites. Courses are grouped into themes and students may take courses from one of the following themes or many: 

  • Analyzing and Explaining Conflict and Violence
  • Peace, Justice, and Development
  • Human Rights and Advocacy
  • International and Area Studies

 Elective course lists are available through the program's website.

Analyzing and Explaining Conflict and Violence

MCC-UE 1200 Inquiry Seminar: Representing Mass Atrocities in Africa (4 credits)
MCC-UE 1351 War as Media (4 credits)
POL-UA 700 International Politics (4 credits)
POL-UA 710 US Foreign Policy (4 credits)
GT-UF 201 Global Violence: Vulnerable and Targeted Peoples (4 credits)
SOC-UA 472 The Sociology of Conflict and War (4 credits)
HIST-UA 569 Topics: Empire and Decolonization (4 credits)
UPADM-GP 430 Intelligence and National Security Policymaking (4 credits)

Peace, Justice, and Development

MCC-UE 1413 Cultural Memory (4 credits)
FOOD-UE 1210 Introduction to Food History (4 credits)
GT-UF 201 Topics: NGO Narratives: Global Humanitarianism: From Development to Disaster (4 credits)
UNDSW-US 66 Global Perspectives in International Social Policy (4 credits)
UNDSW-US 67 Social Justice and Peacemaking (4 credits)

Human Rights and Advocacy

GT-UF 201 Topics: International Human Rights (4 credits)
SCAI-UF 401-001 Justice and Rights Movements: Let Them Lead the Way (4 credits)
UPADM-GP 269 How to Change the World: Advocacy Movements and Social Innovation (4 credits)
SCAI­-UF 401­ Youth in Revolt: Case Studies in Global Activism (4 credits)
GT-UF 201 Trauma Studies in the Age of Globalization (4 credits)

International and Area Studies

MCC-UE 1341 Middle East Media (formerly Islam, Media and the West) (4 credits)
HIST-UA 750 US-Latin American Relations (4 credits)
MEIS-UA 697 Palestine, Zionism, Israel (4 credits)
HIST-UA 277 Worlds of World War One (4 credits)
SCA-UA 721 Issues and Ideas: Challenges, Issues and Ideas in Covering Sub-Saharan Africa (4 credits)
SCA-UA 161 Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa (4 credits)

Global Sites

NYU Accra

UNDSW-US 9110 Inequality
NURSE-UN 9XXX Global Perspectives of Women’s Health and Human Rights in Africa
CORE-UA 9534 Cultures & Contexts: The Black Atlantic

NYU Berlin

SOC-UA 9943 Transnational Migration or ANTH-UA 9076 Transnational Migration or EURO-UA 9943 Transnational Migration or AGT-UF 9301 Advanced Global Topics Transnational Migration, Identity, & Citizenship or SCA-UA 9616 Transnational Migration
POL-UA 9994 Topics:Analyzing EU Politics through its Migration Policy
SOC-UA 9133 Comparative Modern Societies or POL-UA 9133 Comp Modern Societies: Pol & Soc in 20C Germany or HIST-UA 9133 Comp Modern Societies: Pol & Soc in 20C Germany

NYU Buenos Aires

JOUR-UA 9503 Journalism & Society: Leaks and Whistleblowers or MCC-UE 9111 Journalism and Society: Leaks and Whistleblowers
POL-UA 9780 Interamerica Relations: Latin America & The US
SPAN-UA 9400 (formerly 9550) Advanced Topics in Latin American Literature and Culture (Spanish) Terrorismo y Cultura
CORE-UA 9515 Cultures & Contexts: Latin America

NYU Florence 

LWSOC-UA 9251 Tpcs in Law & Society: International Perspectives on Human Rights or POL-UA 9751 International Perspectives on Human Rights or ANTH-UA 9071 International Perspectives on Human Rights
MCC-UE 9452 Global Media Seminar: Media Activism and Democracy or ITAL-UA 9513 Global Media Seminar: Media Activism and Democracy
HIST-UA 9186 Environmental History of Migration in Europe and the Americas (previously Hist of Immigration in Europe & US -WWII - Pres
HBRJD-UA 9200 or HIST-UA 9283 Hist of the Jews in 20th Cent Europe: Comparative Perspectives-Italy, Germany/France
POL-UA 9512 Italian Politics or ITAL-UA 9512 Italian Politics
POL-UA 9721 United States & European Relations since WWII
SCA-UA 9180 /IDSEM-UG 9207 Topics in Africana Studies: Race and Racialization in Italy 
SOC-UA 9506 The Politics of Organized Crime or ANTH-UA 9077 The Politics of Organized Crime

NYU London

HIST-UA 9452 Immigration or ANTH-UA 9075 Immigration or IDSEM-UG 9250 Immigration or SOC-UA 9452 Immigration or SCA-UA 9864 Immigration
CORE-UA 9400 Texts and Ideas: Power, Political Leadership and the Renaissance
CORE-UA 9534 Cultures & Contexts: The Black Atlantic
HIST-UA 9012 Modern Europe
HIST-UA 9156 Europe Since 1945
HIST-UA 9198 Modern Imperialism: 19th & 20th Centuries or SCA-UA 9883 Modern Imperialism: 19th & 20th Centuries
MCC-UE 9403 Postcolonial Visual Culture 

NYU Madrid

ANTH-UA 9252 Contemporary Perspectives on the Civil War and the 'Recovery of Historical Memory' in Spain or HIST-UA 9264 Contemporary Perspectives on the Civil War and the 'Recovery of Historical Memory' in Spain SPAN-UA 9560 
ARTH-UA 9417 Art and Social Movements in Spain: 1888 - 1939
SOC-UA 9709 Comparative US and European Human Rights or LWSOC-UA 9251 Tpcs in Law & Society: Comparative U.S. and European Human Rights
POL-UA 9167 Spain and the European Union: Political and Economic Issues
POL-UA 9726 Political Economy of Developing Countries
SPAN-UA 9466 Islam and Spain or MEIS-UA 9707 Islam & Spain in English
SPAN-UA 9472 (fomerly 9255) Migration and Cultural Diversity in Spain: Anthropological Approaches (In Spanish) or ANTH-UA 9255 Migration and Cultural Diversity in Spain: Anthropological Approaches (In Spanish)
SPAN-UA 9475 Migration and Cultural Diversity in Spain: Anthropological Approaches (In English) or ANTH-UA 9256 Migration and Cultural Diversity in Spain: Anthropological Approaches (In English)
SPAN-UA 9260 Cultural History of Spain (in Spanish)

NYU Paris

CORE-UA 9400 Texts and Ideas Topics: On Liberation
FREN-UA 9163 French Civilization in the Making: From the Gauls to the Revolution (in French)
FREN-UA 9806 France and Islam 
FREN-UA 9809 or EURO-9865 or HIST-UA 9867 Protest Movements in France (in English)
HIST-UA 9141 Topics in French History Modern France from the Revolution to the Present
SCA-UA 9914 French/African Relations (in French) or HIST-UA 9510 French-African Relations (in French) or FREN-UA 9911
FREN-UA 9902 German Occupation in French Literature and Cinema (in French)
FREN-UA 9936 Gender and Sexuality in France (in French) or SCA-UA 9869 Gender and Sexuality in France (in French) 

NYU Prague

EURO-UA 9157 European Security After The Cold War
EURO-UA 9301 Modern Dissent in Central Europe: or SASEM-UG 9400 Modern Dissent in Central Europe: The Art of Defeat
POL-UA 9994 Topics: Central Europe, NATO & the EU
SOC-UA 9413 Law & Human Rights in Central Europe or ANTH-UA 9074 Law & Human Rights in Central Europe
HIST-UA 9176 Hist of Nationalism in Cent & Eastern Europe
POL-UA 9515 / HIST-UA 9514 Germany and East Central Europe
POL-UA 9598 European-American in The 21St Century
SOC-UA 9970 Topics: Collective Identity in a Totalitarian Regime
ANTH-UA 9200 From "Gypsies" to "Roma": Ethnic Politics in a Global Prague

NYU Tel Aviv

HIST-UA 9553 Tpcs in Mideast History: Palestinian-Israeli Conflict or HBRJD-UA 9948 Topics in Israel Studies: History of the Palestinian - Israeli Conflict or MEIS-UA 9751 Topics in Middle East Politics: Palestinan-Israeli Conflict
POL-UA 9720 Diplomacy & Negotiation Conflict & Resolution in the Middle East
POL-UA 9994 Topics: Comparative Radical Politics
POL-UA 9994 Topics: Democracy, Dictatorship and Regime Change

NYU Wash. DC

HIST-UA 9629 Topics: American Foreign Policy in the 20th Century
POL-UA 9540 Politics of Near & Middle East
SCA-UA 9186 (formerly 9280 Topics:) Black Lives Writing Washington, DC. or MCC-UE 9122 Black Lives Writing Washington, DC HIST-UA 9185