Conflict is an inevitable part of life. At GC, we believe that conflict can be beneficial when we engage it in healthy ways. If you choose a minor in conflict transformation at Goshen College, you’ll learn to see how conflict can lead to growth, reconciliation and social change.
The minor in conflict transformation studies is designed for students who hope to use conflict and communication skills in a particular profession. You will take classes that will give you practical skills as well as theological, ethical and philosophical understandings of conflict transformation and justice. Course themes include conflict and communication; personal, interpersonal and systemic violence; mediation and facilitation; justice and restorative justice; and power and social change.
By the time you graduate, you will be equipped with an appreciation of the transformative power of conflict and the tools to initiate peace. Your peacemaking skills will make you an indispensable member of your workplace and community. You will learn to identify and work through complex intercultural conflicts and be able to promote dialogue in individual or group settings as a skilled facilitator, mediator and/or negotiator.
Dr. Regina Shands Stotlzfus, professor of Peace, Justice and Conflict studies, has been presented the 2021 Everence National Journey Award for her personal and professional dedication to anti-oppression and social justice.
Patrick Maxwell is a dual-degree candidate for his JD at Harvard Law School and his MA in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Four Goshen College alumni graduated from the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) on May 1, 2021 in Elkhart, Indiana.
of PJCS alumni are satisfied or very satisfied with their undergraduate education
First peace course taught at GC (War, Peace, & Nonresistance)
of alumni agree that PJCS professors at GC are genuinely interested in students
of our peace, justice and conflict studies alumni volunteer at least once a year
Learn more about Goshen College's exceptional academic outcomes and national rankings.
Lydette Assefa ’09 is an attorney and clinical fellow with the Children & Family Justice Center at the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Lydette's storyWith more than 25 years of experience in conflict prevention, transformation and peacebuilding, Philip Thomas ’87 has dedicated his life to helping facilitate peace and reconciliation.
Philip's storyKhadar Bashir-Ali, a 1985 graduate from Somalia who majored in French, advises the Somalian government on how to improve the education system and oversees national education projects.
Khadar's storyAJ Delgadillo wanted to improve society's food waste problem, so he took an idea and ran with it.
AJ's storyBauman’s calling is a combination of working for sustainability, healing, community and justice.
Nicole's storySam Carlson was a peace, justice and conflict studies major with a minor in women’s and gender studies who takes his PJCS studies seriously. In the summer of 2014, he served at a conflict resolution center in Palestine.
Sam's storyRegina Shands Stoltzfus
Professor of Peace Justice & Conflict Studies
Director of PJCS
