Dawson students from any program of study may choose to add the Peace Studies Certificate to their academic pursuits during their DEC studies at Dawson College.

Peace Studies is an interdisciplinary, engaged, values-based field of study that integrates theory and practice. The Peace Studies Certificate invites students to reflect critically and creatively on the complex roots of violence, nonviolence, and peace, their consequences, and their roles in our world. The Peace Studies Certificate aims to prepare students to work for justice and to build peace in any context, whether in their personal or professional lives, their communities, in society, or on a global scale.

Recipients of the Certificate, upon completion of their Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC), will be able to:

• Identify and analyse the various forms of violence, nonviolence and peace in different cultures, economies and societies
•  Analyze the social or economic or cultural or psychological roots of violence, nonviolence and peace
• To practice and model nonviolent communication skills and conflict resolution
• Practice and model nonviolence communication skills and conflict resolution
• Organise and implement a project that practically applies peace (though social justice, restorative justice, violence prevention, peacebuilding, environmental sustainability, peace and reconciliation, and bridge building between communities etc)
• Recognize one’s own capacity for peacebuilding,
• Care for themselves, their relationships, their communities, the environment, and beyond, and
• Be a catalyst for actions towards positive change

• Attend 1 “Peace 101” workshop and at least 2 Peace Studies Certificate “Community of Practice” discussion groups.  +
• 3 courses of the student’s choice from the courses offered in the Certificate +
• Achieve three (3) Peace Activity Credits through participation in a variety of different activities over the course of your Certificate OR organise and implement a project that will put peace into practice.
  • If you participate in extra curricular volunteer work at a relevant organisation, the Administrative Coordinator of the Peace Studies Certificate may award you credits en lieu of participating in Peace Centre organised activities
  • Relevant non-Peace Centre activities held at the College can be considered eligible for Peace Activity Credits if approved by the Administrative Coordinator of the Peace Studies Certificate
  • In-class projects or activities can also be credited, if they are relevant and approved by Administrative Coordinator of the Peace Studies Certificate

You may enroll at any time, you are not required to enroll during registration. Enrollment is available all year round. Please see instruction to enroll in the Certificate.

For more information, contact