Reflections on Studying at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

In 1994-1995 I had the opportunity to study at the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana) where the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies offers a multidisciplinary Master of Arts degree in Peace Studies.

The Institute selects approximately 20 students per year (applications average 140) from all over the world, with varying backgrounds and undergraduate emphases, most of whom receive fellowships for tuition and stipends for living expenses during the year. The institute currently has more than 250 alumni from over 55 countries.

Each year 12-14 of the 20 students chosen for the MA have the opportunity to live in community on campus in what is called Peace House. I was fortunate enough to be chosen from South Africa and I lived with wonderful people from China, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, the Basque Country, Russia, Malaysia, Palestine, India, Israel, the United States, and Kenya. Of course, living with any 12 people would have its difficulties. However, these were only compounded by our personal, cultural, religious and political differences.

Our coursework covered the causes of war and intergroup violence, the dynamics of conflict and techniques of conflict resolution, the building blocks of a peaceful and just world order, the protection of internationally recognized human rights, the promotion of economic well-being for all, and the international protection of the global ecosystem. Coursework and colloquia in international mediation, negotiation, economics, non-violence, the United Nations, peer mediation and peace education, among others, contributed to our knowledge in these areas. At the end of our year along with taking comprehensive exams, we were responsible for writing a common statement _ yes, all 13 of us had to agree on what to say. It was an exhausting task to say the least. Our 50-page statement on "Confronting Globalization: The Challenge to Civil Society" was indeed an example of conflict in action.

Certainly, the coursework was challenging; but even more so was living in community. At times we felt like "a conflict experiment" or "rats in an observation box." The year gave rise to heated arguments, misunderstandings, frustrations, seemingly "cross cultural" issues of gender expectations regarding house chores, and political protests (house members refusing to attend house meetings due to their strongly opposed political views). The theoretical and practical knowledge we were acquiring related to conflict resolution was often put to the test. We were not always able to resolve issues or agree; but on the whole, we found ways to live together. Through all of this turmoil, we grew a lot. We departed as friends, and continue - all of us (amazingly!) - to keep in touch.

In community we grappled with idealism related to world peace and nonviolence, especially as we faced the realities of war. This was a particularly sensitive subject as one of the students (Senada) in the program was from Bosnia, where war was indeed a reality. Just imagine the emotional exchanges she (a Bosnian Muslim), a Serb student (Milica) also in the program and all of us in Peace House had during those days. And only this week, 4 years later, we hear via email from Milica in Belgrade. She talks of bombings and sirens during this "crisis in Kosovo." She and Senada became friends while at Notre Dame. Both are now married and have 2-year-old sons. Unhappily, our talk at Notre Dame of peace and a more just world order now seems so distant.

As I sit and write this reflection piece, the bombs fall in Belgrade and I continue my quiet life as usual. I glance up at my wall, where a poster states:

Just War is:

just destruction,

just suffering,

just agony,

just bloodshed,

just killing,

just murder,

just carnage,

just death

... just war?

Brent Graber

How easy it was, in those days at Notre Dame to talk of peace and non-violence. How should tyrants, dictators, and those who commit genocide be stopped? It is easy to feel hopeless when trying to grapple morally and ethically with the issues at stake. We must, however, continue to believe and work toward a more just world. Having recently returned from a visit home to South Africa it is clear to me that systems of oppression can be dismantled. Yes, it is true that feelings of anger, hatred, and resentment take time to heal - if ever completely - and that rebuilding a more socially and economically just society takes generations, but it must be possible.
We must make sure that genocide and other atrocities do not occur in the 21st Century!

Cath Byrne