After three years on campus, faculty from MSU's Peace and Justice Studies program are hoping to support research development and a graduate student component, if more funding from the university and outside donors becomes available.

"We're trying to think about how we can respond to this tremendous danger of warfare and the proliferation of weapons," said Richard Peterson, philosophy professor and co-director of the program. "We think that society is facing a crisis, and there has to be some kind of thoughtful response that reduces the spiral of armaments and warfare."

Faculty members have not set any plans for obtaining more funding.

The program is an undergraduate specialization that includes more than 100 courses in different colleges that relate to the issues of peace and justice.

The program began three years ago "to create a place on campus where there would be a focus on issues about the causes of violence, particularly war and thinking about alternatives to it," Peterson said. "There isn't any discipline that focuses on this set of problems, but they seem so crucial to the future of humanity."

There are about 75 peace and justice studies students and about the same number of faculty members who are associated with the program.

"We have students from many different colleges," Laura DeLind, peace and justice studies adviser said. "It crosses over a major part of the university."

Psychology junior Erin Lamm decided to specialize in peace and justice studies when her adviser told her it wad a good idea for her possible career as a child advocate.

"I learned what happens in society," Lamm said. "I learned about injustice, the underlying reasons for it and how to fix it."

Shawn Wozniak, an anthropology senior and State News columnist, opted for the specialization because he said he has been interested in international issues.

"I really like looking at the role of diplomacy and social movements in the formation of countries," he said.

Along with teaching courses related to peace and justice studies, Peterson and his colleagues, including co-director and anthropology Professor David Dwyer, are part of an advisory committee of faculty and students that sets policies and discusses possible new courses.

The program also sponsors speakers such as Michael Nagler, founder and former chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, who came to campus Thursday night.

For more information on MSU's Peace and Justice Studies Program, visit ssc.msu.edu/~pjstudy.