Peace Education

Are you an instructor or researcher in peace studies at the post-secondary level? If so, you may want to know more about resources and professional support facilities.

COPRED, the acronym for "Consortium on Peace Research, Education, and Development," gets my vote as the misnomer of all time. Who could possibly guess that COPRED is not actually a consortium at all, but the professional association for individuals who work in the field of peace studies? Primarily for professors in peace studies, it also includes activists and elementary and secondary teachers, mediators, and social workers.

COPRED's annual conference "Toward Positive Peace,"will be October 16-19 at Manhattan College, Bronx, New York. About twenty other organizations are co-sponsors, including Educators for Social Responsibility, United Nations Association USA, and War Resisters League. Proposals for papers were due July 15. However, if you have an idea, contact Kathleen Kanet, Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace, 20 Washington Square North, New York, N.Y. 10011 (212) 475-6677.

COPRED membership (U.S.$45 per year) includes subscriptions to the Peace Chronicle (an excellent guide to programs, resources, funding sources, conferences), plus Peace and Change, an interesting journal published with the Conference on Peace Research in History. COPRED belongs to PeaceNet.

The Co-Presidents of COPRED are Betty Reardon (of Teachers College, Columbia University) and James H. Laue, an expert on group process. COPRED's sections--called " networks" --are University Peace Studies; Arts, Media, and Peace; Peace Action; Primary/Secondary Peace Education; Peace Research; Religion and Ethics; and Students. The organization also supports a number of study groups and task forces, such as one on global militarization, and another on feminist peace studies.

The beloved mentors of COPRED are the eminent scholars Kenneth and Elise Boulding, both active in retirement. Elise is preparing a minidirectory for the university network, facilitating regional workshops, and giving one at the conference.

To join this stimulating and warm community of scholars, contact Dr. Maire Dugan, Executive Director of COPRED, Center for the Analysis and Resolution of Conflict, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. Phone 703/ 323- 2806.

Peace Studies Graduate Programs

George Mason University. The first doctoral program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution yet to be offered in North America is beginning this fall at George Mason University, near Washington, D.C. Students will be prepared to qualify as researchers, theoreticians, and teachers in higher education, and as policy administrators and analysts in public and private sectors. The new degree program will stress a familiarity with current processes of conflict resolution; background in a substantive area of conflict (e.g. family, community, legal, or international); and knowledge of theory and methods. Enquiries: 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030.
Ireland. Irish School of Ecumenics and Trinity College Dublin and the School of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, offers a new Master and Diploma program in peace studies. It is oriented toward problems of Third World development, disarmament, justice, and peace. Enquiries: The Admissions Secretary, Centre for Peace Studies, Irish School of Ecumenics, 20 Pembroke Park, Dublin 4, Ireland (01) 684914.

Calls for Papers

Montréal. The North American Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution will be held in Montréal February 29 to March 5. It will be a cooperative effort between the National Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution and the Network for Community Justice and Conflict Resolution of Canada. Practitioners, theorists, and researchers will participate, discussing topics ranging from interpersonal conflicts and the judicial system to environmental concerns, international issues, ethics, and nonviolence. Enquiries: 703/ 764-6115.
Corvallis, Oregon. An interdisciplinary international conference will take place at Oregon State University on October 13-15, 1988. Topic: "The Military Industrial Complex: Eisenhower's Warning Three Decades Later." Scholars, submit proposals to Gregg B. Walker, Ph.D., Peace Studies Program, Oregon State U. , Corvallis OR 97331 (503) 764-2461.

Resource

The National Security Archive is a research and library facility serving scholars, journalists, Congress, policymakers, and the public by making available U.S. internal government documentation on foreign, intelligence, defence, and international economic policy. On the staff of the organization are several lawyers, who often use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain documents. Data are organized by subject area and listed on a computer data base with detailed cross-references. A paradise for investigative journalism. Researchers enquire: 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20036. (202) 797-0882. p

Educators for Peace and Social Justice Society of Calgary. Planning now for its second year of action. Contact Chester Ptasinski, 234-3038 or Lucretia Martenet, 283-4699. EPSJ, 1039 Royal Ave. S.W. Calgary T2T 0L8.