Instructions for Independent Study Courses and Capstones in Peace Studies

(Updated January 2025)

Instructions for Starting Your Study or Project

Select a topic that excites you. Your chosen subject should be specific enough to allow for in-depth research within the semester yet broad enough to link to larger questions and/or intellectual traditions in Peace Studies. This interdisciplinary field of inquiry is animated by a desire to build sustainable peace at all levels of society through policy-relevant research and practice on a broad range of pressing topics, including:

• Concepts and processes that demand justice, promote healing, and create more equitable societies;
• The root causes of violence in all its forms, including physical, structural, cultural, and environmental;
• Strategies to prevent, end, and transform violent conflict through nonviolent means; and
• Approaches to promote structural and institutional change at local, national, and global levels. 

The field of Peace Studies recognizes that conflict is inherent in human behavior and seeks to harness conflict through nonviolent means to reduce violence and transform societies.[1]

We suggest focusing on a topic with which you are already familiar. Reflect on the research you have completed in Peace Studies courses and the questions and issues you explored there. Examine the syllabi from courses you enjoyed and consider the texts, stories, films, documentaries, news or media sources, and other analytical or creative materials you encountered. All these elements can assist you in developing a topic for your study or project.

Selecting an Advisor

Students are encouraged to meet with a prospective advisor from the Peace Studies faculty or affiliated faculty (as listed on the website and MyZou) in the term prior to starting their study or projects. Keep in mind time constraints and scheduling conflicts the advisor may have when you first contact them. It may be best to contact them sooner rather than later. While faculty aim to avoid restricting your study or project options, it is advisable to align your focus with areas related to your coursework or research methodologies familiar to the faculty member. This alignment helps the faculty provide better guidance in your reading and critiques of your contributions to the literature.

We understand there may be instances when a student prefers or requires an advisor who is not part of Peace Studies. In such cases, students should send an email to the Peace Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies clearly outlining the reasons for choosing an external advisor. The Director of Undergraduate Studies retains the final authority in advisor assignments. Aside from student preferences, advisor selection considers the faculty’s expertise in the student’s topic.

The Study Proposal

A solid proposal, ranging from three to four pages (single-spaced), serves as a roadmap for your study or project. It should demonstrate a grasp of the essential issues and questions surrounding the topic. 

Proposals must reflect an understanding of how social constructs—such as race, gender, sexuality, class, (dis-)ability, region, ethnicity, political identity, age, and religion—shape human experiences. Additionally, the proposal should adopt an interdisciplinary approach in both focus and methodology or a distinct Peace Studies framework and methodology. Such frameworks and methods may derive from multiple disciplines including anthropology, history, journalism, political science, philosophy, psychology, religious studies, sociology, law, and more. 

All students intending to involve human subjects in their research must submit their proposals to the MU IRB website.

The proposal should encompass:

1. A clear statement outlining the topic for study along with the potential research question or problem addressed. (It is reasonable that your initial research question may be reframed over the course of your deepening research process in close consultation with your advisor.)
2. A preliminary annotated bibliography that reviews at least five, to no more than seven, existing scholarly literature related to your topic.
3. An outline of your proposed theoretical framework and methodology including a concise explanation of your justification for this approach and its feasibility within the time span of a single semester.
4. A description of the proposed materials you will research including but not limited to historical texts or other archival materials, interviews, oral histories, surveys, focus groups, empirical data, or media such as art, literature, news/social media, films, documentaries, or photography.
5. A list of your top two preferred advisors. Or, if you have already consulted with a member of the faculty or affiliate and have secured an advisor, please note that as well.

[1] “What is Peace Studies?” Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, https://kroc.nd.edu/about-us/what-is-peace-studies/.