Congratulations, you’re almost done your first year of university. I hope it went well. We can see the light shining at the end of the tunnel: summer nears (even if the weather doesn’t feel that way, yet). But, before you head home or go about your exciting summer plans, there is one more task for you, and a very important one at that. It’s time for subject POSt enrolment.

For those of you whom are considering a major or specialist in Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies, I wanted to provide you with some more information about the PCJ program to help in your decision making. More than just what the Arts and Science Calendar says, I hope that reflections on my experiences will help you to decide if it is the right program for you.

But first, let’s cover the basics. To quote the 2018-2019 Arts and Science Calendar, this is the description of the PCJ program:

The Peace, Conflict and Justice program provides undergraduates with an interdisciplinary education covering three central pillars: the meanings and causes of conflict, peace, and justice; the lived experiences of living in the context of conflict and struggles for peace and justice; and approaches to resolving conflict and producing peace and/or justice. The topics of study are wide-ranging, including the study of peacemaking and peace-building, interstate war and intrastate conflicts, insurgencies, revolutions and rebellions, ethnic strife, global justice, and negotiation theory. In so doing, we address some of the world’s most urgent humanitarian problems, and train students to deeply analyze these issues across several levels of analysis, from the local through the national and the global.

Academically, PCJ is an inherently interdisciplinary program. Within the broad context of the three central pillars, you are able to take courses in anthropology, geography, history, political science, psychology, religious studies, even sociology. The options are diverse and allow you to design your program to reflect your interests and curiosities. This is true for the PCJ Major, but true to an even greater extent for the PCJ Specialist in which you can choose a disciplinary, regional, or thematic focus for your studies.

The actual PCJ courses are at the heart of the PCJ program. They serve to introduce the critical theories and perspectives through which you conduct your other studies. While the introductory course (PCJ260) is quite heavily based in theories, it provides the foundation for analyzing and interpreting many real-world issues of peace, conflict, and justice in upper years courses. The overall emphasis on real-world applications and learning in the PCJ program could not be more evident than with the PCJ361/PCJ362 courses that involve either a service-learning initiative within the local community or the opportunity to study abroad.

The PCJ program is administered by the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice in the Munk School of Global Affairs. This means that you have incredible access to hundreds of events hosted by the Munk School, from conferences and book launches to lectures and panel discussions. In addition, the PCJ Society hosts a variety of socials, lectures, and other events each year that allow you to connect with fellow PCJ students, learn outside the classroom, and have a lot of fun.

I love the PCJ program because of the strong and active community. Being such a small program, you get to know many other PCJ students. You discuss the week’s readings together, you proofread each other’s essays, and you are constantly inspired by all of the amazing things your peers are doing. Being a member of such a vibrant and engaged community is incredibly motivating as a student.

For everything in the classroom and out, I am incredibly pleased to be studying PCJ. I hope this information will help you in deciding if PCJ is the right program for you, too.

Have any specific questions about the PCJ program? Send us a DM on Twitter – @TrudeauPCJ

Jonah Toth is currently a second-year year student pursuing a major in PCJ and a major in chemistry.