University for Peace

Religion, Culture and Peace Studies

Established by the Dr. ALISSA Fellowship Program, the M.A. in Religion, Culture, and Peace Studies has been designed to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in contexts related to peace and conflict studies that are entangled with aspects of religious and cultural traditions. Acknowledging the critical role that religion and culture play in being a motivation for or a factor in the resolution of conflicts, this programme takes an interdisciplinary and dynamic approach to deal with a range of issues, including the theoretical and practical aspects crucial to engage with the study of different traditions, and cultivating nuanced insights in the ways in which the ideal of peace can be furthered through relevant resources belonging to the domains of religion and culture. Multiple traditions from across the world will be explored throughout the year using practical cases and diverse perspectives in tandem with aspects such as race, ethnicity, class, women’s rights, and ability, among others.

This programme is co-sponsored by the Muslim World League, the Pontifical Lateran University and the World Jewish Congress.

To view the programme brochure, click here.

Study Plan

Academic Course Calendar and Professors

Code	Courses	Type	Professor	Credits	Weeks	Dates	Hours	Classroom
UPM 6001	UPEACE Foundation Course UPM 6001-UPEACE Foundation Course 3Credits The UPEACE Foundation Course provides a critical and concise introduction to the broad field of “Peace Studies” for students in all UPEACE programmes. It initially addresses key conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of the origins and development of peace studies as an interdisciplinary area within the fields of international relations and political economy, as well as a basic understanding of conflict analysis. Based on a critical analysis of policies, strategies, policies, institutions, organizations, and movements, the course then examines a range of core issues, dimensions, perspectives, and paradigms for understanding the root causes of conflicts and violence and constructive strategies to address them and build peace in contemporary global, international, regional, national and local contexts, including conflict management, conflict resolution, and conflict transformation; alternative discourse analysis; militarization and disarmament; human rights violations and promotion; gender inequalities, gender-based violence and gender mainstreaming; structural violence, human security, development and globalization; environmental sustainability; corporate social responsibility; cultural and religious identities; media’s role in conflict and peacebuilding; strategies of nonviolence; and peace education. This Foundations course will be essential in catalyzing the awareness, understanding, and motivation of UPEACE students from diverse academic programmes to relate, ground, or intersect their specific areas of academic and practitioner interest with core theoretical, conceptual, and analytical ideas in peace studies. View More	Mandatory	Amr Abdalla(Egypt/United States) Amr Abdalla Egypt/United States Professor Emeritus, University for Peace Dr. Abdalla is a Professor Emeritus at the University for Peace (UPEACE) established by the General Assembly of the United Nations with main campus in Costa Rica. He is also the Senior Advisor on Conflict Resolution at the Washington-based organization KARAMAH (Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights). From 2014 to 2017 he was the Senior Advisor on Policy Analysis and Research at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University. In 2013-2014, he was Vice President of SALAM Institute for Peace and Justice in Washington, D.C. From 2004-2013 he was Professor, Dean and Vice Rector at UPEACE. Prior to that, he was a Senior Fellow with the Peace Operations Policy Program, School of Public Policy, at George Mason University, Virginia. 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 1986. From 1981-1986, he was a member of the public prosecutor team investigating the case of the assassination of President Sadat and numerous other terrorism cases. 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 numerous countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. He has been an active figure in promoting inter-faith dialogue and effective cross-cultural messages through workshops and community presentations in the United States and beyond. He pioneered the development of the first conflict resolution teaching and training manual for Muslim communities 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). In 2011, he established with Egyptian UPEACE graduates a program for community prevention of sectarian violence in Egypt (Ahl el Hetta). In 2018 he led the publication of the first Arabic Glossary of Terms in Peace and Conflict Studies in cooperation with UNDP-Iraq and the Iraqi Amal Association. View More Mihir Kanade(India) Mihir Kanade India Dr. Mihir Kanade (India) is the Academic Coordinator of UPEACE, the Head of its Department of International Law, and the Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre. He is also the academic co-coordinator of the LLM programme in Transnational Crime and Justice offered jointly by UPEACE and UNICRI in Turin, Italy. He holds an LL.B. from Nagpur University (India) and a Master degree and Doctorate from UPEACE. He is an adjunct/visiting faculty at Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio (Spain), Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal), Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia) and Long Island University (United States). His principal area of academic research and study is International Law, Human Rights and Globalization, covering several themes within that interface including armed conflicts, trade and investment, sustainable development, forced migration, indigenous peoples’ rights, public health, amongst others. He currently serves as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council's Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development in representation of the Asia-Pacific region. He also chairs the group of international experts mandated to elaborate the draft convention on the right to development. He has previously served on the International Advisory Board of the International Bar Association on the topic of Business and Human Rights. He leads an e-learning project of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on promoting the Right to Development. Prior to his pursuit in academia, Mihir practiced as a lawyer at the Bombay High Court and at the Supreme Court of India. View More Mariateresa Garrido Villareal(Venezuela) Mariateresa Garrido Villareal Venezuela Dr. Mariateresa Garrido (Venezuela) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Law at UPEACE and the Doctoral Committee Coordinator. She is an international lawyer and holds a Doctorate from UPEACE. Her main research area is related to the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and the protection of journalists in Latin America; but she is also researching on the interaction between human rights and Information and Communication Technologies. She uses mixed methodologies and legal research to explore linkages between the law, journalism and new technologies. She also holds two Master’s Degrees; one from UPEACE in International Law and the Settlement of the Disputes and one from the Central University of Venezuela in Public International Law. View More Olivia Sylvester(Canada) Olivia Sylvester Canada Olivia Sylvester, Ph.D., is the Head of the Environment, Development and Peace Department, and assistant professor at the University for Peace. She is also an adjunct professor for Long Island University and teaches in their Global Studies programme. In the last decade, Olivia’s research program has focused on food security, sustainable agriculture, climate change, environmental justice, and gender. Specifically, she works with Indigenous people, women, small-scale farmers, and youth on these topics. Her research is driven by social and environmental justice and she uses relevant methodologies (e.g., Indigenous, feminist) to achieve these goals. Olivia is also member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the International Society of Ethnobiology, and the Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage Project. Being active within these networks allows her to work at the interface of policy and practice. View More Alonso Muñoz(Costa Rica) Alonso Muñoz Costa Rica Alonso Muñoz is Instructor in the Department of Environment and Development at the University for Peace, where he coordinates the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development (RMSED). He holds a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Costa Rica and a Msc. in Business Administration. He has worked in the private sector as a consultant and as an entrepreneur, and has volunteered on various national and international projects regarding peace education, migration, environmental impact of systems and Social Enterprises. His most recent work revolves around Circular Economy, a field that he feels passionate about, and for which he has high expectations. He is a novelist, a blogger, a peace advocate, an entrepreneur and passionate about social and environmental development. View More Adriana Salcedo(Ecuador/United States) Adriana Salcedo Ecuador/United States Biography *Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Adriana Salcedo currently serves as Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. She is a scholar-practitioner in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding with a focus on conflict, gender, identity and migration. She holds a Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from The Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, in Virginia, United States. For this degree, she conducted extensive research on forced migration, conflict and the social integration of refugees in the Colombian-Ecuadorian borderlands and in inner cities in Ecuador. She is deeply committed to achieving positive social change through non-violent means and to strengthening social actors including grass-roots organizations, indigenous communities and minority groups through her research and practice. Adriana has taught courses at The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University in Washington D.C., at Boston University and at the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito, Ecuador in conflict analysis, collaborative methodologies for building peace, mediation, identity conflicts, gender and migration. As a practitioner, Adriana has provided training for the Northern Virginia Mediation Center (as a Certified Instructor/Mediator) and for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNDP, Redialogo (Venezuela) as well as for the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the Observatory of Migration in the Caribbean (OBMICA). With more than fifteen years of experience in analyzing and transforming social conflicts, her professional practice has covered the Amazon basin, the Galapagos Islands and the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia), the United States, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica. She has conducted research and collaborated with various public, grassroots and civil society organizations across the Americas and the Caribbean. . Biografía Directora y Profesora Asistente, Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflicto La Dra. Adriana Salcedo es una profesional que combina la teoría y práctica en el campo de la transformación de conflictos y la construcción de la paz con un enfoque en conflictos, género, identidades y migración. Obtuvo su Doctorado en Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos de la Escuela de Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos (S-CAR) de la Universidad George Mason, en Virginia, Estados Unidos. Para esto, realizó una extensa investigación sobre la migración forzada, los conflictos y la integración social de refugiados/as en las tierras fronterizas colombo-ecuatorianas y en las ciudades del interior de Ecuador. Está profundamente comprometida a lograr un cambio social positivo a través de medios no violentos y a fortalecer a los actores sociales a través de su investigación y práctica (principalmente organizaciones de base, las comunidades indígenas y los grupos minoritarios). Adriana ha impartido cursos en la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar en Quito, Ecuador, en la Universidad George Mason en Washington D.C. y en la Universidad de Boston en análisis de conflictos, metodologías colaborativas para construcción de la paz, mediación, género y migración. Fue profesora visitante en el Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflictos de la Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica) durante tres años consecutivos (2017-2019) antes de unirse a UPEACE como profesor residente. En su práctica profesional, Adriana ha brindado capacitación para el Centro de Mediación del Norte de Virginia (como Instructora / Mediadora Certificada) y para el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), así como para la Embajada de Canadá en la República Dominicana y el Centro para la Observación Migratoria y el Desarrollo Social del Caribe (OBMICA). Con más de quince años de experiencia en el análisis y transformación de conflictos sociales, su práctica profesional ha cubierto la cuenca del Amazonas, las Islas Galápagos y la región andina (Ecuador, Colombia y Bolivia), los Estados Unidos, la República Dominicana y Haití. Ha realizado varias investigaciones y colaborado con varias instituciones públicas, privadas y de la sociedad civil en la región de las Américas y del Caribe. View More Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	3	3 weeks	27-Sep-2021 15-Oct-2021	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.	Council Room
UPM 6003	The United Nations System and... UPM 6003-The United Nations System and UPMUNC (Part I) 2Credits The course is intended to familiarize students with the creation, objectives, evolution, main entities, and principal areas of work of the United Nations system. The course will look in some detail at the United Nations Charter and the functions of the UN’s principal organs before delving into the UN’s work in spurring cooperation to address a number of key contemporary global challenges, such as those in the areas of sustainable development, international migration and large-scale refugee flows, and climate change and environmental degradation. View More	Mandatory	Mihir Kanade(India) Mihir Kanade India Dr. Mihir Kanade (India) is the Academic Coordinator of UPEACE, the Head of its Department of International Law, and the Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre. He is also the academic co-coordinator of the LLM programme in Transnational Crime and Justice offered jointly by UPEACE and UNICRI in Turin, Italy. He holds an LL.B. from Nagpur University (India) and a Master degree and Doctorate from UPEACE. He is an adjunct/visiting faculty at Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio (Spain), Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal), Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia) and Long Island University (United States). His principal area of academic research and study is International Law, Human Rights and Globalization, covering several themes within that interface including armed conflicts, trade and investment, sustainable development, forced migration, indigenous peoples’ rights, public health, amongst others. He currently serves as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council's Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development in representation of the Asia-Pacific region. He also chairs the group of international experts mandated to elaborate the draft convention on the right to development. He has previously served on the International Advisory Board of the International Bar Association on the topic of Business and Human Rights. He leads an e-learning project of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on promoting the Right to Development. Prior to his pursuit in academia, Mihir practiced as a lawyer at the Bombay High Court and at the Supreme Court of India. View More Guest Speakers() Guest Speakers View More Elayne Whyte(Costa Rica ) Elayne Whyte Costa Rica Elayne Whyte is a Costa Rican diplomat and academic. In 2014, the Government of Costa Rica appointed her as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations and other international organizations based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2017 Ambassador Whyte Gómez presided over the proceedings of the United Nations Conference that negotiated and adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. She has ample experience in the functioning of treaty-based disarmament or security regimes at the global and regional levels, where she has served in leadership roles and processes: co-Chaired the 5th Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Mr. Manuel González Sanz, and served as Vice-president of the First Review Conference of the Cluster Munitions Treaty. She was Coordinator on Transparency Measures of the CCM, co-chaired the ad hoc Working Group on Treaty Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty and was Vice-president of the Second Conference of the States Parties of Arms Trade Treaty in 2016. Was a Member of the Committee on the Implementation of Article 5 of the Conference of the States parties to the Anti-Personnel Landmine Convention (APLC) and a Vice-president of the Conference of the States parties of the APLC. Also served as President of the Central America Security Commission in 2002. Elayne Whyte Gómez joined the diplomatic service of Costa Rica in 1998, after serving for four years as Legislative Advisor and Chief of Staff at the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ambassador Whyte Gómez held leadership positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cult of Costa Rica, where was Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship from 2000 to 2002, Policy Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998 to 2000 and Chief of Staff of the Minister from 2009 to 2010. Elayne Whyte worked as Executive Director of the Mesoamerica Project for Integration and Development from 2010 to 2014. She also gained experience as consultant to international organizations as a specialist in regional integration, human rights and regional security for the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, ILO, among others, from 2003 to 2009. Elayne Whyte has more than 20 years of academic experience, including as a Professor and Researcher of Foreign Policy at the School of International Affairs and Institute of Latin American Studies, National University of Costa Rica, from 1995 to 2008. She serves on the Academic Board of the Central American Report on Sustainable Human Development, at the International Advisory Board of the Center for Non Proliferation (CNS) and is part of the Board of Advisors to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She is the author of a series of publications on regional integration, security, foreign policy and human rights issues. She holds a Master’s degree in International Policy Studies (1993) from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, California, United States. She also has a degree in International Relations (1991) from the Autonomous University of Central America, San Jose. In 2018 Elayne Whyte received the Doctor in Humane Letters Honoris Causa academic distinction, by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California and several distinctions and awards. View More	2	2 weeks	18-Oct-2021 05-Nov-2021	1:15 pm-2:45 pm	Council Room
RCPS 6000	Perspectives on Religion and Society RCPS 6000-Perspectives on Religion and Society 3Credits The course Perspectives on Religion and Society introduces the students to the key theoretical and practical dimensions and debates related to religion as they have manifested themselves in society. It explores the ways in which religion is a strong influence in different socio-cultural contexts and the reasons behind its sustained presence and changing patterns of influence. How does religion intersect with other aspects of life, such as economics, politics, and education, among others? What issues have emerged in these intersections, and what ways of dealing with these have been proposed by scholars and practitioners? The course will facilitate students to delve into the responses to these and more questions in relation to religion and society. View More	Mandatory	Uma Ananda Dagnino González(Venezuela) Uma Ananda Dagnino González Venezuela Lecturer, researcher, consultant and artist with interests in the fields and intersections of Religions, Mystics, Hinduism, Spiritualties, the Arts, Social Development and International Relations. PhD in Arts from the University Rey Juan Carlos of Madrid (URJC), M.Phil. In Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK and B.A. in International Relations from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV). Professional experience in social and cultural management, teaching and research in Venezuela, India, Morocco, Ecuador, United Kingdom and France. Dancer, meditator and yoga practitioner. View More	3	3 weeks (Live-streamed through ZOOM)	18-Oct-2021 05-Nov-2021	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
RCPS 6002	Religion, Culture, and Ecology RCPS 6002-Religion, Culture, and Ecology 3Credits The course on Religion, Culture, and Ecology facilitates students into engaging with the major religions and cultural traditions of the world and the symbolic, ritualistic, and philosophical connections that exist in the nexus of religion, culture, and ecology. The course explores how religious and cultural understandings can contribute meaningfully to addressing ecological concerns. How is climate change conceptualized within the frameworks of the major religions of the world? How are the relationships between humans and their environment shaped considering the influences of religious thought on these processes? What are the intersections of environmental issues and indigenous ways of engaging with the world? How can religious and cultural traditions be considered in responding to current ecological needs? These questions will be considered through the work of scholars within the areas of religion, culture, and ecology. View More	Mandatory	Borislava Manojlovic(United States) Borislava Manojlovic United States Borislava Manojlovic is the Faculty at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University and Co-Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies Asia. She is an expert in peacebuilding, transitional justice, dealing with the past, peace education, and atrocities prevention. Before joining academia, she worked on minority and reconciliation-related issues with the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in both Croatia and Kosovo for over seven years. The experience of wars in the Balkans in the 1990s and her desire to understand the roots of violent conflicts shaped her life trajectory and dedication to conflict prevention and peacemaking. Her book Education for Sustainable Peace and Conflict Resilient Communities was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2018. She received her master’s degree from Brandeis University and her doctorate from George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. View More	3	3 weeks (Live-streamed through ZOOM)	08-Nov-2021 26-Nov-2021	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
PCS-1	Critical Seminar 1 PCS-1-Critical Seminar 1 0Credits Critical seminars are an opportunity for each academic programme to meet on a regular basis in order to: Make the connections between the teaching and learning of their various courses Critically reflect on course content and its relationship to their own lived experiences Critically analyze existing research Use metacognition to improve learning. Unless otherwise specified, the seminars will take place on the afternoons of the following dates: *I Semester:* Critical Seminar 1: Thursday 11 November 2021 Critical Seminar 2: Thursday 9 December 2021 *II Semester:* Critical Seminar 3: Thursday 10 February 2022 Critical Seminar 4: Thursday 28 April 2022 View More	Mandatory	Adriana Salcedo(Ecuador/United States) Adriana Salcedo Ecuador/United States Biography *Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Adriana Salcedo currently serves as Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. She is a scholar-practitioner in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding with a focus on conflict, gender, identity and migration. She holds a Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from The Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, in Virginia, United States. For this degree, she conducted extensive research on forced migration, conflict and the social integration of refugees in the Colombian-Ecuadorian borderlands and in inner cities in Ecuador. She is deeply committed to achieving positive social change through non-violent means and to strengthening social actors including grass-roots organizations, indigenous communities and minority groups through her research and practice. Adriana has taught courses at The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University in Washington D.C., at Boston University and at the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito, Ecuador in conflict analysis, collaborative methodologies for building peace, mediation, identity conflicts, gender and migration. As a practitioner, Adriana has provided training for the Northern Virginia Mediation Center (as a Certified Instructor/Mediator) and for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNDP, Redialogo (Venezuela) as well as for the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the Observatory of Migration in the Caribbean (OBMICA). With more than fifteen years of experience in analyzing and transforming social conflicts, her professional practice has covered the Amazon basin, the Galapagos Islands and the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia), the United States, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica. She has conducted research and collaborated with various public, grassroots and civil society organizations across the Americas and the Caribbean. . Biografía Directora y Profesora Asistente, Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflicto La Dra. Adriana Salcedo es una profesional que combina la teoría y práctica en el campo de la transformación de conflictos y la construcción de la paz con un enfoque en conflictos, género, identidades y migración. Obtuvo su Doctorado en Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos de la Escuela de Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos (S-CAR) de la Universidad George Mason, en Virginia, Estados Unidos. Para esto, realizó una extensa investigación sobre la migración forzada, los conflictos y la integración social de refugiados/as en las tierras fronterizas colombo-ecuatorianas y en las ciudades del interior de Ecuador. Está profundamente comprometida a lograr un cambio social positivo a través de medios no violentos y a fortalecer a los actores sociales a través de su investigación y práctica (principalmente organizaciones de base, las comunidades indígenas y los grupos minoritarios). Adriana ha impartido cursos en la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar en Quito, Ecuador, en la Universidad George Mason en Washington D.C. y en la Universidad de Boston en análisis de conflictos, metodologías colaborativas para construcción de la paz, mediación, género y migración. Fue profesora visitante en el Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflictos de la Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica) durante tres años consecutivos (2017-2019) antes de unirse a UPEACE como profesor residente. En su práctica profesional, Adriana ha brindado capacitación para el Centro de Mediación del Norte de Virginia (como Instructora / Mediadora Certificada) y para el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), así como para la Embajada de Canadá en la República Dominicana y el Centro para la Observación Migratoria y el Desarrollo Social del Caribe (OBMICA). Con más de quince años de experiencia en el análisis y transformación de conflictos sociales, su práctica profesional ha cubierto la cuenca del Amazonas, las Islas Galápagos y la región andina (Ecuador, Colombia y Bolivia), los Estados Unidos, la República Dominicana y Haití. Ha realizado varias investigaciones y colaborado con varias instituciones públicas, privadas y de la sociedad civil en la región de las Américas y del Caribe. View More Heather Kertyzia(Canada) Heather Kertyzia Canada Associate Professor *and Academic Coordinator of Peace Education Programme,* *Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Heather Kertyzia is Associate Professor of the Peace and Conflict Studies department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Her teaching focus lies within the Peace Education and Gender and Peacebuilding programmes. Dr. Kertyzia's research uses participatory methods to better understand and improve practices of peace education, primarily at the secondary and university levels. She has engaged in these processes in several countries, working in partnership with faculty and teachers to collectively develop more peaceful educational cultures. Dr. Kertyzia writes from an intersectional feminist perspective and draws on post-development theories. As a former secondary school teacher, she understands the importance of the local community in building more socially, economically and environmentally just educational spaces. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Kertyzia has worked with communities throughout the Americas, with a recent focus on partnering with local grassroots organizations in Los Angeles, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She has taught at universities in New Zealand, Colombia, the United States and Costa Rica in peace studies, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, teacher education, human rights and international law programmes. View More Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	0	1 day	11-Nov-2021 11-Nov-2021	1:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.	Council Room
RCPS 6008	Research Methodology RCPS 6008-Research Methodology 3Credits This course introduces students to research methods and aims to equip them with the knowledge and skills required to undertake, design, and execute a research project in the intersectional realms of Religion, Conflict, and Peace Studies. Starting with an examination of the meaning and purpose of research itself, the course focuses on how existing literature can be explored to identify research topics, and what the research design entails. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed designs will be considered along with the data collection tools and data analysis techniques that could be used. View More	Mandatory	Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	3	3 weeks	30-Nov-2021 17-Dec-2021	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
PCS-2	Critical Seminar 2 PCS-2-Critical Seminar 2 0Credits Critical seminars are an opportunity for each academic programme to meet on a regular basis in order to: Make the connections between the teaching and learning of their various courses Critically reflect on course content and its relationship to their own lived experiences Critically analyze existing research Use metacognition to improve learning. Unless otherwise specified, the seminars will take place on the afternoons of the following dates: *I Semester:* Critical Seminar 1: Thursday 11 November 2021 Critical Seminar 2: Thursday 9 December 2021 *II Semester:* Critical Seminar 3: Thursday 10 February 2022 Critical Seminar 4: Thursday 28 April 2022 View More	Mandatory	Adriana Salcedo(Ecuador/United States) Adriana Salcedo Ecuador/United States Biography *Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Adriana Salcedo currently serves as Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. She is a scholar-practitioner in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding with a focus on conflict, gender, identity and migration. She holds a Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from The Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, in Virginia, United States. For this degree, she conducted extensive research on forced migration, conflict and the social integration of refugees in the Colombian-Ecuadorian borderlands and in inner cities in Ecuador. She is deeply committed to achieving positive social change through non-violent means and to strengthening social actors including grass-roots organizations, indigenous communities and minority groups through her research and practice. Adriana has taught courses at The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University in Washington D.C., at Boston University and at the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito, Ecuador in conflict analysis, collaborative methodologies for building peace, mediation, identity conflicts, gender and migration. As a practitioner, Adriana has provided training for the Northern Virginia Mediation Center (as a Certified Instructor/Mediator) and for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNDP, Redialogo (Venezuela) as well as for the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the Observatory of Migration in the Caribbean (OBMICA). With more than fifteen years of experience in analyzing and transforming social conflicts, her professional practice has covered the Amazon basin, the Galapagos Islands and the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia), the United States, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica. She has conducted research and collaborated with various public, grassroots and civil society organizations across the Americas and the Caribbean. . Biografía Directora y Profesora Asistente, Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflicto La Dra. Adriana Salcedo es una profesional que combina la teoría y práctica en el campo de la transformación de conflictos y la construcción de la paz con un enfoque en conflictos, género, identidades y migración. Obtuvo su Doctorado en Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos de la Escuela de Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos (S-CAR) de la Universidad George Mason, en Virginia, Estados Unidos. Para esto, realizó una extensa investigación sobre la migración forzada, los conflictos y la integración social de refugiados/as en las tierras fronterizas colombo-ecuatorianas y en las ciudades del interior de Ecuador. Está profundamente comprometida a lograr un cambio social positivo a través de medios no violentos y a fortalecer a los actores sociales a través de su investigación y práctica (principalmente organizaciones de base, las comunidades indígenas y los grupos minoritarios). Adriana ha impartido cursos en la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar en Quito, Ecuador, en la Universidad George Mason en Washington D.C. y en la Universidad de Boston en análisis de conflictos, metodologías colaborativas para construcción de la paz, mediación, género y migración. Fue profesora visitante en el Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflictos de la Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica) durante tres años consecutivos (2017-2019) antes de unirse a UPEACE como profesor residente. En su práctica profesional, Adriana ha brindado capacitación para el Centro de Mediación del Norte de Virginia (como Instructora / Mediadora Certificada) y para el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), así como para la Embajada de Canadá en la República Dominicana y el Centro para la Observación Migratoria y el Desarrollo Social del Caribe (OBMICA). Con más de quince años de experiencia en el análisis y transformación de conflictos sociales, su práctica profesional ha cubierto la cuenca del Amazonas, las Islas Galápagos y la región andina (Ecuador, Colombia y Bolivia), los Estados Unidos, la República Dominicana y Haití. Ha realizado varias investigaciones y colaborado con varias instituciones públicas, privadas y de la sociedad civil en la región de las Américas y del Caribe. View More Heather Kertyzia(Canada) Heather Kertyzia Canada Associate Professor *and Academic Coordinator of Peace Education Programme,* *Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Heather Kertyzia is Associate Professor of the Peace and Conflict Studies department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Her teaching focus lies within the Peace Education and Gender and Peacebuilding programmes. Dr. Kertyzia's research uses participatory methods to better understand and improve practices of peace education, primarily at the secondary and university levels. She has engaged in these processes in several countries, working in partnership with faculty and teachers to collectively develop more peaceful educational cultures. Dr. Kertyzia writes from an intersectional feminist perspective and draws on post-development theories. As a former secondary school teacher, she understands the importance of the local community in building more socially, economically and environmentally just educational spaces. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Kertyzia has worked with communities throughout the Americas, with a recent focus on partnering with local grassroots organizations in Los Angeles, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She has taught at universities in New Zealand, Colombia, the United States and Costa Rica in peace studies, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, teacher education, human rights and international law programmes. View More Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	0	1 day	09-Dec-2021 09-Dec-2021	9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
PCS 6011	Tools for Conflict Resolution and... PCS 6011-Tools for Conflict Resolution and Transformation 3Credits As far as historical and archaeological records indicate, armed violence has been a feature of human social life, and so have been efforts at resolving violent conflict. Since the end of the Second World War, the overwhelming majority of wars have been fought within the internationally recognised boundaries of sovereign states – so-called internal armed conflicts, low-intensity conflicts, or, simply, civil wars. The causes of these conflicts, as well as the political goals pursued by the parties, have been diverse, and the conflicts themselves are often highly complex and protracted. The need to bring these conflicts to an end has inspired a large body of research and practical work. Tools for Conflict Resolution and Transformation is a practice-oriented course with a pronounced theoretical foundation. After a brief overview of the history of the field, the primary focus of the course will be on conflict transformation, particularly in the context of internal armed conflicts and post-conflict situations. View More	Mandatory	Balázs Kovács(Hungary) Balázs Kovács Hungary Balázs Áron Kovács is an independent peace-building consultant. Earlier he was the Country Director in the Philippines of forumZFD – Forum Civil Peace Service, a German NGO working in the field of conflict transformation. He completed his PhD at the University of New England, Australia in Peace Studies/Politics and International Studies. Prior to this he worked as an instructor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the UN-mandated University for Peace, as a programme officer at Freedom House Europe, a Washington DC-based NGO, and a civil servant at the Hungarian Ministry of Justice. He also 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. View More	3	3 weeks	10-Jan-2022 28-Jan-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.	Earth Charter Auditorium
RCPS 6001	Religions, Cultures, and Peacebuilding RCPS 6001-Religions, Cultures, and Peacebuilding 3Credits Religious and cultural traditions have historically been used to justify violence and continue to be used as such in current times. While people have rallied for war to defend or even expand the influence of their beliefs and value systems, these varied worldviews have also been pivotal in brokering peace all over the world. It is crucial then to understand the role that these different aspects of identity can play in the process of peacebuilding. This course focuses on the intersections of religious and cultural realities with the phenomenon of peacebuilding, with the aim of cultivating nuanced insights into the ways in which the ideal of peace can be furthered through relevant resources such as those belonging to the domains of religion and culture. It will encourage students to critically analyze local and global patterns of resolving disputes and to explore strategies to enable a movement from cultures of violence to cultures of peace. View More	Mandatory	Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	3	3 weeks (Live-streamed through ZOOM)	31-Jan-2022 18-Feb-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
PCS-3	Critical Seminar 3 PCS-3-Critical Seminar 3 0Credits Critical seminars are an opportunity for each academic programme to meet on a regular basis in order to: Make the connections between the teaching and learning of their various courses Critically reflect on course content and its relationship to their own lived experiences Critically analyze existing research Use metacognition to improve learning. Unless otherwise specified, the seminars will take place on the afternoons of the following dates: *I Semester:* Critical Seminar 1: Thursday 11 November 2021 Critical Seminar 2: Thursday 9 December 2021 *II Semester:* Critical Seminar 3: Thursday 10 February 2022 Critical Seminar 4: Thursday 28 April 2022 View More	Mandatory	Adriana Salcedo(Ecuador/United States) Adriana Salcedo Ecuador/United States Biography *Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Adriana Salcedo currently serves as Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. She is a scholar-practitioner in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding with a focus on conflict, gender, identity and migration. She holds a Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from The Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, in Virginia, United States. For this degree, she conducted extensive research on forced migration, conflict and the social integration of refugees in the Colombian-Ecuadorian borderlands and in inner cities in Ecuador. She is deeply committed to achieving positive social change through non-violent means and to strengthening social actors including grass-roots organizations, indigenous communities and minority groups through her research and practice. Adriana has taught courses at The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University in Washington D.C., at Boston University and at the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito, Ecuador in conflict analysis, collaborative methodologies for building peace, mediation, identity conflicts, gender and migration. As a practitioner, Adriana has provided training for the Northern Virginia Mediation Center (as a Certified Instructor/Mediator) and for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNDP, Redialogo (Venezuela) as well as for the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the Observatory of Migration in the Caribbean (OBMICA). With more than fifteen years of experience in analyzing and transforming social conflicts, her professional practice has covered the Amazon basin, the Galapagos Islands and the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia), the United States, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica. She has conducted research and collaborated with various public, grassroots and civil society organizations across the Americas and the Caribbean. . Biografía Directora y Profesora Asistente, Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflicto La Dra. Adriana Salcedo es una profesional que combina la teoría y práctica en el campo de la transformación de conflictos y la construcción de la paz con un enfoque en conflictos, género, identidades y migración. Obtuvo su Doctorado en Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos de la Escuela de Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos (S-CAR) de la Universidad George Mason, en Virginia, Estados Unidos. Para esto, realizó una extensa investigación sobre la migración forzada, los conflictos y la integración social de refugiados/as en las tierras fronterizas colombo-ecuatorianas y en las ciudades del interior de Ecuador. Está profundamente comprometida a lograr un cambio social positivo a través de medios no violentos y a fortalecer a los actores sociales a través de su investigación y práctica (principalmente organizaciones de base, las comunidades indígenas y los grupos minoritarios). Adriana ha impartido cursos en la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar en Quito, Ecuador, en la Universidad George Mason en Washington D.C. y en la Universidad de Boston en análisis de conflictos, metodologías colaborativas para construcción de la paz, mediación, género y migración. Fue profesora visitante en el Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflictos de la Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica) durante tres años consecutivos (2017-2019) antes de unirse a UPEACE como profesor residente. En su práctica profesional, Adriana ha brindado capacitación para el Centro de Mediación del Norte de Virginia (como Instructora / Mediadora Certificada) y para el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), así como para la Embajada de Canadá en la República Dominicana y el Centro para la Observación Migratoria y el Desarrollo Social del Caribe (OBMICA). Con más de quince años de experiencia en el análisis y transformación de conflictos sociales, su práctica profesional ha cubierto la cuenca del Amazonas, las Islas Galápagos y la región andina (Ecuador, Colombia y Bolivia), los Estados Unidos, la República Dominicana y Haití. Ha realizado varias investigaciones y colaborado con varias instituciones públicas, privadas y de la sociedad civil en la región de las Américas y del Caribe. View More Heather Kertyzia(Canada) Heather Kertyzia Canada Associate Professor *and Academic Coordinator of Peace Education Programme,* *Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Heather Kertyzia is Associate Professor of the Peace and Conflict Studies department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Her teaching focus lies within the Peace Education and Gender and Peacebuilding programmes. Dr. Kertyzia's research uses participatory methods to better understand and improve practices of peace education, primarily at the secondary and university levels. She has engaged in these processes in several countries, working in partnership with faculty and teachers to collectively develop more peaceful educational cultures. Dr. Kertyzia writes from an intersectional feminist perspective and draws on post-development theories. As a former secondary school teacher, she understands the importance of the local community in building more socially, economically and environmentally just educational spaces. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Kertyzia has worked with communities throughout the Americas, with a recent focus on partnering with local grassroots organizations in Los Angeles, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She has taught at universities in New Zealand, Colombia, the United States and Costa Rica in peace studies, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, teacher education, human rights and international law programmes. View More Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	0	1 day	10-Feb-2022 10-Feb-2022	1:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
RCPS 6003	Religion and Diplomacy RCPS 6003-Religion and Diplomacy 1Credits This course on Religion and Diplomacy aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to analyze processes that exist at the interface of religion, diplomacy, and foreign policy. It explores the influences of religious thought and practices on power politics in the international arena, various forms of diplomacy, including but not limited to state diplomacy, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, and religious diplomacy. Through this course, students will be able to delve into the nuances of the different debates on the role of religion in global politics and take informed positions on these. View More	Mandatory	David Fernandez Puyana (Spain) David Fernandez Puyana Spain David Fernandez Puyana is the Permanent Observer of the UN University for Peace to the UN Office in Geneva and UNESCO in Paris. He holds a Ph.D. with European Mention and the degree on Law and Philosophy and Education Science, as well as several Masters on human rights (Universities of Essex, Barcelona, Alcalá de Henares and Pompeu Fabra). He was the coordinator of the UNESCO Liaison Office at Geneva. He is Professor of International Law and European Studies at the Abat Oliba University and legal assistant of Paz sin Fronteras. He worked as a legal Counselor at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Costa Rica to the UN in Geneva and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Peace. He served for several non-governmental organizations, as well as the Human Rights Office of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain. For his contribution to the attainment of peace, human rights, and gender equality, he was appointed fellow by the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, member of the Club of Rome and International Gender Champion. He received a Human Rights Award by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of the American University Washington College of Law (USA). He has written several books and outstanding academic papers and articles. View More	1	1 week (Live-streamed through ZOOM)	21-Feb-2022 25-Feb-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
RCPS 6004	Countering Hate Speech RCPS 6004-Countering Hate Speech 1Credits The term hate speech includes diverse contents, and to counter the consequences it has in society; this course aims to explore the challenges that such speech poses and to identify mechanisms for regulating and addressing it, including but not limited to international regulations to understand the legal consequences for the creation and dissemination of hate speech. Students will review the fundamentals of the human right to freedom of expression and analyze the main instruments regulating it. Likewise, cases from different parts of the world will be analyzed and discussed to have a comprehensive understanding of the effects of hate speech and the differences that exist in its manifestation in different parts of the world. View More	Mandatory	David Fernandez Puyana (Spain) David Fernandez Puyana Spain David Fernandez Puyana is the Permanent Observer of the UN University for Peace to the UN Office in Geneva and UNESCO in Paris. He holds a Ph.D. with European Mention and the degree on Law and Philosophy and Education Science, as well as several Masters on human rights (Universities of Essex, Barcelona, Alcalá de Henares and Pompeu Fabra). He was the coordinator of the UNESCO Liaison Office at Geneva. He is Professor of International Law and European Studies at the Abat Oliba University and legal assistant of Paz sin Fronteras. He worked as a legal Counselor at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Costa Rica to the UN in Geneva and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Peace. He served for several non-governmental organizations, as well as the Human Rights Office of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain. For his contribution to the attainment of peace, human rights, and gender equality, he was appointed fellow by the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, member of the Club of Rome and International Gender Champion. He received a Human Rights Award by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law of the American University Washington College of Law (USA). He has written several books and outstanding academic papers and articles. View More	1	1 week (Live-streamed through ZOOM)	28-Feb-2022 04-Mar-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
RCPS 6007	Women, Religion, and Culture RCPS 6007-Women, Religion, and Culture 2Credits This course on Women, Religion, and Culture critically examines the way religious and cultural traditions are intertwined with women’s lives. It facilitates students into exploring how various religious traditions view women, and how structural issues in the lived experiences of women can be understood from religious perspectives. The intertwining of religious and cultural guidelines for structuring individual and social experiences will be delved into, in particular for highlighting how justice can be ensured in women’s lives by effectively employing resources from within these traditions. View More	Mandatory	Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	2	2 weeks (Live-streamed through ZOOM)	07-Mar-2022 18-Mar-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
PEP 6044	Education for Sustainability PEP 6044-Education for Sustainability 3Credits This course introduces and explores the critically important notion of sustainability and the implications that the sustainable development agenda has for education, learning and social change. Sustainability embraces ecological mindfulness, competence, equity, social justice (intragenerational and inter-generational), peaceful relationships and action for transformation. The aim of the course is to develop a sound understanding and appreciation of the scope and complexity of sustainability issues and their significance; an understanding of the role of education, and of the kinds of learning and education needed to help realize a safer and more liveable future at local, national and international scales; and to encourage a personal engaged response to these issues. The main goal is to help students understand the concept of sustainability and its implications to education. The course objectives are to help students get acquainted with a) the concept of sustainability; b) the sustainability principles and values that are articulated in the Earth Charter; c) policies and pedagogies related to education for sustainability, and d) practical methods for introducing sustainability into educational settings. The course will also offer an opportunity for students to reflect on their professional backgrounds and how sustainable development/ESD ideas can be taken forward within their own personal and professional contexts. View More	Mandatory	Mirian Vilela(Brazil) Mirian Vilela Brazil *Executive Director, Earth Charter International Secretariat and the Earth Charter Center on Education for Sustainable Development* Mirian is the coordinator of the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was an Edward Mason Fellow and holds a B.Sc. with focus on International Trade. She is currently finalizing on a Doctorate on Education focusing her research on education for sustainability. She has worked with the Earth Charter International Initiative since the beginning of 1996, therefore for more than 20 years; she has facilitated consultation processes and workshops, and coordinated local, regional and international projects in the field of sustainability values, education and policies. She has been a Professor in the Master's Programmes of the University for Peace since 2004 teaching in the areas of Sustainable Development, Environmental Governance, and Education for Sustainable Development. Mirian participated actively in major United Nations Conferences on Sustainable Development such as: Earth Summit (1992), Rio+5 (1997), Rio+10 in Johannesburg (2002), and Rio+20 (2012), articulating consultations and dialogues with various groups and sectors, as well as collaborating and influencing these processes. View More	3	3 weeks	21-Mar-2022 08-Apr-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.	Classroom #4
RCPS 6005	Ethics and Practices of Interfaith... RCPS 6005-Ethics and Practices of Interfaith Peacebuilding 3Credits The course on Ethics and Practices of Interfaith Peacebuilding introduces students to the knowledge, methodologies, and tools needed to engage in the practice of interfaith peacebuilding. Students will be facilitated into identifying and exploring cases of conflict and peacebuilding related to the major religious traditions of the world, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, among others. The course will also be an opportunity for students to engage in simulations to employ resources from different religions and understand the challenges that can be faced in the process and how these could be addressed. View More	Mandatory	Jasmin Lilian Diab(Canadian-Lebanese) Jasmin Lilian Diab Canadian-Lebanese Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab (she/her) is a Canadian-Lebanese expert in Migration, Gender and Conflict Studies. Dr. Diab is the Director of the Institute for Migration Studies at the Lebanese American University, where she also serves as an Assistant Professor of Migration Studies at the Department of Social and Education Sciences. She serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member of International Migration and Refugee Law at the Global Institute of Law, and has served as a Guest Lecturer at McGill University on Refugee and Migrant Health, and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies on Radicalization within Refugee Communities. Dr. Diab is a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University, a Global Fellow at Brown University's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, a Scholar in Forced Displacement at University of Ottawa’s Human Rights Research and Education Centre, and the Lead of the Global Research Network's 'Gender and Migration Research Group'. She has served as an International Consultant to UN Agencies, international humanitarian organizations and governments, and has assisted in evaluating humanitarian programming, conducting research in conflict settings, conducting gender analyses, and developing strategies for organizations' interventions in hard-to-reach areas across the MENA - particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia and the Palestinian Territories. View More	3	3 weeks (Live-streamed through ZOOM)	18-Apr-2022 06-May-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
PCS-4	Critical Seminar 4 PCS-4-Critical Seminar 4 0Credits Critical seminars are an opportunity for each academic programme to meet on a regular basis in order to: Make the connections between the teaching and learning of their various courses Critically reflect on course content and its relationship to their own lived experiences Critically analyze existing research Use metacognition to improve learning. Unless otherwise specified, the seminars will take place on the afternoons of the following dates: *I Semester:* Critical Seminar 1: Thursday 11 November 2021 Critical Seminar 2: Thursday 9 December 2021 *II Semester:* Critical Seminar 3: Thursday 10 February 2022 Critical Seminar 4: Thursday 28 April 2022 View More	Mandatory	Adriana Salcedo(Ecuador/United States) Adriana Salcedo Ecuador/United States Biography *Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Adriana Salcedo currently serves as Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. She is a scholar-practitioner in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding with a focus on conflict, gender, identity and migration. She holds a Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from The Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, in Virginia, United States. For this degree, she conducted extensive research on forced migration, conflict and the social integration of refugees in the Colombian-Ecuadorian borderlands and in inner cities in Ecuador. She is deeply committed to achieving positive social change through non-violent means and to strengthening social actors including grass-roots organizations, indigenous communities and minority groups through her research and practice. Adriana has taught courses at The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University in Washington D.C., at Boston University and at the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito, Ecuador in conflict analysis, collaborative methodologies for building peace, mediation, identity conflicts, gender and migration. As a practitioner, Adriana has provided training for the Northern Virginia Mediation Center (as a Certified Instructor/Mediator) and for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNDP, Redialogo (Venezuela) as well as for the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the Observatory of Migration in the Caribbean (OBMICA). With more than fifteen years of experience in analyzing and transforming social conflicts, her professional practice has covered the Amazon basin, the Galapagos Islands and the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia), the United States, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica. She has conducted research and collaborated with various public, grassroots and civil society organizations across the Americas and the Caribbean. . Biografía Directora y Profesora Asistente, Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflicto La Dra. Adriana Salcedo es una profesional que combina la teoría y práctica en el campo de la transformación de conflictos y la construcción de la paz con un enfoque en conflictos, género, identidades y migración. Obtuvo su Doctorado en Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos de la Escuela de Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos (S-CAR) de la Universidad George Mason, en Virginia, Estados Unidos. Para esto, realizó una extensa investigación sobre la migración forzada, los conflictos y la integración social de refugiados/as en las tierras fronterizas colombo-ecuatorianas y en las ciudades del interior de Ecuador. Está profundamente comprometida a lograr un cambio social positivo a través de medios no violentos y a fortalecer a los actores sociales a través de su investigación y práctica (principalmente organizaciones de base, las comunidades indígenas y los grupos minoritarios). Adriana ha impartido cursos en la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar en Quito, Ecuador, en la Universidad George Mason en Washington D.C. y en la Universidad de Boston en análisis de conflictos, metodologías colaborativas para construcción de la paz, mediación, género y migración. Fue profesora visitante en el Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflictos de la Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica) durante tres años consecutivos (2017-2019) antes de unirse a UPEACE como profesor residente. En su práctica profesional, Adriana ha brindado capacitación para el Centro de Mediación del Norte de Virginia (como Instructora / Mediadora Certificada) y para el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), así como para la Embajada de Canadá en la República Dominicana y el Centro para la Observación Migratoria y el Desarrollo Social del Caribe (OBMICA). Con más de quince años de experiencia en el análisis y transformación de conflictos sociales, su práctica profesional ha cubierto la cuenca del Amazonas, las Islas Galápagos y la región andina (Ecuador, Colombia y Bolivia), los Estados Unidos, la República Dominicana y Haití. Ha realizado varias investigaciones y colaborado con varias instituciones públicas, privadas y de la sociedad civil en la región de las Américas y del Caribe. View More Heather Kertyzia(Canada) Heather Kertyzia Canada Associate Professor *and Academic Coordinator of Peace Education Programme,* *Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Heather Kertyzia is Associate Professor of the Peace and Conflict Studies department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Her teaching focus lies within the Peace Education and Gender and Peacebuilding programmes. Dr. Kertyzia's research uses participatory methods to better understand and improve practices of peace education, primarily at the secondary and university levels. She has engaged in these processes in several countries, working in partnership with faculty and teachers to collectively develop more peaceful educational cultures. Dr. Kertyzia writes from an intersectional feminist perspective and draws on post-development theories. As a former secondary school teacher, she understands the importance of the local community in building more socially, economically and environmentally just educational spaces. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Kertyzia has worked with communities throughout the Americas, with a recent focus on partnering with local grassroots organizations in Los Angeles, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She has taught at universities in New Zealand, Colombia, the United States and Costa Rica in peace studies, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, teacher education, human rights and international law programmes. View More Uzma Rashid(Pakistan) Uzma Rashid Pakistan Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies Dr. Uzma Rashid currently serves as Associate Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace, Costa Rica. Prior to joining UPEACE, she worked as Chair at the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean for Research of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Rashid has done her PhD as a Fulbright scholar from the interdisciplinary Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA, and has extensive teaching and research experience in a variety of contexts. Her current research interests lie at the intersections of gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and class, in particular focusing on intersectionality and inclusivity in peacebuilding efforts. She can be reached at urashid@upeace.org View More	0	1 day	28-Apr-2022 28-Apr-2022	1:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
UPM-6003	The United Nations System and... UPM-6003-The United Nations System and UPMUNC (Part II) 1Credits The UPEACE Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) is the second part of a composite three-credit course that begins with the two-credit introductory course on the United Nations System, taught in the first semester. Through a simulation of UN bodies, committees, procedures, and codes of conduct, this immersive and experiential educational exercise encourages the application of knowledge gained in previous courses, including an understanding of the objectives and functions of the United Nations system, as well as the development of professional skills related to research, public speaking, negotiation, mediation of conflict, and the preparation of official documents. Historically, the conference has been open to outside participants from colleges and universities both regionally and internationally, presenting additional possibilities for networking, dialogue, and educational exchange among all participants. UPMUNC is further enriched by special events, which typically include a panel of invited speakers, a diplomatic reception, an awards ceremony, and a closing celebration. View More	Mandatory	UPEACE Resident Faculty() UPEACE Resident Faculty View More	1	3 days	11-May-2022 13-May-2022	-
PCS 6012	Identity Politics, Inclusion and Peacebuilding PCS 6012-Identity Politics, Inclusion and Peacebuilding 3Credits This course will look at how we can work with/against types of identity formation that are conducive to war and violence and begin to think about how identity formation can be used in peacebuilding and promoting nonviolence. We will explore how identity is created both individually and collectively and how this can be manipulated for negative or positive outcomes. As this course is taken by all four Peace and Conflict Studies programmes, each programme will emphasize its particular focus on the relationship between identity and peacebuilding. This course also draws together all of the teaching and learning from the critical seminars over the year. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own identity, how it has changed over the course of the academic year, and how they can move forward in peacebuilding, drawing on their strengths. View More	Mandatory	Adriana Salcedo(Ecuador/United States) Adriana Salcedo Ecuador/United States Biography *Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies* Dr. Adriana Salcedo currently serves as Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. She is a scholar-practitioner in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding with a focus on conflict, gender, identity and migration. She holds a Doctorate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from The Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, in Virginia, United States. For this degree, she conducted extensive research on forced migration, conflict and the social integration of refugees in the Colombian-Ecuadorian borderlands and in inner cities in Ecuador. She is deeply committed to achieving positive social change through non-violent means and to strengthening social actors including grass-roots organizations, indigenous communities and minority groups through her research and practice. Adriana has taught courses at The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University in Washington D.C., at Boston University and at the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito, Ecuador in conflict analysis, collaborative methodologies for building peace, mediation, identity conflicts, gender and migration. As a practitioner, Adriana has provided training for the Northern Virginia Mediation Center (as a Certified Instructor/Mediator) and for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNDP, Redialogo (Venezuela) as well as for the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the Observatory of Migration in the Caribbean (OBMICA). With more than fifteen years of experience in analyzing and transforming social conflicts, her professional practice has covered the Amazon basin, the Galapagos Islands and the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia), the United States, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica. She has conducted research and collaborated with various public, grassroots and civil society organizations across the Americas and the Caribbean. . Biografía Directora y Profesora Asistente, Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflicto La Dra. Adriana Salcedo es una profesional que combina la teoría y práctica en el campo de la transformación de conflictos y la construcción de la paz con un enfoque en conflictos, género, identidades y migración. Obtuvo su Doctorado en Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos de la Escuela de Análisis y Resolución de Conflictos (S-CAR) de la Universidad George Mason, en Virginia, Estados Unidos. Para esto, realizó una extensa investigación sobre la migración forzada, los conflictos y la integración social de refugiados/as en las tierras fronterizas colombo-ecuatorianas y en las ciudades del interior de Ecuador. Está profundamente comprometida a lograr un cambio social positivo a través de medios no violentos y a fortalecer a los actores sociales a través de su investigación y práctica (principalmente organizaciones de base, las comunidades indígenas y los grupos minoritarios). Adriana ha impartido cursos en la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar en Quito, Ecuador, en la Universidad George Mason en Washington D.C. y en la Universidad de Boston en análisis de conflictos, metodologías colaborativas para construcción de la paz, mediación, género y migración. Fue profesora visitante en el Departamento de Estudios de Paz y Conflictos de la Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica) durante tres años consecutivos (2017-2019) antes de unirse a UPEACE como profesor residente. En su práctica profesional, Adriana ha brindado capacitación para el Centro de Mediación del Norte de Virginia (como Instructora / Mediadora Certificada) y para el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), así como para la Embajada de Canadá en la República Dominicana y el Centro para la Observación Migratoria y el Desarrollo Social del Caribe (OBMICA). Con más de quince años de experiencia en el análisis y transformación de conflictos sociales, su práctica profesional ha cubierto la cuenca del Amazonas, las Islas Galápagos y la región andina (Ecuador, Colombia y Bolivia), los Estados Unidos, la República Dominicana y Haití. Ha realizado varias investigaciones y colaborado con varias instituciones públicas, privadas y de la sociedad civil en la región de las Américas y del Caribe. View More	3	3 weeks	16-May-2022 27-May-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.	Earth Charter Auditorium
RCPS 6006	Reconciliation, Justice, and Peace RCPS 6006-Reconciliation, Justice, and Peace 2Credits After deep-rooted conflicts and oppression, reconciliation processes are critical to advance and sustain peace in the long run. In this course, students will be exploring context-specific reconciliation and restorative justice initiatives worldwide to better understand how broken relationships have been rebuilt and transformed after violent conflict. Reconciliation efforts involve working at different levels to improve horizontal relationships (among actors and diverse groups in society) and vertical relationships (between different people and institutions). It is about acknowledging and dealing with past harm to be able to envision and advance to an equitable, fair, and mutually acceptable future for all to prevent the re-emergence of violent conflict and consolidate peace. View More	Mandatory	Ulas Doga Eralp(United States) Ulas Doga Eralp United States Dr. Doga Eralp is a scholar-practitioner of international conflict resolution with two decades of experience in international dialogue facilitation. His work focuses on social media and peace processes, cultures of violence, narrative mediation, collective memory, security and peace regimes, regional organizations, international mediation and democratization. Dr. Eralp has also been consulting various think-tanks and international organizations such as the World Bank, NED, UNESCO, Mediators Beyond Borders International and the UNOPS. He has a number of articles and book chapters published on the Western Balkans, Middle East, Cyprus, European Union and Turkey. He is the author of " Politics of the European Union in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Between Conflict and Democracy" (2012) that received a lot of attention from the policymakers in the EU and editor of "Turkey as a Mediator: Stories of Success and Failure "(2016), the first systematic study of Turkish mediation as an emerging power in global and regional conflicts. View More	2	2 weeks (Including two double sessions)	30-May-2022 08-Jun-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
UPE 6075	Introduction to Humanitarian Work UPE 6075 -Introduction to Humanitarian Work 2Credits This course is intended to further students’ understanding of how humanitarian action works, particularly in areas affected by violent conflict or crises. The course will explore the history of the humanitarian system, its driving principles, and frameworks, and address themes of personal security and risk assessment, humanitarian response, crisis management, sensitive information gathering and fact-checking, and working with vulnerable populations. It also critically discusses the main challenges, trends, and agendas in the humanitarian sector today, including problems of mental health and wellbeing, processes of inclusion and participation, and future agendas like the localisation and decolonisation of humanitarian action. This course is offered to UPEACE regular students from PCS and IL Departments, and only a maximum of thirty students can participate. NOTE: This course is not open to external students. View More	Optional	Mónica Paniagua(Costa Rica) Mónica Paniagua Costa Rica Mónica Paniagua (Costa Rica) Coordinadora de programas y profesora visitante de la Universidad para la Paz en el campo de los estudios paz y conflicto, con énfasis en migración y refugio. Internacionalista y graduada de la Maestría en Derechos Humanos y Educación para la paz de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica y la Maestría en Estudios. Internacionales de Paz de la Universidad para la Paz. Trabajó como oficial de protección en Sudán del Sur, donde implementó un proyecto de Respuesta Humanitaria en el área del estado de Jonglei; bajo el mismo tema de protección de civiles trabajo en Myanmar, esta vez centrándose en el monitoreo de alto al fuego. Actualmente, coordina un programa humanitario para UPAZ que se centra en la migración y los refugiados. Short Bio in English Monica Paniagua (Costa Rica) Monica Paniagua holds a BA degree in International Relations and two MA degrees in Human Rights and Education from National University of Costa Rica and in International Peace Studies from UPEACE. She worked as protection officer in South Sudan and Myanmar prior to working at UPEACE as program coordinator. Her areas of study are migration and refugee law, humanitarian response and irenology. View More Hovig Etyemezian(Armenia/Lebanon) Hovig Etyemezian Armenia/Lebanon Hovig Etyemezian holds a BA degree in Political Science from Haigazian University and an MA degree in Gender and Peacebuilding from UPEACE. He is currently the Head of Innovation Service for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Prior to his current role Hovig has served with UNHCR and various International/National NGOs in Lebanon, DR Congo, Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Iraq and Jordan. View More Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann(Chile) Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann Chile Dr. Rod Mena is an academic and researcher with more than 15 years of international experience, including the study of humanitarian aid and disaster governance, particularly in conflict-affected areas such as Afghanistan, Yemen, and South Sudan. He holds a PhD in Humanitarian aid and disaster governance and is a board member of the International Humanitarian Studies Association. His academic experience includes the design and development of applied projects research for policy and practice, and expertise in the safety, security and ethical aspects of fieldwork research. Also, positions as an assistant professor, lecturer and supervisor in different countries and universities. Together with his academic background, Dr Mena has a strong practical experience working with local and international NGOs, the UN, ministries, and as an international consultant in disaster risk reduction, humanitarian aid, projects evaluation, and conflict analysis. He has also coordinated humanitarian responses to disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and floods, and managed research programmes at the regional level. The previous academic and professional work has been carried out in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and the results of his research have been published in journal articles, reports, op-eds, and book chapters. View More	2	2 weeks (Including three double sessions from 8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday 1, Friday 3 & Wednesday 8 June 2022)	30-May-2022 08-Jun-2022	8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m.	Earth Charter Auditorium
RCPS 7000 / 7001 / 7002	Graduation Project: Thesis (8 credits)... RCPS 7000 / 7001 / 7002-Graduation Project: Thesis (8 credits) or Internship (8 credits) or Capstone (5 credits) 8Credits The Graduation Project is a concluding academic requirement intended to be a comprehensive and capstone outcome of the student educational performance. It is a higher academic exercise that enables the student to demonstrate the ability to identify a problem, determine an academic objective to address it, and utilize an appropriate methodology to attain such an objective. The Graduation Project is also intended to demonstrate the student’s ability to write and critically develop a professional and scholarly report. Students can fulfill their Graduation Project through one of the following modalities: Thesis: 8 credits Internship: 8 credits (3 months) Capstone: 5 credits* Your Academic Department will provide Graduation Project Guidelines with detailed information on each modality. *NOTE: Students who choose Capstone as Graduation Project must take an extra 3-credit course. Your Academic Coordinator will provide further information. View More	Mandatory	UPEACE Resident Faculty() UPEACE Resident Faculty View More	8	-	13-Jun-2022 31-Dec-2022	-

Faculty

Resident Faculty

Requirements

Admissions Requirements

The following documentation is required to complete your application process for the UPEACE on-campus M.A. programmes. Please have them ready and on hand before beginning your online application process, as they will need to be uploaded into the system.

Required supporting documents to be uploaded:

English Proficiency Test Scores Report (TOEFL, IELTS; TOEIC or TOEFL-ITP are not accepted)
Statement of Purpose
Letters of Recommendation
Official Undergraduate (Bachelor's Degree) Transcripts and Degree Certificate
Curriculum Vitae or Resume
Copy of Passport (front page with photo only)
Three (3) passport-size photos for ID purposes

Detailed information on each requirement can be found here.

The online application requires electronic (PDF) scans of required documents. Should admission be granted, the following documents will be eventually be required in official hard copy:

English Proficiency Test Scores Report (TOEFL, IELTS) - if applicable
UPEACE TOEFL Code: 7180
Official Undergraduate Transcripts and Degree Certificate (and English translations if applicable)
Three (3) passport-size photos.

Upon submission of the online application form and supporting uploaded documents, the UPEACE Admissions system will send an automatic confirmation email. The date and time of submission will be noted in the system. Applications received after the established deadline will be considered for admission for the following academic year. Each application received by the established deadline will be reviewed for completeness. A second acknowledgment will be sent to the applicant by the Admissions Officer, informing him/her of the status of his/her application, whether it is complete and able to be passed on for academic review.

We are not able to provide any information about the status of applicants over the phone or to third parties. Information will only be provided to the applicant using the email provided in the online application form. Please address any email inquiries to admissions@upeace.org.

Please write down your application ID number before submitting your application, as this number is difficult for the Admissions Team to recover. If you lose your ID number, please email admissions@upeace.org.

Cost & Financial Aid

Costs & Financial Aid

UPEACE is a not-for-profit institution and has limited funds for financial assistance. Therefore we strive for balance, diverse class composition, and merit in distributing financial assistance among admitted students.

UPEACE Costs

Conditions of UPEACE Scholarships & Financial Assistance

The prospective applicant has to be admitted to UPEACE in order to receive any possibility of financial assistance from the University, the latter of which is subject to the following conditions:

The financial assistance awarded is non-negotiable.
The scholarships/waivers do not apply to the US$ 2,500 administrative fee. This fee is mandatory for all students and is non-refundable if the student wishes to withdraw from UPEACE before completing his/her degree. Admitted students must comply with this financial obligation to UPEACE according to the required deadline outlined in their official admissions documents.
Applicants are only eligible for one waiver category per application period. Waiver categories cannot be combined.
If you receive a scholarship from another institution, you are obligated to inform the UPEACE Admissions Office, so that it can revert the waivers granted by UPEACE.
Applicants eligible for a 50% waiver must apply directly through the UPEACE Admissions Office.

Automatic Scholarships/Waivers

30% Tuition Waiver (Automatic)

Available to M.A. and Doctorate students that meet one of the following criteria:

Citizen or nationals of a signatory state to the UPEACE Charter
Students who have received an undergraduate or graduate degree from a partner university
Peace Corps veterans

50% Tuition Waiver (Automatic)

Available to M.A. and Doctorate students that meet one of the following criteria:

Professors from a partner university
Costa Rican citizens and residents (host country)
Current, full-time UN employees and volunteers
Documented refugee or asylee

30% or 50% Tuition Waiver (Merit Based) - Available to Master's applicants who do not belong to the above categories. These waivers are offered in limited number and will be awarded by merit, not financial condition. These waivers are not available to doctorate students.

Tuition	USD $17,000.00
Administrative Fees*	USD $2,500.00
Total	USD $19,500.00

Administrative Fees are not refundable

Payment Dates

First Payment - Due date determined based on admission date	USD $11,000.00
Final Payment - No later than 15 August 2022	USD $8,500.00
Total	USD $19,500.00

Administrative Fees are not refundable

Student Life

Life at #UPEACE

Humans of UPEACE was modeled after the famous Humans of New York photography project, designed to tell the stories of 10,000 New Yorkers on the street. At UPEACE, we believe our community – composed of current students, Alumni, Faculty, Visiting Professors, staff members, and partners – is our greatest asset and their stories worth sharing with the world. We invite you to dive into these stories and get to know the exceptional #UPEACERS that make the University for Peace a unique and diverse learning community, dedicated to training leaders for peace determined to reshape the world.

Their stories are the best way to get a real feeling for the Student Life Experience at UPEACE!

Click on the HoU logo below to get started!

Our current batch of #UPEACERS

The University for Peace is characterized by its diversity and multiculturalism. For 2021-2022, we have 147 students from 46 countries. As a result, our campus is always full of student activities, most of them organized by the students themselves. In past years, we have had yoga classes, conversation classes in different languages, the celebration of cultural nights (Asian night, Latin night, European night, etc.), as well as institutional activities open to students (Zumba classes, academic "brown bag" lunches, etc.) The current situation has forced students to become more creative with regards to socialising and ensuring a rich student life at UPEACE.

Learn more about what to expect from your stay in Costa Rica, including approximate living expenses, here.

Career Info

The Master of Arts in Religion, Culture, and Peace Studies is being offered at the University for Peace, considering its widely recognized importance, demand, and relevance in the contemporary world. This programme prepares its students for a variety of career opportunities, including but not limited to working in the realm of politics, religious organizations, social work, human resources, human rights organizations, international development, teaching, research, and policy institutes/think tanks.

Stories from Upeacers

Apply

Ready to join us?

The UPEACE application process is conducted 100% online through our application forms. Check out our TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION below and feel free to contact the Admissions Team at any time during the application process for assistance, including the retrieval of your Application ID.

Religion, Culture and Peace Studies

Religion, Culture and Peace Studies

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Religion, Culture and Peace Studies

Academic Course Calendar and Professors

UPM 6001-UPEACE Foundation Course

3Credits

Amr Abdalla

Egypt/United States

Mihir Kanade

India

Mariateresa Garrido Villareal

Venezuela

Olivia Sylvester

Canada

Alonso Muñoz

Costa Rica

Adriana Salcedo

Ecuador/United States

Uzma Rashid

Pakistan

UPM 6003-The United Nations System and UPMUNC (Part I)

2Credits

Mihir Kanade

India

Guest Speakers

Elayne Whyte

Costa Rica

RCPS 6000-Perspectives on Religion and Society

3Credits

Uma Ananda Dagnino González

Venezuela

RCPS 6002-Religion, Culture, and Ecology

3Credits

Borislava Manojlovic

United States

PCS-1-Critical Seminar 1

0Credits

Adriana Salcedo

Ecuador/United States

Heather Kertyzia

Canada

Uzma Rashid

Pakistan

RCPS 6008-Research Methodology

3Credits

Uzma Rashid

Pakistan

PCS-2-Critical Seminar 2

0Credits

Adriana Salcedo

Ecuador/United States

Heather Kertyzia

Canada

Uzma Rashid

Pakistan

PCS 6011-Tools for Conflict Resolution and Transformation

3Credits

Balázs Kovács

Hungary

RCPS 6001-Religions, Cultures, and Peacebuilding

3Credits

Uzma Rashid

Pakistan

PCS-3-Critical Seminar 3

0Credits

Adriana Salcedo

Ecuador/United States

Heather Kertyzia

Canada

Uzma Rashid

Pakistan

RCPS 6003-Religion and Diplomacy

1Credits

David Fernandez Puyana

Spain

RCPS 6004-Countering Hate Speech

1Credits

David Fernandez Puyana