COURSE DESCRIPTION

It is designed to engage students in an examination of the major contemporary challenges to peace, sources of conflict and violence, and several key nonviolent mechanisms for conflict transformation and prevention. The course provides a common foundation for UPEACE students from all of the different M.A. programs (as its name suggests). During the course, an understanding of the complex and interconnected challenges to peace will be developed, as will an understanding of the need for multi-faceted approaches to meeting these challenges. Students will also engage critically with theories of conflict, and will develop their understanding of the theoretical resources available in the area of conflict studies. During the course of their studies at UPEACE students will engage in increasingly specialized inquiry into various dimensions and issues in their specific MA areas. The foundation course provides an opportunity to explore connections, sympathies, and synergies between the challenges and approaches identified in all of these areas from a “wide-angle” perspective that will encourage students to continue making such interdisciplinary connections and analyses throughout their tenure at UPEACE and after. An important aspect of the course will also be the introduction to skills integral to the field of peace and conflict studies and to the UPEACE pedagogy at large. These include non-violent communication, appreciative enquiry and dialogue.

The main objective of this course is to support Master students’ learning of research methodologies for peace and conflict inquiries. The course provides a synopsis of key conceptual, theoretical and methodological frames in different peace categories, e.g. energetic, moral, modern, post-modern and trans-rational families. As such, the course explores perspectives, underlying claims, methods and applications and limitations of those selected categories. The philosophy of the course is informed by post-positivist concerns and hence aims at raising students’ awareness of their position vis-à-vis their research with emphasis on relationality and ethics. Importantly, the course draws insights from scholarly work in peace and conflict studies, yet a large part is based on the students’ own papers and participation. Therefore, willingness to collaboratively work both in written and orally is indispensable for participating in the course.

The course “IPS 6043 Gender and Peace Operations” is designed to provide theoretical as well as field-based knowledge on the gender dimension of Peace Operations. Throughout the two weeks, the students will be exposed to the major trends that have been used for the incorporation of a gender perspective in Peace Operations, including peacekeeping missions. Policies, programmes and practical case studies will be shared with the students with the aim of getting a thorough understanding of the positive and negative aspects of Peace Operations in different environments worldwide. At the end of the two-week course, the students shall be able to understand the cost of ignoring gender in Peace Operations as well as its long-term consequences, and analyze current situations with a gender perspective.

In addition participants can choose an elective course (3 credits) offered by the UPEACE Institute or other UPEACE programmes.

For UPEACE students, the Institute offers the elective courses that have to take as part of their corresponding plan of studies at UPEACE. During these courses, UPEACE students can share learning experiences with students of all UPEACE MA programmes and non-UPEACE students as well.

This course seeks to provide an overview of the relationship between social justice and conflicts in the Global South as well as peacebuilding initiatives to transform such conflicts. Initially, various conceptual frameworks for understanding social justice, including conservative, liberal, neo-liberal and critical or transformative perspectives will be examined. While there are many possible themes encompassed by the concept of social justice, this course will address six themes namely: the rich-poor gap; international debt; models of development; justice for women; the rights of indigenous peoples and ecological sustainability. Drawing on exemplars from South contexts, the impact of unjust social structures and relationships at international, national and local levels in catalyzing conflicts will be analyzed. Various case studies of grassroots peacebuilding initiatives and movements to transform these conflicts towards realities that reflect the values and principles of social justice will be explored. In particular, the catalytic role played by South NGOs and civil society organizations will be highlighted.

The course aims at understanding the impact of climate change on the global environment and on human activity. Climate change increases risks to human livelihoods and as such may endanger the security of individuals and groups. This in turn could increase the propensity for conflict within and between states. Components of the course will include a critical examination of the drivers of climate change, largely induced by human activity, and a review of international efforts to limit the magnitude of climate changes, including those concluded in Kyoto and Copenhagen. Consequences of climate change for human health, for economic activity, for resource use and resource availability will also be examined, as will be the options for adapting to climate change. The examination of climate changes will be viewed within the broader context of the current demographic, economic and political global reality. Introductory comments and discussions led by the instructor will be followed by seminars with broad student input. Examining cases from sub-Saharan Africa, including the crisis in Darfur, will allow in-depth analysis of how climate, environment and governance contribute to conflict. The course will conclude with an exploration of future challenges.
 

The Course consists of modules designed to provide participants with the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes required in conflict areas.

• KNOWLEDGE: UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION AS A CONCEPT, FRAMEWORK & PROCESS
• SKILLS: GAINING CONFLICT ANAYSIS TOOLS & STRATEGIES DESIGN
• ATTITUDE: DEVELOPPING PERSONAL APPROACH TO CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION & WHAT WE MAY BE 

All the modules should enhance desirable personal attitudes, stress the importance of the active involvement of the host society, and promote a reflective and critical approach with regard to the complex issues of civilian crisis prevention and management when implementing concrete projects in the field, i.e. skills that are practiced in direct interaction with people.

Participants will also be provided with an overall picture of different specific functional tasks needed in the field and how they are interrelated. They will get the chance to participate in a real life scenario in a simulation that will allow them to put in practice the skills learned.

Particular stress is put on the development of a co-operative attitude towards representatives and approaches of governmental and inter-governmental actors involved in peace-building, peace-keeping, development co-operation and humanitarian assistance and the mainstreaming of a conflict- and gender-sensitive approach.

The most important rationales, central elements and objectives as well as the methodological proceedings of a conflict transformation strategy shall be treated in detail, put into relation with other possibilities of conflict management and compared systematically.

By using practical examples, real life scenario, personal experience of the participants, the preconditions for a successful conflict transformation will be discussed and hopefully integrated.

Dr. Abdalla is Professor and Vice Rector at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace (UPEACE).  Before arriving at UPEACE, he was a Senior Fellow with the Peace Operations Policy Program, School of Public Policy, at George Mason University, in Virginian, USA.   He was also a Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia.
 
Both his academic and professional careers are multi-disciplinary.  He obtained a law degree in Egypt in 1977 where He practiced law as a prosecuting attorney from 1978 to 1987.  He then emigrated to the U.S. where He obtained a Master's degree in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.
 
He has been teaching graduate classes in conflict analysis and resolution, and has conducted training, research and evaluation of conflict resolution and peacebuilding programs in several countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.  He also authored, and co-authored, several research and evaluation teaching manuals including: Doing What You Want With Your Data, A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning and Implementing Evaluation Strategies, and Qualitative Evaluation: The What and Why.

He has been an active figure in promoting effective cross-cultural messages within the Islamic and Arabic-speaking communities in America through workshops, T.V. and radio presentations.  He has also been actively involved in inter-faith dialogues in the United States.  He pioneered the development of the first conflict resolution training manual for the Muslim communities in the United States titled (“…Say Peace”).  He also founded Project LIGHT (Learning Islamic Guidance for Human Tolerance), a community peer-based anti-discrimination project funded by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ).
 

Balázs Áron Kovács is an instructor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the UNmandated University for Peace. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the Faculty of Law and Political Science, Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary and a Master’s Degree in International Peace Studies from the University for Peace. Since the beginning of 2007 he has been working with the Dual Campus Master of Arts in International Peace Studies programme in Manila, the Philippines and San José, Costa Rica. Prior to his appointment at UPEACE he worked as a programme officer at Freedom House Europe, Budapest. He also worked as a civil servant in the Hungarian Ministry of Justice on good governance and taught European and Hungarian history at FEB’93, a foundation engaged in education in Hungary.

Eva Dalak, highly experienced facilitator, works in diverse, dynamic and complex programs with multicultural teams, implements activities in conflict transformation, third party intervention and Gender issues. Over 15 years work experience in a multitude of capacities for international institutions, intergovernmental organisations and non governmental organisations in design and management of various programs in the area of conflict transformation, peace building, and gender related issues.

Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment, Peace and Security, University for Peace. MSc. Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research Center, The Netherlands. BSc. Tropical Forestry, Technological Institute of Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica. He teaches Forestry, Agriculture, the San Jose Environmental Seminar and the Natural Resource Management Field Trip. Prior to this, he worked as a Student Research Assistant in Wageningen University and Research Center, WUR, at the Sociology Department, inside the Environmental Policy Group. Research interests: Payments for Environmental Services, Forest Conservation, Sustainable Rural Development, Community Forest Concessions.

Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Law and Human Rights at UPEACE. He is also Associate Professor of International Law at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas since 1998. Professor of Humanitarian International Law at the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogota since 2009; he was Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Washington College of Law at the American University in 2008-2009. He served as Jurist to the Regional Delegation of Venezuela and the Caribbean of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo has a Law Degree, Master in International Law and Doctorate (Cum Laude) from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and a Master Degree from Oxford University, UK. He has published four books on international law and international relations and a numerous articles in different publications in the field.

Juan P. Hoffmaister is a specialist on international governance and law, with expertise adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and development and cooperation policy. He is associated with Third World Network and the Stockholm Environment Institute, and serves as negotiator for the Group of 77 and China in multiple UN forums. Mr. Hoffmaister has completed extensive field work on implementation of adaptation and disaster risk reduction activities and has spoken to international audiences on the strengthens and drawbacks on community-based adaptation. He has served in research, assessment and policy advice to governments and multilateral organizations on climate change, particularly in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change process, and is also knowledgeable of international governance processes on biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity), trade (World Trade Organization), and sustainable development (Commission on Sustainable Development). He has training in adaptation and resilience from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden (Msc) and ecology and environmental policy from College of the Atlantic, USA (BA).

Mihir Kanade is the Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre and is an Academic Consultant to the Department of International Law and Human Rights at UPEACE. Prior to the present position, Mihir practiced for 6 years as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court, focusing on issues of fundamental human rights violations. He holds a LL.B. from Nagpur University and a Master’s degree in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes from UPEACE. He has served as a legal advisor to many human rights organizations in India and has represented them before different courts and tribunals in criminal, constitutional and labour cases. His principal area of academic research and study is Human Rights and International Trade Linkages, on which he has also worked as a consultant with the United Nations University, Tokyo.

Nadine Puechguirbal is currently the Senior Gender Advisor for the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York.  She previously worked as the Women and War Advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. From June 2004 to June 2008, she was the Senior Gender Advisor for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). In addition, she took part in a two-month start-up mission to open the Gender Office of the UN Mission in Central Africa and Chad (MINURCAT).

She has acquired extended field experience over the years, first with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (in Somalia, Former Yugoslavia, Kenya, Malaysia, Rwanda), later with the United Nations (in Haiti, Laos and the Democratic Republic of Congo).

From 2000 to 2003, she worked for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) at the headquarters in New York. In 2003, she was seconded as the Deputy Gender Advisor to the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

In October 2006, Ms. Puechguirbal received her PhD on the subject “Gender perspectives in post conflict: comparative study between Somalia, Rwanda and Eritrea” at the Department of Political Sciences, University La Sorbonne, Paris, France.

Oliver Richmond is a Research Professor in the Humanitarian and Conflict Research Institute and the Department of Politics, University of Manchester, UK. He is also International Professor, School of International Studies, Kyung Hee University, Korea. His publications include A Post Liberal Peace (Routledge, 2011), Liberal Peace Transitions, (with Jason Franks, Edinburgh University Press, 2009), Peace in IR (Routledge, 2008 & 2012), and The Transformation of Peace (Palgrave, 2005 & 2007). He is the editor of the Palgrave book series, Rethinking Conflict Studies.

Dr. Victor M. Valle has been at the United Nations mandated University for Peace since 2000, when he became part of the team charged to revitalize the university.  He is currently Professor and Associate Vice Rector. Before arriving UPEACE he had a long career in international cooperation, university education, educational development, security sector reform and political action.

His academic and professional careers have been long and varied and his professional contributions have been provided around the world. He has a Doctor of Education degree, granted by the George Washington University, at USA, in 1983 and a Master of Education degree granted by the University of Pittsburgh, USA, in 1971. He carried undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering in the University of El Salvador from 1959 to 1965.In the 1970s Dr. Valle was involved in management development for public sector in several Latin American countries, as consultant of the Inter-American Development Bank, and in some projects of university planning at the City University of New York (Master Plan Committee of a new Community College in the system) and the University of Costa Rica (Planning of regional university centers).

During the 1980s, Dr. Valle was Senior Educator at the Organization of American States, Washington D.C. where he managed educational development projects in more than 30 countries in fields such as teacher training, curriculum development, higher education and Amazonian development.In his political activity, Dr. Valle was the leader of the Salvadorian political party member of the Socialist International, from 1991 to 1994, and in such capacity traveled around the world meeting top political leaders and heads of state.He was member of the National Commission for the Consolidation of Peace, which was a plural body in charge of overseeing the accomplishment of the UN mediated Peace Accords that settled the political armed conflict in El Salvador in the 1990s. Dr. Valle was founder of the National Academy of Public Security and Inspector-General of the National Civil Police in El Salvador, both organizations conceived as part of the mentioned Peace Accords.

Dr. Valle has published books and articles on educational, social and political issues.

Resident Associate Professor, Department of Gender and Peace Education

Virginia Cawagas is a resident Associate Professor in the Dept. of Gender and Peace Education. Previous to this appointment she was Visiting Professor of UPEACE and a Senior Fellow since 2004; Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Education & Professional Studies, Griffith University (2004-2009), and the Faculty of Education, University of Alberta (1995-2010). From 2003-2005, she was a visiting professor and academic consultant of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), a centre established by the Agreement of UNESCO and the Government of the  Republic of Korea, to promote education for international understanding (EIU) towards a culture of peace  in the Asia-Pacific region. She edited the first APCEIU teachers’ resource book for Asian and Pacific countries for integrating EIU toward a culture of peace in social studies. She has been editor of the International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, since 1998. Prof. Cawagas has an Ed.D. in peace and development education (meritissimus) and has extensive teaching experience in the field of peace education, human rights education, and multicultural education in both formal and nonformal modes. She teaches, lectures, and conducts workshops in these fields for students, teachers, academics, school administrators, community leaders, soldiers, and civil servants in the Philippines, Australia, Canada, China, Jamaica, Japan, South Pacific, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda and the US.

Yael Efron, an attorney-mediator, teaches negotiation and mediation at several colleges in Israel.  She is at the forefront of dispute resolution in Israel, complementing her own mediation practice with consulting to the Ministry of Justice, private mediation initiatives and community mediation centers. Yael directs Jerusalem-based Tachlit Mediation and Negotiation Training, which provides mediation services as well as negotiation and conflict management training in Israel and abroad, and holds the position of  Head of Academic Administration at the Safed College School of Law. Her writing and research focus on negotiation pedagogy and on related legal issues.