Luther junior Green and sophomore Eness selected as Peace Scholars 2018

Luther College junior Rebecka Green and sophomore Maxwell Eness have been selected as Peace Scholars for the 2018-19 academic year. The pair will spend six weeks this summer studying peace and dialogue in Lillehammer and Oslo, Norway.

Luther is one of six colleges founded by Norwegian-American immigrants in the 19th century that participate in the annual summer Peace Scholars program in Norway. The program is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the central issues and theories regarding conflict, war and peace. Through an application and interview process, students from Augsburg College, Augustana University (Sioux Falls), Concordia College (Moorhead), Luther, Pacific Lutheran University, St. Olaf College and the University of Hawaii at Manoa are selected as Peace Scholars.

Rebecka Green

Green of Decorah, Iowa, is the daughter of Todd and Tabita Green of Decorah. She is a 2015 graduate of Decorah High School.

An English and religion double major, Green hopes to “learn effective dialogue and conflict resolution skills that I can take back to Luther, and help my fellow students find the tools to engage in the difficult conversations they might otherwise not. With Oslo being a beacon of global peace, I’m looking forward to learning and living amongst those who have spent their lives dedicated to peace studies.”

Maxwell Eness

Eness of Ames, Iowa, is the son of Daniel Eness and Betsy Eness of Ames. He is a 2016 graduate of Ames High School.

Eness is majoring in philosophy and environmental studies. “The opportunity to study politics and peace for a summer is thrilling! I am looking forward to exploring how best to facilitate dialogue at both a national and international level,” reflected Eness.

Students selected for the Peace Scholars program will study in Norway from June 17 to Aug. 3. Scholars begin their studies in Lillehammer, studying at the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue for five days. During their time at Nansen, students are participant-observers in structured dialogue sessions with students from the Balkans/Caucasus regions.

The program continues at the University of Oslo’s International Summer School, where students participate in a course of their choice from the ISS catalogue, as well as the Peace Scholars Seminar. This rigorous academic course provides an introduction to interdisciplinary peace studies, exploring its theoretical and empirical aspects.

During their stay in Norway, they are required to blog regularly about their studies and experiences. Access to the blogs will be available through peacescholars.wordpress.com. When the Peace Scholars return to the U.S., they are asked to play a leadership role in peace activities on their home campus.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,050, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college’s website: http://www.luther.edu.