Leadership Seminar - Global Issues: Violence and Peace in the Modern Age

Leadership Seminars is a competitive, for-credit, 10-day program on Notre Dame's campus for academically talented students who show impressive leadership within their communities. Tuition, housing, and meals for students admitted to Leadership Seminars will be paid for by the University. Today's news seems like a litany of catastrophes: wars across parts of Asia, the Middle East, and central Africa; the largest global refugee crisis in modern times; rising intolerance, racism and authoritarianism in Western democracies; poverty and underdevelopment in vulnerable communities; and instability and conflict driven by climate change. This seminar begins by investigating these pressing contemporary challenges, with a focus on war and violence, examining how extremist nationalism coupled with dehumanizing ideologies can engender war and mass atrocities, systemic discrimination, and entrenched poverty and inequality. Focusing on three areas of the world – the Middle East, central Africa and the United States - we explore these problems from a global and local perspective. The seminar concludes with a visit to several community peacebuilding organizations in Chicago, where we will learn about practical strategies to mitigate violence and poverty, and build trust and resilience among neighbors.