A course at Elizabethtown College has been accepted into the prestigious Partners in Peace (PIP) program, a collaboration between the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) and the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway.
The course, Refugees in Global and Regional Context & Advocacy Lessons from Nobel Peace Laureates, was created by Dr. Oya Dursun-Özkanca, Elizabethtown College Professor of Political Science and Endowed Chair of International Studies and Director of the Honors Program and is set to launch in the summer of 2026.
“It is an honor for our Elizabethtown College Honors program to be recognized as a Partners in Peace institution, especially given our College’s mission focused on peace, nonviolence, and social justice,” Ozkanca said. “This course is more than a study of forced migration and displacement – it is a call to action.”
The Partners in Peace initiative helps students and faculty study and apply strategies used by Nobel Peace Laureates to foster harmony and collaboration.
“This is a monumental program that allows these colleges and universities to offer transformative courses and activities,” NCHC President Dr. Eddie Weller said. “Using the Nobel Peace Prize winners as a catalyst, these courses and activities will appeal to our better natures as our students put on the mantle of peace for their generation.”
The course builds on the Refugees in Global and Local Context course that Ozkanca has taught since 2022. In this revised Partners in Peace course, Elizabethtown College Honors students will explore the history and impact of Nobel Peace Laureates who have advocated for refugees, including Fridtjof Nansen, Jane Addams, the Quakers, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“By connecting the experiences of refugees with the legacy of Nobel Peace Laureates, we empower our students not only to understand the complexities of displacement but also to lead with empathy and advocate for peace in their communities, both locally and globally,” Ozkanca said.
The class includes a hands-on simulation from the UNHCR, community outreach, and a guided research project. Students will also complete pre- and post-course surveys to track their learning about peace, refugee issues, and international responses. As a part of the program, Ozkanca has been invited to the Nobel Peace Center’s “Time for Peace: For Future Generations” event in New York in June 2025.
Etown’s involvement in the program also extends to the upcoming Partners in Peace Nobel Peace Congress in Oslo, Norway, on May 26 through 30, 2026, where Jean-Paul Benowitz, Director of Prestigious Scholarships and Public Heritage Studies and member of the NCHC Place as Text Committee, is assisting in the design of the Norway PIP congress on the model of his Etown Honors program’s community-based learning courses and the NCHC City as Text® Faculty Institutes and Master Classes he instructs each summer and fall.
Employing the NCHC’s Place as Text® pedagogy, Benowitz has developed an immersive, cross-cultural curriculum that guides participants in exploring Oslo and its surrounding region—offering historical and cultural context for their work at the congress.