Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies,USA

Scholarship / Financial aid: Scholarships which cover tuition and a stipend for living expenses for the two years of study.

Date: Two-years multidisciplinary program

Deadline: January 5th

An international student body brings diverse backgrounds and perspectives, enriching the educational experience. Faculty members from over a dozen academic departments create a multidisciplinary environment centering on issues of peace and justice. Students and faculty enter into dialogue on the normative questions of war andpeace, bringing ethics and values into discussions of theory and methodology.

Financial aid in the form of scholarships, stipends, support for travel, and funded internships is awarded to over 90% of Kroc students.

Students live in a residential community with other Kroc students from around the world, complementing the academic aspects of the program with an ongoing experiential dimension. A six-month practicum at field sites in the United States and around the world integrates theory and practice. Students join a global network of peace builders, including Kroc graduates, fellows, and visiting scholars, who work together to build a more tolerant and just society.

Program Themes:
Global Politics and International Norms examines the concepts, theories and findings of research about war and peace, and explores the relationships among international issues such as international human rights and globalization, processes of international law and global governance, the role of the UN system, regional organizations and NGOs, and the prospect for peace. Cognate fields: international relations; law; economics.

Religion and the Ethics of Conflict examines the religious and ethical contexts of violence and nonviolence across a range of traditions and with emphasis on “lived religion.” Dialogue among diverse faith communities and the role of religion in peacebuilding is a particular thrust of this area of study. Cognate fields: comparative religion; philosophy; theology; history.

Political Economy of War, Peace and Sustainable Development examines the relation between political economy (interpreting economics in a broad sense to include political and sociological factors) and war and peace, discussing concepts, theories and empirical findings regarding the causes, consequences, and conduct of conflict. Special attention is given to the political economy of development and the global economy. Cognate fields: economics; political science; sociology.

Culture, War and Peace investigates the problems of ethnic, gender-related and communal violence, and looks at interpretations of war and peace in cross-cultural context. This focus area delves into the experience of individuals and communities in conflict and explores the methods of grassroots research, activism, and expression in survival, healing and peacebuilding. Cognate fields: anthropology; sociology; cultural and gender studies; the arts.

Conflict Analysis and Transformation attends to strategies, theories, and case studies of conflict transformation, resolution, and reconciliation. Nonviolent social movements as forces for peacebuilding are also considered as part of this focus area. Methods of mediation and negotiation at levels from individual to community to nation are studied. Cognate fields: political science; psychology; law; sociology.

Financial Support
Scholarships which cover tuition and a stipend for living expenses for the two years of study are available. In principle, the institute is committed to providing the necessary financial support for all students who do not have access to other sources of funding, and ninety percent of past students have been awarded full assistance from the Institute.

Others have received funding from outside sources such as Fulbright grants or national scholarships. Applicants are urged to apply for any potential sources of outside funding and are required to use any awards to support their participation in the Kroc program to the fullest extent possible. The living expense stipend for the 2004-05 academic year was $11,000.

The University estimates the cost of living expenses in South Bend for a single student to be a minimum of $1,000 per month. The Institute’s financial aid package does not provide sufficient funding to support an accompanying spouse or child. Graduate stipends are intended to cover the student’s living expenses including housing, telephone, food, books, supplies, travel, and entertainment, both while in residence on campus and during the field practicum.

Service as a teaching assistant or research assistant is required.

Students are not permitted to obtain outside employment while pursuing the M.A. degree. Graduate stipends are taxable unless waived by the terms of a tax treaty between the U.S. and the student’s country of citizenship. The Kroc Institute covers medical insurance for all funded students during the course of study as well as travel to and from the sites of the field practicum. Limited funding is available to assist grad students to attend conferences or professional development opportunities during their program of study. For students who demonstrate serious need additional scholarships are available for travel to and from their home country.

Website:
http://kroc.nd.edu/programs/masters/prospective%20students.html