COURSES

DYNAMICS OF PEACE AND CONFLICT: FOUNDATIONS AND SKILLS

Course Description: This foundational course in Peace and Conflict Studies is designed to provide a wide spectrum of professionals with the "must know" elements that constitute this field of study. The course provides analytical tools and terminology for conflict mapping and analysis, and approaches to peace.  A strong emphasis of the course is on social, cultural, psychological and communication dynamics of conflict escalation and de-escalation. This is followed by a practical component to provide participants with effective skills in conflict management, resolution and transformation, using hands-on activities related to communication, negotiation and mediation.

Professor: Amr ABDALLA (Egypt)
Professor and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at the University for Peace
Prior to his arrival at UPEACE he was a senior fellow with the Program on Peacekeeping Policy, School of Public Policy, at George Mason University. He was also a Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia. He holds a law degree from Egypt where he practiced as a prosecuting attorney from 1978 to 1987. His Master's is in Sociology and Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION: ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES

Course Description: International migration is growing at an accelerated pace, and it is expected to continue to grow. Currently, there are about 200 million international migrants, around 3% of the world population. The phenomenon of migration is a complex one, and it comes in many guises: labour migration, family reunification, refugees, human trafficking, etc. Moreover, it has a very varying effect in different countries, often igniting profound political crises, ethnic or religious strife, and even violence. It is clear that migration intersects with various other fields, such as race, economics, culture, and demography. As such, it poses diverse challenges which cannot be dealt with in a simple or uniform way.

This course provides a general overview of the various issues posed by the complex phenomenon of migration. Issues such as: labour migration, family reunification, migration and security, combating irregular migration, migration and trade, migrant rights, health and migration, integration, etc. It presents participants with insights into how these various issues are analyzed and how they lead to the formulation of various policies. Finally, it looks into the diverse national and regional responses and explores the possibility of a coordinated global response.

Professor: Juan Amaya Castro (Columbia, The Netherlands)
Acting Head of the Department of International Law
1996 Full Degree (Doctorandus) in public international law, Leiden University, The Netherlands. September 2003-March 2004: Visiting Researcher, European Law Research Center, Harvard Law School. September 1998-March 2004: Assistant in Opleiding (Research Fellow or Ph.D.-candidate), Faculty of Law, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. April 1997-August 1998: Junior Docent (Junior Lecturer), Faculty of Law, Utrecht University, the Netherlands. July 1994-September 1996: Student assistant, Faculty of Law, Leiden University, the Netherlands.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE SOCIAL SECTOR 

Course Description: The worlds of 'working for the betterment of society' and 'private enterprise' are often seen as incompatible. This course will attempt to break-down that perception in order for participants to see the social sector as a place of opportunity, both to 'do good' but also to innovate and build a financially sustainable social enterprise, whether nonprofit, for-profit, or some combination of the two. The course suggests that the skills to get a socially beneficial idea off the ground, effectively manage and grow it, and make it financially sustainable, requires social entrepreneurs to bring business-like skills and discipline to the area of 'doing good'- but these skills in fact cross the traditional boundaries between nonprofits and for-profits.

This hands-on, dynamic course will expose participants to a number of cases of social entrepreneurs who have converted their desire of building a better world into a reality. The course hopes to inspire participants with an entrepreneurial spirit, help gain an understanding of the challenges of the start-up process, offer space and structure for participants to begin developing their own business plan for a socially beneficial venture, and think about the complexities of growing and managing it.

Professor: Mohit Mukherjee (India)
Director of the UPEACE Centre for Executive Education and a faculty member at UPEACE.
Prior to this position, he served as Education Programme Manager of the Earth Charter Initiative, an international nonprofit organization. Before his 4-years in the non-profit sector, he worked both in the private sector and also as a high school teacher in Ecuador. He has a Bachelor's degree from Stanford University and his Master's from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.