FAQ

No. All lectures, discussions and course materials are in English.

No. Students from all areas of study may apply. It is important that you have an understanding of and an intellectual curiosity about peace in a global context. But this might be peace related to disciplines as diverse as biology and literature, music and political science, history and business, or geoscience and philosophy. To see a list of past Peace Scholars and their majors, please go to www.peacescholars.wordpress.com.

There are two Peace Scholars selected each year.

Airfare to and from Norway is paid. In addition, lodging, food and tuition are paid by the program while students are in Norway and costs would be covered if an event occurs in the U.S. Any additional travel or purchase of books, etc. not part of the course curriculum in Norway is the responsibility of the individual student.

Peace Scholars are selected from five colleges and universities: Augsburg (Minneapolis), Concordia (Moorhead, MN), Luther (Decorah, Iowa), St. Olaf (Northfield, MN) and PLU. The schools have a common institutional definition as private Lutheran colleges founded by Norwegian immigrants, for a total of 12 scholars.

The Peace Scholars currently meet for the first time in Norway, though they typically connect before the trip through social media. They study together for seven weeks in Norway. Previous years’ Peace Scholars report forming very close and lasting friendships with their peers in the program.

More information about the national Peace Scholars programs can be found here, https://peacescholars.wordpress.com/

In Norway, they are expected to study as an active and committed member of the group. They also submit blog posts in which they reflect on their study both at the Nansen Dialogue Center and at the International Summer School in Oslo.

On their home campus, they are asked to help with recruiting new Peace Scholars, give two public presentations about their experience, and provide input to The Human Rights Forum/Peace Scholars committee as needed. More importantly, the expectation is that Peace Scholars will use their experiences in Norway to initiate or support efforts on campus related to peace and dialogue, and to have an impact on the PLU community. Students must commit to all parts of the Peace Scholars program.

In sum, this means the Peace Scholars program in Norway from mid-June to the first week in August, and on-campus participation following the summer program in Norway. Finally, as with all study away, students are expected to be good ambassadors of both their country and their university.

Students spend their first week in training in Oslo with time at the Peace Institute’s student cabin. The focus of these first days of the course is dialogue and peace. The next six weeks, students are part of an international student body of participants from over 90 countries. The course on peace studies is one of many offered at the Oslo International Summer School on the University of Oslo campus. Students live in a campus residence hall and take one course in addition to the peace studies course. This course is selected by each scholar and may be in Norwegian language, Norwegian history, international politics, contemporary Norwegian society, gender and equality, art history, or literature.

Application deadline is in February. Interviews of finalists will take place shortly after the application deadline. Peace Scholars are announced around 2-3 weeks later.

All essays are reviewed by the Nobel Peace Prize Forum/Peace Scholars committee consisting of PLU faculty. Specific criteria they will evaluate in the essay are:

• Openness to new ideas and perspectives;
• Motivation and purpose;
• Depth of understanding of peace;
• Intellectual curiosity related to peace;
• Quality of written expression and articulation;
• Two letters of recommendation.

The committee is not necessarily looking for students who have an extensive theoretical background in peace and conflict studies, but for students who see the value of building peace in their lives and are curious and open to new learning related to these topics.

At least one letter is to be from a faculty member who knows your academic work well. The other letter may be written by a faculty person or any other person who can speak to your academic strengths, personal strengths, and qualities that make you an excellent choice for the Peace Scholars program. While it is not required that the letters be from PLU faculty or administrators, it is strongly suggested that at least one letter addresses your current study at PLU.

Your letter-writers will be asked to write about what makes you a promising Peace Scholar and about your willingness to be open to ideas and beliefs that are different from yours.

The applications, including recommendation letters, are submitted through TerraDotta on the Wang Center website. The link to the form is available on the main page and on the “Apply” page of this site.