Peace and Justice Studies | University of Montevallo

Peace and Justice Studies at the University of Montevallo examines causes and consequences of economic disparity, institutionalized inequality, and strategies of peace building and conflict resolution.

UM’s location at the heart of the civil rights triangle in rural Alabama and our institutional history beginning as a women’s college provides unique opportunities to pursue the work of a peace and justice studies minor. Our students explore community issues within global contexts to critically analyze race, gender, and class relations.

We offer students spaces for experiential education and community partnerships as well as scholarly engagement to learn the history of and techniques for conflict resolution, mediation, social change, and critical thinking. Minors may enhance their major field of study through our social justice framework and go on to become negotiators, community mediators, government officials, educators, businesspeople, organizers, and professionals in organizations focused on human rights, dispute resolution, environmental protection, international law, and human and economic development.

Recommended Events – Fall 2025

Tuesday Evenings (recurring)—Rest and Reset with Breathwork

Old Gym dance studio, 5:30–6pm

All levels of experience are welcome; no experience needed. Mats are available in the studio. For more information, email Dr. Catherine Walsh.

September 10—Visit to the Equal Justice Initiative’s Museum, Memorial, and Monument

Montgomery, 9am–3pm

Contact Dr. Jennifer Rickel to join.

September 10—Scottsboro Boys Museum Panel

Carmichael Library, 3:30pm

Cross-disciplinary panel discussing the Scottsboro Boys Museum’s traveling exhibit. Participants include Dr. Carl Doerfler, associate professor of political science, Dr. M. Maxine Morgan, assistant professor of African American literature and coordinator of African American Studies, Dr. Thomas Reidy, historian and executive director of The Scottsboro Boys Museum, and Dr. Kathryn Tucker, assistant professor of U.S. history. For more information, email Bounds.

September 10—Guest Speaker, Dr. Ezekiel Stear

Humanities Hall Auditorium, 5:30–6:30pm

Dr. Ezekiel Stear will present his book Nahua Horizons: Writing, Persuasion, and Futurities in Colonial Mexico (University of Arizona Press, 2025).

September 18 (recurring)—AAS Reset

Palmer Commons (English Lounge), 12–5pm

Drop in every other Thursday (bi-weekly) to reset with games, goodies, and conversation with peers. Sponsored by the African American Studies Minor and open to all PJS and AAS minors and ENWL majors and minors. Bi-weekly Dates: 9/18, 10/2, 10/16, 11/13, and 12/4.

September 25—Amnesty International Interest Meeting

Fallin 101, 3:30–4:15pm

Amnesty International is a grassroots organization that aims to protect human rights through advocacy, research, and mobilization. As a non-political entity, everyone is welcome to share their areas of interest, passions, and perspectives to promote the expansion of human rights. At this interest meeting the Montevallo Chapter of Amnesty International will answer questions about the organization and explain how you can get involved.

September 25—Figuring Ground: Panel Discussion with Visiting Artists

Wills 200, 5:30–6:30pm

Visiting artists c e johnson and Allison McElroy will explore ways that the ground (earth, land, soil) informs creative processes. They will think through how artworks made with and about earth, clay, and stone tell stories about place and offer opportunities for healing. This event is the first in a series hosted by the Art Department as part of the Figuring Ground colloquium.

October 20—BACHE Reading: Poet Chelsea Rathburn

Pat Scales Special Collections Room, Carmichael Library 3:30–4:45pm

Georgia’s Poet Laureate will give a reading and discuss her work.

October 23—Reception for art exhibit A Labor of Love by Vincent Frimpong

Poole Gallery 4:30–6pm

Exhibit runs Oct 23–Dec 5

Vincent Frimpong is a ceramic artist who embraces mixed media processes to express and explore ideas, memories and experiences regarding the richness of African history, Ghanaian culture and pressing contemporary concerns addressing where we come from, where we are, and where we are going. More information can be found at SnipersArt.com.

October 28—AL Arise Lunch & Learn

Meri Moon, 11am–12:15pm

Advocates from AL Arise will have lunch with AAS and PJS minors and ENWL majors and minors to talk about how their organization engages in community advocacy and outreach in Alabama. Spaces are limited. Contact Dr. Maxine Morgan by October 24^th. Sponsored by the African American Studies Minor and AL Arise.

October 30—AAS Film on the Quad: Sinners (with BASL)

King Quad (inclement weather location: Humanities Auditorium), 7–9:30pm

Pre-Film Talk with Black Disability Studies scholar, Dr. K. Mar Morgan, about the history and significance of Black ASL followed by film screening. Sponsored by African American Studies minor.

November 5—Poetry@UM: Ben Jackson

J.A. Brown Room, Carmichael Library, 3:30–4:45pm

Poet and UM Alumnus Ben Jackson will read from his brand-new collection Dirt Poetry.

Course Requirements

PJS 200 Introduction to Peace and Justice Studies (3 credits) – required

Exploration of issues, methods, and terminology essential to Peace and Justice Studies. Consists of readings, projects, and lecture-based study. Interdisciplinary course taught by UM professors in selected fields.

PJS 370/470 Special Topics in Peace and Justice Studies (3 credits) – required

Topics vary. Course may be repeated for credit as often as the topic changes.

Electives (12 credits) – list of approved electives announced each semester

Students must take four elective courses in at least three different disciplines. No more than two courses may be taken in any one discipline (includes cross-listings).

AAS 200 – Introduction to African American Studies
ART 326 – Special Topics**
BIO 405 – Biological Topics in Environmental Studies**
BL 283 – Legal Environment of Business
COMS 141 – Interpersonal Communication
COMS 355 – Intercultural Communication
COMS 410 – Environmental Communication
COMS 420 – Interpersonal Conflict Management
COMS 435 – Social Movement Rhetoric
COMS 460 – Seminar in Communication Studies**
ENG 232 – Global Literature: Perspectives Within a Period or Location**
ENG 405 – Studies in One or Two Authors**
ENG 471 – African-American Literature
ENG 472 – Literature from the Margins
ENG 473 – Postcolonial Literature
ENG 474 – Anglophone Literature**
ENG 475 – Literature of Sexuality and Gender**
ES 200 – Environment and Society
ES 300 – Interdisciplinary Approaches to Environmental Studies
HIST 424 – Colonial Latin America
PHIL 220 – Ethics
PHIL 300 – Special Topics in Philosophy**
POS 333 – Gender in World Politics
POS 335 – Identity Politics
POS 340 – World Politics
POS 350 – Model United Nations
POS 360 – Citizenship and Public Service
POS 446 – The Politics of Social Policy
POS 455 – International Relations
SOC 322 – Group Identities, Power and Difference
SOC 324 – Social Stratification
SOC 360 – Social Change
MG 308 – Business and Society
MG 371 – Nonprofit Organizations
MG 400 – Globalization: National and International Issues
MG 420 – Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
MG 464 – Leadership and Organizational Change**
NPS 371 – Nonprofit Organizations – Overview and Operations
NPS 420 – Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
SWK 203 – Introduction to Social Welfare and Social Work
SWK 301 – Selected Topics in Social Work**
SWK 373 – Social Policy

**Requires approval by PJS Coordinating Committee

Total: 18 credits

PJS Courses Spring 2026

Cross-listed Course number	PJS number	Course title	Instructor
COMS 460	PJS 470	Deliberative Communication	Hardig
ENG 456	Elective	Writing Process: Linguistic Justice	Mwenja
ENG 472	PJS 470	Literature from the Margins	Rickel
FCS 386	PJS 370	Family Policy	J. Smith
HIST 455	PJS 470	French Revolution and Napolean	Hultquist
SOC 303	PJS 370	Homicide	Bounds
SOC 417	PJS 470	Thinking about Crime	Bounds
SWK 373	PJS 370	Social Policy	Tetloff
SWK 411/ES 401	PJS 470	Environmental Justice	Tetloff
SPED 407	PJS 470	Introduction to Special Education	E. Lee

Course descriptions:

COMS 460/PJS 470 Deliberative Communication, Hardig

MW 2-3:20 pm

“Deliberative democracy,” which describes a political system involving broad public participation, serious deliberation on issues, and thoughtful policymaking. Our course focuses on the primary component of deliberative democracy: deliberative communication specifically as it functions to address conflict in interpersonal and community contexts

In this course we will:

Define Deliberative Communication (Introduction to theories of deliberation)
Explore why deliberative communication is important and how it functions in deliberative democracy and conflict resolution.
Describe, analyze, and practice the process of deliberative communication in a variety of contexts
Apply the process of deliberative communication in class projects
Reflect on the process throughout

If the course is successful, you should develop: (a) a clearer understanding how deliberative

processes work; (b) skills for deliberating; (c) the ability to recognize when

contemporary practices fall short of the deliberative ideal; and (d) ideas for how to make

our political process and our society more deliberative.

ENG 456/556 Writing Process: Linguistic Justice

Pre-requisites: ENG 102 (104). *Submit a course substitution form for PJS credit

This course grapples with current vital discussions in composition studies scholarship: whose language is valued and emulated in composition classrooms—and whose ways of communicating have long been belittled and ignored in these spaces? Whose stories and lived experiences are recognized, and whose—like those of Black Americans—are often excluded? How can we engage with the breadth and depth of multiple World Englishes within the limitations of a single composition course? Can we embrace the communications styles of many populations through strategies of universal design for learning?

The class covers topics of both discrimination and inclusiveness in composition spaces through discussing recent articles from journals such as College Composition and Communication, Research in the Teaching of English, and College English. These readings tackle themes of anti-Black and anti-immigrant linguistic racism, as well as ways that neurodivergent and queer voices are minimized in composition studies. Selections also examine ways that instructors can better integrate voices of people from minoritized backgrounds in composition classrooms.

Through the readings, students grapple with questions of fairness, justice, and belonging in composition classrooms, using the frameworks they develop to explore an individual research question, observe tutoring sessions and composition classes, and develop a personal statement outlining their own tutoring or teaching philosophy.

ENG 456 fulfills one requirement for the Professional Writing minor and serves as an elective for the Creative Writing minor and English major; it also can fulfill the pre- or co-requisite requirement for working in the Harbert Writing Center.

ENG 472/572/PJS 470/AAS elective

Power, Money, and Sex from the Caribbean to a new Canon, Rickel

Empires have pursued power, money, and sex in the Caribbean from the age of European colonialism to that of contemporary US imperialism. Writers from the Caribbean have in turn challenged the dominant global narratives that enabled slavery, colonialism, and continued cultural and economic exploitation. They offer stories that expose unfairness, celebrate resilience, and reimagine global dynamics of power, money, and sex. Since these authors and many of their characters move in and across the Caribbean, England, Africa, and the Americas, their work has reshaped multiple literary fields and is key to the formation of a new literary canon. This course will examine how the selected texts deal with the paradox of challenging imperialism while using the language and literary forms that have been integral to its construction. It will pay particular attention to depictions of the Middle Passage, slavery, sexual exploitation, colonial education, anti-colonial nationalism, migration, and tourism. In doing so, the course will analyze how colonialism, inequitable postcolonial “development,” and contemporary economic and cultural imperialism produce transnational subjects who redefine understandings of power, money, and sex in and beyond the Caribbean.

Plus: This semester you will have the opportunity to meet and interact with one of our authors – Tiphanie Yanique – in person!

FCS 386/PJS 370 Family Policy, J. Smith

T/TH 9:30 – 10:45 am

This course will explore current issues, laws, and policies that impact families, both directly and indirectly. Topics raised in the course include evolving definitions of the family, debates around childcare, marriage, and healthcare, and how public policies reflect (and sometimes challenge) our views of family life. Through the study and analysis of policies and laws, students will gain an understanding of how families contribute to and are affected by social problems, and how professionals and advocates can influence change for children and families. Restricted to students with junior or senior status.

HIST 455/555/PJS 470 French Revolution & Napoleon, Hultquist

Thu 5–7:30 pm

This course is a selected focus on the birth of the modern political era. We will examine the political, economic, intellectual, and cultural origins of the French Revolution & the Napoleonic era and the consequences for Europe and the world at large as a result. Although history is the disciplinary focus of the course, it is not strictly a historical survey of events, but an interdisciplinary study melding together art, philosophy, literature, music, religion, and the media.

SOC 303/PJS 370 Homicide, Bounds

TR 12:30 pm-01:45 pm

This course will provide an in-depth analysis of murder as a legal and social phenomenon. Criminological, sociological, and criminal justice perspectives will be utilized to predict, understand, and explain murder and the various social reactions to murder. Various topics will be discussed including mass killers, serial killers, death penalty, lethal forms of technology, peacemaking, and social perceptions of murder and its occurrence in society. The course will conclude with a discussion of the disproportionate effect of violence on minorities specifically inner-city African American communities.

SOC 417/PJS 470 Thinking about Crime, Bounds

Online

An examination of the various theories of criminal behavior. Emphasis will be placed upon situating these theories within their proper historical and social contexts, outlining their key concepts, assumptions and propositions, and reviewing their possible policy implications.

SWK 373/PJS 370 Social Policy, Tetloff

An introduction to the study of social policy with emphases on: 1) how social policy influences the lives of citizens; 2) how social policy influences the practice of social work, and 3) the resulting responsibilities of social work to try to influence social policy. Utilizing Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality Theory, and Conflict Theory, the course examines historical and structural causes of inequalities, especially based on race, ethnicity, and gender, and explores policy-based solutions for social problems such as poverty, systemic racism, and barriers to social needs.

SWK 411/ES 401/PJS 470 Environmental Justice, Tetloff

This interdisciplinary course will examine racial and income inequalities that result from the development and implementation of environmental policies. It will investigate the root causes of these disparities, their impact on physical, mental, and emotional health, and mechanisms for meaningful change.

SPED 407 Introduction to Special Education, E. Lee

T/Th 12:30–1:50 pm

This course examines the history, laws, and practices of special education through a lens of equity and inclusion. Students explore the systemic barriers faced by individuals with disabilities and strategies for building inclusive educational environments. Through experiential activities and community exploration, students learn to advocate for equitable access and support for all learners. This course is helpful for students in any field, not just those who plan to become teachers. Critical thinking about disability as a social justice issue is emphasized, encouraging students to question assumptions, critically analyze how systems perpetuate inequity/inaccessibility, and consider their own roles in fostering inclusion and access in their communities and future professions.

2024-2025 Peace and Justice Studies Committee Members

The charge of the Peace and Justice Studies Committee is to guide and support the interdisciplinary Peace and Justice Studies Program. Peace and justice studies at University of Montevallo will examine causes and consequences of economic disparity, institutionalized inequality, and strategies of peace building and conflict resolution. Specifically, committee members will develop and approve peace and justice course curricula; teach, co-teach, or guest lecture courses for credit in the Peace and JusticeStudies Program; assist with creating, utilizing, and maintaining community partnerships; and serve as ambassadors of the Peace and Justice Studies Program on the University of Montevallo campus and in the community. The committee will approve by consensus the courses accepted for credit in the Peace and Justice Studies Program on a semester-by-semester basis. The committee member structure is designed to collaborate with and enhance other programs on and off campus and to co-sponsor events and activities related to peace and justice scholarship and practice. The committee reports to the Provost.

Committee Member	Term*	Term #	Position
Jennifer Rickel	22-25	NA	Co-Coordinator, ex officio, & Co-Chair
Meredith Tetloff	22-25	NA	Co-Coordinator, ex officio, & Co-Chair
Andrea Eckelman	22-25	2	CAS, representing ES
Maxine Morgan	24-27	1	CAS, representing African American Studies
Deb Lowry	22-25	2	CAS
Leonor Vazquez-Gonzalez	22-25	2	CAS, representing LAS
Amiee Mellon	24-27	1	COB, representing Nonprofit Studies
Latofia Parker	22-25	1	CEHD
Catherine Walsh	22-25	2	CFA
Joyce Jones	23-26	1	Community Outreach
JaKobe Walker	24-25	1	Student (non-voting)