Mission of the Freistat Center

The William F. Freistat Center at Augustana College provides support to encourage the development of peace studies, especially studies of the broader issues of diplomacy, such as justice and fairness.

Our mission is to study historical and present conditions that contribute to violence, the cessation of violence, and the absence of violence. These conditions may occur in widely diverse situations, ranging from disparity and poverty caused by scarce resources, to military conflict, to peaceful coexistence.

In an effort to fulfill our vision, we encourage and support peer-reviewed scholarship, intensive language study, faculty exchange programs, and several faculty-student or student-led research initiatives. We also encourage departments and divisions within the college to intentionally consider integrating peace studies components into their curricula offerings.

The William F. Freistat Center promotes peace studies by encouraging faculty and students to investigate and produce significant scholarship that promotes a more just and stable world.

The center also supports teaching and learning to promote peace in the lives of individuals and harmonious coexistence among local or national communities, and nations. In addition, we support faculty and student research in — and academic exchanges with — Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.