Peace and Conflict Studies
ufv.ca/artsPeace and Conflict Studies (PACS) is an interdisciplinary program of study with a well-developed theoretical and research base that drives its practical and applied components. The PACS program at UFV focuses on conflict at the personal, communal, national, and international levels with the intent of having students develop their own viable prospects for peacebuilding in these troubled contexts.
The program incorporates development of a diverse set of skills, such as conflict analysis, conflict transformation, interpersonal skills, compassion, sensitivity, confrontation, consensus building, intercultural communication, and strategies for reconciliation.
In addition to studying in classroom settings the factors that contribute to conflicts, students will acquire hands-on experience in conflict transformation and reconciliatory work that builds peaceful relationships in their own lives, in their communities, and in the broader world.
The PACS major and minor are available within the Bachelor of Arts. Please refer to the Bachelor of Arts section for information on entrance requirements.
This section specifies the major discipline requirements only. Information on additional Bachelor of Arts requirements begins in this section and includes the requirements for declaring a major. Please check the Bachelor of Arts residency section of the calendar for how many upper-level credits must be completed at UFV in order to graduate with this program.
Students can declare a Peace and Conflict Studies major after completion of at least 30 university-level credits, with a minimum CGPA of 2.00 on all credits attempted, and a minimum grade of C in both PACS 100 and PACS 200.
See the Fees and Other Costs section. PACS major students are also required to take three short courses offered by the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) Centre for Conflict Resolution. These are CRES 1100 (21 hours), CRES 1472 (14 hours), and CRES 1473 (14 hours). Students should be aware that additional fees will apply for these courses. Students will receive UFV transfer credit for these courses.
To complete the PACS major, students will need to satisfy the following requirements which must include 30 upper-level credits.
Course | Title | Credits |
PACS 100 | Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies | 3 |
PACS 200 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding in the Fraser Valley | 3 |
HSER 120 | Interpersonal Communications for Human Services | 3 |
or CMNS 180 | Introduction to Intercultural Communication | |
GEOG 346 | Geography of Religion | 4 |
PACS 310 | Conflict Transformation | 3 |
JIBC courses: (see Note) | ||
CRES 1100 | Foundations of Collaborative Conflict Resolution (21 hours) | |
CRES 1472 | Balancing Empathy and Assertion (14 hours) | |
CRES 1473 | Managing the Conflict Within (14 hours) |
Note: Students will be required to submit an official JIBC transcript to the Office of the Registrar as proof of completion and for transfer credit assessment. Please contact the PACS program coordinator for detailed information about when these courses will be offered.
Course | Title | Credits |
Individual and Society | Selected from List 1A | 3 |
National and International | Selected from List 1B | 3–8 |
Note: A single course cannot be used to satisfy more than one requirement.
Course | Title | Credits |
Individual and Society | Selected from List 2A | 3 |
National and International | Selected from List 2B | 6–12 |
Sustainability | Selected from List 2C | 3–8 |
Note: A single course cannot be used to satisfy more than one requirement.
Course | Credits |
8–12 upper-level credits chosen from: | 8–12 |
Up to one additional course from List 1B | |
Up to two additional courses from List 2B | |
Up to one additional course from List 2C |
Course | Title | Credits |
PACS 390 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding Directed Study | 3 |
or PACS 391 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding Field Work |
Course | Title | Credits |
PACS 400 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding Seminar | 3 |
Note: Students should plan to satisfy prerequisites for the courses that they intend to take from these lists.
Course | Title | Credits |
PHIL 110 | Morality and Politics | 3 |
POSC 100 | Introduction to Politics | 3 |
SOC 230 | The Individual and Society | 3 |
SOC 265 | Social Inequality | 3 |
SOC 270/ ANTH 270/ MACS 270 | Dynamics of Racism in Canada | 3 |
SOWK 283 | Introduction to Social Work Practice with Families | 3 |
Course | Title | Credits |
CRIM 311 | Diversity, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Canada | 3 |
CRIM 400 | Terrorism | 3 |
GEOG 323 | Geography of War, Terrorism, and Peace | 4 |
HIST 315 | War and Society in the Modern West | 4 |
HIST 335 | History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | 4 |
HIST 418 | The Great War, 1914–1918 | 4 |
HIST 419 | Tyranny, Demise, and Legacies: European Dictatorships of the 20th Century | 4 |
HIST 420 | World War II | 4 |
HIST 460/ LAS 460 | State Terror, Human Rights, and the Politics of Memory in Latin America | 4 |
POSC 301 | The Canadian State and Indigenous Governance | 3 |
POSC 365 | War, Terrorism, and Global Security | 3 |
PSYC 368 | Political Psychology | 3 |
Course | Title | Credits |
ANTH 130 | Religions and Cultures | 3 |
ANTH 220/ GDS 220 | Anthropology of Globalization and Development | 3 |
CMNS 212/ MACS 212 | Introduction to Media and Public Relations | 3 |
CMNS 280 | Team and Small Group Communication for the Workplace | 3 |
MACS 110 | Introduction to Communication Studies | 3 |
Course | Title | Credits |
CRIM 335 | Human Rights and Civil Liberties (see Note) | 3 |
HIST 327 | Settler-Indigenous Relations in New Zealand and Canada | 4 |
HIST 431 | Canada and the World | 4 |
INCS 392 | Immigration & Social Integration: The Indo-Canadian Experience | 3 |
PHIL 305 | Philosophy of Decision Making and Dispute Resolution | 3 |
POSC 331 | Western Peace Traditions | 3 |
POSC 335 | Civil Liberties and the Charter in Canada (see Note) | 3 |
POSC 360 | The United Nations and International Organizations | 3 |
POSC 368 | Global Issues and Canadian Foreign Policy | 3 |
VA 390 | Community Arts Practice | 3 |
Note: Credit cannot be obtained for both CRIM 335 and POSC 335.
Course | Title | Credits |
GEOG 312 | Nature, Power, and Place | 4 |
GEOG 340/ GDS 340 | Geographies of Poverty and Development | 4 |
MENN 300 | Mennonite Development and Relief Organizations | 4 |
PHIL 318 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
SOC 346 | Environmental Justice | 4 |
This section specifies the major discipline requirements only. Information on additional Bachelor of Arts requirements begins in this section and includes the requirements for delcaring a minor. Please check the Bachelor of Arts residency section of the calendar for how many upper-level credits must be completed at UFV in order to graduate with this program.
Students can declare a Peace and Conflict Studies minor after completion of at least 30 university-level credits, with a minimum CGPA of 2.00 on all credits attempted, and a minimum grade of C in both PACS 100 and PACS 200.
To complete the PACS minor, students will need to satisfy the following requirements which must include 15 upper-level credits.
Course | Title | Credits |
PACS 100 | Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies | 3 |
PACS 200 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding in the Fraser Valley | 3 |
HSER 120 | Interpersonal Communications for Human Services | 3 |
or CMNS 180 | Introduction to Intercultural Communication | |
GEOG 346 | Geography of Religion | 4 |
PACS 310 | Conflict Transformation | 3 |
Course | Title | Credits |
National and International | Selected from List 1B (see PACS major Elective lists, above) | 3–4 |
Course | Title | Credits |
National and International or Sustainability | Selected from List 2B or 2C (see PACS major Elective lists, above) | 3–4 |
Note: A single course cannot be used to satisfy more than one requirement.
Course | Title | Credits |
One of: | 3 | |
PACS 390 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding Directed Study | |
PACS 391 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding Field Work | |
PACS 400 | Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding Seminar |
For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.