Online Certificate in
Religion, Peace & Justice
PROGRAMS / PEACE & JUSTICE / ONLINE CERTIFICATE
Distilling Information and Addressing Questions
With both graduate and undergraduate options, our Certificate is a completely online eight-month program over two semesters consisting of six carefully selected courses that were meticulously and intentionally designed to address some of the most pressing and important questions related to theology of peace and justice, the dimensions of peace and violence in the narrative of the Christian Scriptures, the role of religion in peace and violence, practical peacebuilding and conflict transformation, and the inner transformation of a peacemaker.
The program is unique in the way that it combines the theological, practical, and inner transformational dynamics of religion, peace and justice — proposing that all three dimensions must be present and held in tension with each other for the vocation as a Christian peacemaker to be meaningful and authentic.
By the end of the program, students will be confident in their abilities to articulate a theology of peace and justice with a new maturity and sophistication that draws from a rich scriptural, historical, philosophical, and theological reservoir and put this theology into practice in effective ways that's still faithful to a cruciform nonviolence in various secular and religious conflicts while drawing from their inner transformation as peacemakers.
AT A GLANCE
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Duration — 8 MONTHS
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Courses — 6 FULL 3 c/h COURSES
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Total Credit Hours — 18 c/h
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Delivery Mode — ONLINE
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Tuition — $7,110 CAD
LADDER INTO A MASTER'S PROGRAM:
The online Certificate can be completed as the first year of an M.A. or M.T.S. in Peace & Justice. You can decide whether to continue with your studies before or after completing your Certificate.
PRACTICUM OPTION:
Students have the option of completing the online Certificate by replacing one course with an intensive local or overseas practicum through a peace and justice organization. Click here for more info.
Curriculum
THEOLOGY OF PEACE & JUSTICE
PEACE & VIOLENCE IN RELIGION
...as a deeper understanding of one religion to understand the role of religion in peace & violence more generally.
INNER TRANSFORMATION
PRACTICAL PEACEBUILDING
...as the interior foundation for loving our enemies and being peacemakers intuitively based on who we become.
Each informs the other
Each informs the other
Jim Forest Institute Community
CERTIFICATE GUEST LECTURERS:
The Certificate in Religion, Peace & Justice includes a number of fantastic nationally and internationally renowned guest lecturers, all of whom are either reputable scholars in their fields, peace activists, peacebuilding practitioners, clergy, authors, or contemplatives. Below is a small sampling, but the full group of guest lecturers can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.
WORK OF THE PEOPLE PARTNERSHIP:
The Jim Forest Institute for Religion, Peace & Justice has a partnership and friendship with The Work of the People — visual liturgy, venue for transformational videos, creative community, and curator of an “honest and wonder-filled Christianity.” All six online courses of the Certificate program include many videos and curricular components from TWOTP’s library as a way to incorporate real, honest, open discussion that revolves around questions related to religion, peace and justice.
Certificate Courses
The Certificate in Religion, Peace and Justice consists of the following six courses (3 in the fall semester / 3 in the spring semester):
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PJST/SF 5482 – THE INNER TRANSFORMATION OF A PEACEMAKER | DR. ANDREW PHILLIP KLAGER
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PJST/THEO 5380 – THEOLOGY OF PEACE AND JUSTICE | DR. ANDREW PHILLIP KLAGER
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PJST/BIB 5180 – PEACE AND VIOLENCE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT | DR. BRADLEY JERSAK
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PJST 5583 – PRACTICAL NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEBUILDING | DR. ANDREW PHILLIP KLAGER – OR – PJST 5584 – FAITH-ROOTED, COMMUNITY-BASED PEACEBUILDING | LISA SHARON HARPER, PhD (ABD)
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PJST/THEO 5882 – RELIGION, PEACE AND CONFLICT | DR. ANDREW PHILLIP KLAGER
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PJST/BIB 5182 – PEACE AND VIOLENCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT | DR. BRADLEY JERSAK
FALL SEMESTER
SPRING SEMESTER
Please click on the tabs in the semesters below for more information and full course descriptions.
FALL SEMESTER (SEPT. – DEC.)
PJST 5482
THE INNER TRANSFORMATION OF A PEACEMAKER
3 cr/hrs
Sept. – Dec.
Graduate or Undergraduate
TUITION:
$1,185 (credit)
$600 (audit)
Professor
Dr. ANDREW PHILLIP KLAGER
Course Description — The inner transformation of a peacemaker gives the interior foundation for being a genuine rather than contrived and inauthentic agent of peace. This course will explore issues of ego, pride, anger, a sense of failure, and other impulses that can be transformed into patience, self-control, compassion, and other virtues—especially humility to overcome 'epistemological hubris'—in circumstances ranging from violent forms of communication to the chaos and trauma of violent conflict. We will therefore explore historical ascetic, spiritual, and contemplative disciplines and exercises that induce our transformation as peacemakers and are directly transferable into real-life situations.
Guest Lecturers – Dr. Betty Pries, Phileena Nikole, Dr. Kim Franklin, Dr. Ron Dart,
Dr. Walter Thiessen
Course Questions — What do I do if (or how do I prepare myself for when) someone tries to harm me or people I love? How do I acquire the clarity of mind and inner fortitude to deal justly and peacefully with the Other? Into what do I put my efforts and energy in order to be an effective peacemaker? What spiritual and ascetic resources are available to peacemakers to assist in our transformation? How do I incorporate these spiritual and ascetic disciplines into my life? How do I use these spiritual and ascetic disciplines in real life circumstances?
SPRING SEMESTER (JAN. – APR.)
Students must choose one of the two courses listed below — PJST 5584 is for students whose interests and vocation are suited to local, everyday peacemaking, and PJST 5583 is for students whose interests and vocation are suited to addressing global violence and international conflict from a grassroots perspective.
PJST 5584
FAITH-ROOTED COMMUNITY-BASED PEACEBUILDING
3 cr/hrs
Jan. – Apr.
Graduate or Undergraduate
TUITION:
$1,185 (credit)
$600 (audit)
Course Description — Peacebuilding typically refers to the delicate work of knitting together relationships between disparate factions or nations in a way that enables durable peace. More often than not, the West views peacebuilding as an outward venture; one that takes place "over there." Yet, viewed through the lens of the oppressed, we understand that peacebuilding has been foundational to the struggle of decolonizing justice movements around the world, including in from the abolitionist movement to the women's suffrage movement through the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements. This course will explore key elements of peacebuilding as applied in the context of North American faith-rooted community-based movements for change.
Instructor
LISA SHARON HARPER, PhD (ABD)
PJST 5583
PRACTICAL NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEBUILDING
3 cr/hrs
Jan. – Apr.
Graduate or Undergraduate
TUITION:
$1,185 (credit)
$600 (audit)
Course Description — This course introduces students to the field of peace and conflict studies by exploring the prevention, analysis, and resolution of conflict and the many innovative and creative ways to build peace in fragmented societies. The course focuses on the components, theoretical paradigms, and methods of peacebuilding “from the ground up,” although attention will also be given to official high-level peace processes and negotiations, with an emphasis on how ground-level and high-level activities complement or otherwise impact each other.
Guest Lecturers – Jarrod McKenna, Wendy Kroeker, Lisa Schirch, Imbenzi George, Cherie Enns, Wayne Northey
Course Questions — What effective nonviolent measures can be taken to build peace and transform conflict? How can we “make things right” after experiences of violence and trauma without resorting to retribution, vengeance, or otherwise more violence? What are the processes, initiatives, strategies, and actions for building peace at a grassroots level? How can we get involved in these processes and organize effective nonviolent initiatives?
Professor
Dr. ANDREW PHILLIP KLAGER
WHAT DO OUR STUDENTS SAY ABOUT OUR CERTIFICATE PROGRAM?
“I love the course content, the push to dig deeper in the reading material, and the challenge to write academically. I just wish I could clear my schedule so I could study all day!”
EVY KLASSEN
Abbotsford, BC, Canada
"Although I am only just over a month into the JFI program, I am already gaining more confidence in moving forward into peace and justice work. The teachings from Andrew Klager and Brad Jersak along with the variety of course materials (from readings, videos, and exceptional guest lecturers) are establishing a firm foundation upon which to build a peacemaking lifestyle and vocation."
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DEBORAH COUTTS-SMITH
SARNIA, ON, CANADA
"The Jim Forest Institute for Religion, Peace and Justice at St Stephen’s University is something I have been looking for for a very long time. In this first half of the first semester I have found it to intersect precisely with my personal interests, the need for this material in the church and world today, and the level of professional expertise and challenge I expect from a graduate level course. The two instructors bring a rich variety of knowledge and personal experience of the peacemaking process to the table, and the guest lecturers have been carefully chosen to enrich the experience. This Certificate program has helped turn my personal focus in a direction I have greatly needed! Thank you."
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PETER BELL
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES
"It's hard for me to put into words the personal transformation that I have undergone in such a short period of time. I initially wanted to take university courses just to keep my mind challenged, as I am now retired. I wanted to take online theology courses just purely out of interest and convenience. Through haphazard circumstances or divine intervention, I found this program online. I have evolved from pure knowledge-based needs to restoring a spiritual relationship with God and Jesus Christ. But the best part are the internal effects this program has had on me. I have taken what I have learned and applied it to my daily life and seem to have developed much more tolerance in those areas that I have conflicting views (i.e., politics). I am a Canadian who now resides in the USA. I had become very angry and fearful at the political and social aggressiveness that seemed pervasive in this country. Now I am much more understanding and patient of the current situation. I have developed skills that help me so much with my personal relationships with my family and very close friends. As I continue with the program, I know I will continue to evolve as a more spiritual and better person, maybe to the point where I can apply the various tools that I have learned to the greater community."
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MICHELLE MARTIN
FREDERICTON, NB, CANADA
PROGRAMS / PEACE & JUSTICE / ONLINE CERTIFICATE
Complete your online Certificate as part of a Peace & Justice or Theology & Culture master's degree.
Students also have the opportunity to complete an M.A. or M.T.S. in Peace & Justice by laddering into either one of these degree programs after completing the Certificate, or complete an M.A. or M.Min. in Theology & Culture by replacing one Theology & Culture semester with four courses from the online Certificate in Religion, Peace & Justice as the Peace Studies Track. The is an excellent way to complete a master's degree with a strong peace studies component and a flexible curriculum and configuration that won't disrupt a student's life and career.
PROGRAMS / PEACE & JUSTICE / ONLINE CERTIFICATE
Complete fieldwork as part of your Certificate program.
Students have the opportunity to carry out local or overseas fieldwork with a peace and justice organization (broadly defined) of their choice. These life-changing practical service placements allow students to integrate and actualize the transformative and theological foundation that characterized their experience in the Certificate program.
Practicums are carried out through the course, PJST 6090: Peace & Justice Fieldwork. This course is designed to give Certificate students an opportunity to participate in efforts directed at addressing issues that have local and global significance. Along with the instructor, students will compile an appropriate reading list related to the chosen topic/issue, record reflections during their experience, and complete a final report on key areas of their experience.
Organizations that St. Stephen's University students have worked with in the past in fieldwork placements include Mennonite Central Committee, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Holy Land Trust, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Micah Mission, FOCUS North America, and many others. Students are also encouraged to make suggestions that we can arrange on their behalf.
Multifaith Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care
St. Stephen's University offers a course that prepares students for multi-faith pastoral and spiritual care in a variety of chaplaincy settings. This course can be completed as an add-on to a master's degree at SSU (i.e., not included in the total credit hours of a student's degree program) or as a stand-alone credential without a program. We offer a certificate of completion for the course that can be applied to a student's resume as an academic credential for ministry rather than a CPE/CPU clinical credential.
