【Course description】
Peace studies is an “interdisciplinary research and education on the causes of war and conditions of amity,” and what I personally refer to as peace studies is conducted　particularly from the standpoint of Christianity on the basis of God’s creation and redemption.

The peace aimed at here is not just “negative peace,” which refers to a state without warfare or discord, but also “positive peace,” which refers to a state wherein structural violence such as poverty, oppression, and discrimination have been eradicated. Structural violence is built into the social, cultural and economic institutions. In the Bible, peace is signified by the Hebrew word “shalom,” which is derived from the word meaning “complete,” and it represents peace in a comprehensive sense. Shalom is a state of life that requires nothing, and it the fulfillment of life in the existence of the living God, the love of human beings for each other, and the fullness of life in the community of all creatures. It is something completely intact. Consequently, the goal of peace studies broadly covers the goals of the SDGs.

Here we will develop an ability to analyze the world situation, and we will develop also a sensitivity towards concord, via the use of textbooks and audiovisual material.