Peace, War, and Defense Major, B.A.

Peace and war are among the oldest dreams and most difficult challenges of human experience. The curriculum brings together faculty and courses from many disciplines to provide undergraduates with a range of approaches to the fundamental issues of human conflict and national and global security and defense.

Department Programs

Majors

• Peace, War, and Defense Major, B.A.

Minors

• Conflict Management Minor

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the peace, war, and defense program, students should be able to:

• Express themselves effectively in written and oral communication
• Use appropriate research methodology
• Demonstrate knowledge of major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and history of peace and war
• Think critically and analytically in approaches to the concepts, perspectives, and history of peace and war

• Demonstrate knowledge of the interrelationships between the various disciplinary approaches to the study of peace and war

Requirements 

In addition to the program requirements, students must

• attain a final cumulative GPA of at least 2.0
• complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
• take at least half of their major course requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
• earn a minimum of 18 hours of C or better in the major core requirements (some majors require 21 hours).

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.

The Culture of Peace and War

International Security and Intelligence

The Evolution of Warfare

Special Opportunities in Peace, War, and Defense

Additional information on all of these subjects, including lists of internship possibilities, can be found on the curriculum's Web site.  

Honors in Peace, War, and Defense

Majors who earn at least a 3.3 overall grade point average and at least a 3.3 grade point average in the major through their junior year may apply to the chair of the curriculum for permission to enroll in PWAD 691H and PWAD 692H. Students interested in honors must take a research seminar in peace, war, and defense (PWAD 670 or PWAD 680), a seminar in history (HIST 398), or another course that provides background in research design. For students who wish to write an honors thesis in their senior year, a thesis topic should be approved by an appropriate thesis director by the end of the junior year. Students prepare an honors thesis in PWAD 691H and PWAD 692H and defend it orally. PWAD 691H can be used to fulfill the student’s chosen concentration requirement; PWAD 692H provides credit hours toward the major but cannot be used to satisfy concentration requirements. Based on faculty evaluations, the baccalaureate degree may be conferred with honors or with highest honors, or merely with course credit.

Departmental Involvement

The curriculum is also now a participating institution in the Intelligence Community: Center for Academic Excellence (IC-CAE).

Experiential Education

Internship courses provide students with the opportunity to earn academic credit while obtaining practical work experience in agencies and organizations clearly related to national and international security. In recent years students have served in these and other agencies: The Central Intelligence Agency, Durham Police Department, Office of Naval Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, Carolina for Kibera, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Peace Action, United States Army Special Operations Command, and many more. Students are limited to one internship for credit, and all internships are limited to three hours of academic credit. Although some routine administrative tasks are required in any professional setting, the expectation is that a majority of the intern’s work will be directed toward the substantive mission of the agency and that tasks will be of a nature to justify awarding academic credit. All internships require prior approval, and all must consist of at least eight hours per week and at least 100 hours per semester. Students must sign an internship contract with their agency and faculty supervisors, setting out expectations and course requirements. Interns are required to keep a daily work journal. Once approved for an internship, students enroll in PWAD 393, which is offered on a Pass/Fail basis only and therefore does not count toward the nine courses required for the major. Students wishing credit towards the major derived from their internship work should pursue an independent study with a faculty supervisor either while taking the internship or in the next semester. That independent study should produce a major written product, would be graded normally, and receives credit in the major.

Study Abroad

The curriculum encourages all undergraduates to study abroad either for a summer, a semester, or an entire year. Students should consult the study abroad Web site and visit the Study Abroad Office as early as possible in their course of study to meet with a study abroad advisor. A number of foreign programs contain courses that qualify for major credit. Of particular usefulness is study at the King’s College, University of London War Studies Department, the closest analogue to the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense in the English-speaking world and a program with a renowned faculty. Students with at least a 3.3 grade point average are eligible to apply to King’s College. While supervision arrangements need to be negotiated and agreed with relevant faculty members, students writing honors theses in their senior year may also apply to spend the year at King’s College.

Undergraduate Research

Students who qualify are encouraged to experience original research by writing a senior honors thesis described in the honors section above.