Over the last century, devastating wars and violence have plagued mankind. The threat of total annihilation remains a real possibility in an age when nuclear weapons have spread to new parts of the world. Thus, in the face of continued war and heightened militarism, Loyola University in line with its Jesuit mission of social justice aims to make a meaningful contribution to world peace by adding Middle East Peace Studies to its interdisciplinary programs.
The Medieval Studies minor offers the opportunity to address a variety of questions about the Middle Ages as well as about our own time: Why did thousands of Christian soldiers march off to uncertain wars against the "infidels" in the Crusades? How does an understanding of these holy wars enable us to think about conflicts fought over competing religious ideologies today? How does an understanding of medieval antifeminism assist our analysis of modern sexual inequality and discrimination?