UPM 6001 |
UPEACE Foundation Course
UPM 6001-UPEACE Foundation Course3CreditsThe 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.
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Mandatory |
Resident and Visiting Professors()
Resident and Visiting Professors
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3 |
3 weeks (Including one double session. Friday 15 September 2023 is a Holiday) |
28-Aug-2023 14-Sep-2023 |
8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. |
Council Room |
RMSED 6047 |
Development Studies and International Cooperation
RMSED 6047 -Development Studies and International Cooperation3CreditsThis course is an introduction to development studies and international cooperation. The course covers the historical origins of development thinking in the post colonial world. It reviews modernization theory and the implications it had for foreign policy during the cold war period. This is contrasted with a critical review of dependency theories and structuralism. The course then uncovers the precepts of the Washington consensus as an introduction to the thinking of Amartya Sen and the world of alternative participatory development, the fields of popular education and participatory learning and action. This review (first week of the course) combines the description of developmental theories and concepts, with a deconstruction of the policies pursued by the man development agencies (World Bank, UN Agencies, BINGOS, CBOs, etc.). The second week of the course introduces students to the sustainable development goals and the concept of multilateralism. The SDGs are presented as a set of indicators that can lead humanity towards collective action for urgent systemic change. The final week of the course explores key current hot topics in development practice Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Gender Mainstreaming, Disaster Risk Reduction and Multistakeholder Partnerships.
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Mandatory |
Kifah Sasa Marin(Costa Rica / Jordan )
Kifah Sasa MarinCosta Rica / Jordan
Kifah Sasa es el Oficial de Programa de Desarrollo Sostenible y Resiliencia del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo en Costa Rica. Desde el año 2009 funge como asesor senior del Programa Green Commodities, asesorando gobiernos y socios clave de cadenas productivas alrededor del mundo sobre cómo mejorar desempeño ambiental de materias primas. Kifah ha trabajado por el desarrollo social y el medio ambiente desde hace 17 años en diferentes facetas. Desde liderar y crear organizaciones parar apoyar grupos de base y comunitarios de manera voluntaria; hasta asesorar ministros centroamericanos de Integración Social, Vivienda y Salud en temas el manejo de proyectos regionales. Desde hace una década está vinculado al Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarollo en temas de biodiversidad, conservación marina, economía ambiental; cadenas productivas sostenibles de commodities agrícolas. Desde hace 5 años es también responsable de la cartera de Desarrollo Sostenible de esa agencia en Costa Rica. Se formó en el Reino Unido (Middlesex, BA, MA), Holanda (ISS, Post Dip) y Costa Rica.
Kifah Sasa is Sustainable Development Program Officer for the United Nations Development Programme in Costa Rica. Since 2009 he works as senior advisor for the Green Commodities Programme, advising governments and supply chain stakeholders on how to improve the environmental and social performance of commodity supply chains. Kifah has worked for social development and the environment for 17 years in different roles. From setting up and leading NGOs to support community organizations on a voluntary basis; to advising Central American Ministers of Social Integration, Housing and Health on the management of regional projects, as part of the Central American Integration System. For the past decade he has worked for the United Nations Development Programme, managing projects related to biodiversity conservation, marine protected areas, environmental economics; sustainable production of agricultural commodities and democratic dialogue. For the last 5 years he is responsible for UNDPs Sustainable Development portfolio in Costa Rica. He was trained in the United Kingdom (Middlesex, B.A, MA) and The Netherlands (ISS, Post Dip), Costa Rica.
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3 |
3 weeks |
20-Sep-2023 10-Oct-2023 |
- |
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UPM 6003 |
The United Nations System and...
UPM 6003-The United Nations System and UPMUNC (Part I)2CreditsThe 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.
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Mandatory |
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.
Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo(Venezuela)
Juan Carlos Sainz-BorgoVenezuela
Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo (Venezuela) is Professor and Dean at the University for Peace (UPEACE). He is also Associate Professor of International Law at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and has been since 1998. He served as Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington DC (2008-2009); Professor of Humanitarian International Law at the Universidad Sergio Arboleda (2009-2014), the Universidad Javeriana and Universidad El Rosario, both in Colombia. He is also Professor at the Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio in Madrid and has been since 2009. He was Jurist to the Regional Delegation of Venezuela and the Caribbean of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He served as member of the Venezuelan Foreign Service in charge of border affairs as Adviser and Coordinator of the Cooperation Border Programs between 1991-1999, and Deputy Director of the Diplomatic Academy. Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo has a Law Degree, a Master's Degree in International Law and a Doctorate Degree (Cum Laude) from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and a Master's Degree from Oxford University (UK). He has published four books on international law and international relations and numerous articles in different publications in the field
Allegra Baiocchi()
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2 |
2 weeks |
16-Oct-2023 27-Oct-2023 |
8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. |
Council Room |
DED 6034 |
Forest, Forestry and Poverty
DED 6034 -Forest, Forestry and Poverty3CreditsDeforestation is considered one of the main global environmental challenges of our times, because of its significant impact on biodiversity and its important contribution to Climate Change and Global Warming, as well as on the livelihoods of millions of people. This course analyzes the way deforestation and forest degradation have been and are being explained by both mainstream and alternative narratives. It critically engages with the way deforestation is defined and measured and discusses the various attempts to stop or reducing it. We will look at a range of conservation approaches that go from traditional protected areas over community based strategies, and the increasingly common market-based approaches and finally forest restoration. Illegal logging and timber trade will be looked at as a specific topic of particular importance since it is linked to development, poverty, and violent conflict. Additionally, this course looks at the links between poverty and deforestation, some of the possible strategies to reduce poverty through forest based activities and analyzes and discusses the importance of forests for humans and the challenges faced by those who try to manage them sustainably.
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Optional |
Jan Breitling(Germany)
Dr. Jan Breitling (Germany) is an Associated Professor in the Department of Environment and Development at University for Peace. Originally trained as a Forest Engineer in the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, he holds a MSc. in Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands, and a PhD from the University for Peace. His research interests include the political ecology of forest cover change, climate change, and conservation.
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3 |
3 weeks |
22-Nov-2023 13-Dec-2023 |
- |
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DED 6054 |
Coastal Resource Management
DED 6054-Coastal Resource Management3Creditsthis course will provide a brief introduction to key physical and biological characteristics of the oceans, as well as discussion concerning their relation to human history. Second, we will investigate the unique human economic, social, and cultural attributes (e.g., fishing, fishers and fishing cultures) that are most directly dependent upon them. Among the many topics within this section, the course will specifically focus on understanding artisanal vs. small-scale fisheries, largescale/industrial fishing as well as the differences and conflicts that exist between these sectors. Third, a broad overview of the development of the current resource crises and conflicts will be presented and examined via case studies from throughout the globe. Fourth, the evolution and trends in coastal and marine management over the last century will also be a central aspect of this course. We will explore and discuss the evolution from traditional top-down models to the implementation of stakeholder inclusion, participation, and co-management. We will also review the role of marine protected areas, and no-take reserves in the management and conservation of coastal resources. Finally, through practical exercises, guest lectures, and field visits, students will be able to explore the complex nexus of relations between humans and coastal/marine resources as it applies to Latin America and the case of Costa Rica.
In sum, students in this course will gain insight into and knowledge of how we have moved from the proclaimed inexhaustibility of marine resources, predominant in the 19th century, to the increasingly complex layers of marine tenure systems, marine protected areas, and precautionary approaches that characterize contemporary 21st century marine and coastal resource management regimes.
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Optional |
Sofía Cortes Mesen (Costa Rica)
Sofía Cortes Mesen Costa Rica
Sofía Cortés Mesén is a lawyer graduated from the University of Costa Rica with an emphasis on environmental law. From the early beginning of her career, she has focused on management of marine resources as well as ocean policy, while also diving in human rights through a Professional Visit to the Interamerican Court of Human Rights. She has worked as a consultant on marine issues with several NGOs like the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA), MarViva Foundation, Conservation International (CI-Costa Rica) and has also served as an adviser to the Viceminister for Water and the Ocean at the Ministry of Environment and Energy. Currently, she is Conservation Manager at CI-Costa Rica overviewing marine governance and ocean policy efforts in the country. She has a master’s degree in Environment, Development and Peace with specialization in Climate Change Policy from the University for Peace, and she has recently finished her second master’s degree in Integrated Management of Tropical Coastal Areas from the University of Costa Rica.
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3 |
3 weeks |
22-Nov-2023 13-Dec-2023 |
- |
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RMSED 6056 |
Social Research Methods
RMSED 6056 -Social Research Methods3CreditsIn this course we will critically examine and discuss the basics of doing research. The course is designed to take students sequentially through the process of thinking about and designing research. Together, we will explore the basic structure of research and examine the philosophical origins of different research approaches. I will guide students as they learn to link different information-gathering methods to different research approaches. My emphasis will be on qualitative research methodology, but we will introduce quantitative data gathering and sampling. To ensure that students gain hands on experience with the process of developing methodologies and implementing different information gathering procedures, I will complement lectures with workshops where students will learn by doing. Furthermore, learning about methods requires analyzing how these methods have worked (or not) in real-world case studies; thus, in class discussions of published research will complement workshops and lectures.
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Mandatory |
Koen Voorend (The Netherlands)
Koen Voorend The Netherlands
Dr. Koen Voorend .Sc. in International Economics Studies from the Maastricht University, The Netherlands, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies with a specialization in Economics of Development from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS). He has experience in the study of trade and its social and economic impact in developing countries, specifically in Southern Africa and in Central America.He holds experience in urban development studies, particularly focusing on informal settlement development, and labour market studies, specifically paid domestic work.Currently, in his position as a researcher at the Institute of Social Research of the University of Costa Rica.
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3 |
3 weeks |
08-Jan-2024 26-Feb-2024 |
- |
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DED 6050 |
Climate Change Governance
DED 6050-Climate Change Governance3CreditsScientists worldwide agree that human-induced climate change is occurring and have documented the environmental scenarios that humanity is moving towards. Widespread awareness about such impacts and ensuing policy actions to address it, are a relatively recent phenomenon. The creation of climate policy mechanisms and international legal instruments has been the result of a series of complex, longlasting negotiation processes that include multiple stakeholders acting across multiple scales and potentially influence global socio-economic, cultural and ethical conducts. Thus, climate governance must be analyzed over various spatial, temporal and system scales. This course examines climate change governance by looking at the interaction between these multiple elements, beginning with a historical overview of the scientific evidence, the mechanisms for that knowledge to permeate into decision making, the multilateral, regional, national and sub-national governance spheres and the most current state of affairs.
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Optional |
TBA .()
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3 |
3 weeks |
31-Jan-2024 20-Feb-2024 |
- |
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DED 6094 |
Development and Conflict in Practice:...
DED 6094 -Development and Conflict in Practice: role and application of sustainability frameworks in development projects3CreditsThe course looks into the role and application of sustainability frameworks in development projects and examines how their implementation influences local dynamics. The course introduces the main international frameworks that influence development finance institutions (DFIs) and private sector development, such as the World Bank ES Safeguards, IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles, among others. It also focuses on the dynamics and drivers of conflict around development projects and the role of existing accountability and grievance mechanisms. The course dynamics include case studies, simulations and role play.
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Optional |
TBA .()
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3 |
3 weeks |
26-Feb-2024 15-Mar-2024 |
- |
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GPB 6043 |
Gender, Human Security, and Development
GPB 6043-Gender, Human Security, and Development3CreditsThis course focuses on the interconnectedness of the work of human security and development with its gendered dimensions. It aims to engage with the notion of human security to elaborate on how people’s livelihoods, their well-being, and concerns such as those related to the environment, food, and health, among others, are directly related to the gendered ways in which they have been approached. It also delves into feminist analyses of development issues, and explores gender inequalities in the areas of education, labor force, mortality, and more.
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Mandatory |
Visiting Professor()
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3 |
3 weeks (Including one double session. Wednesday 1 May 2024 is a Holiday) |
22-Apr-2024 10-May-2024 |
8:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. |
Classroom #4 |
DED 6055 |
Gender, Environment, Development
DED 6055 -Gender, Environment, Development 3CreditsThis course will analyze intersectional feminist perspectives on the relationships between gender, development, and the non-human environment. From identifying the ecological shifts brought on by the colonization of different contexts to understanding the feminist critiques of genetic science testing, this course explores the ways in which historical social structures deeply inform our experiences with the environment around us. In this course we will survey several key environmental topics such as exposure to chemical toxins, climate change, food sovereignty, and forest management from feminist perspectives. We will use theory and case studies from women’s studies, queer studies, environmental studies, race studies, and ethnic studies, among others, to interrogate processes such as racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, and classism and colonialism as they relate to our understanding of the environment and development.
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Optional |
Visiting Professor()
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3 |
3 weeks |
22-Apr-2024 10-May-2024 |
- |
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DED 6043 |
Urban Sustainability
DED 6043 -Urban Sustainability3CreditsBy 2050, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population will live in an urban environment. In many countries in the developing world, this is already a reality, with 80-90% of their populations living in cities, with increasing and rapid rates of urbanization. Increased urban population growth, paired with other socio-economic realities that are characteristic to cities, poses enormous challenges to ensure quality of life and wellbeing for everyone, leaving no one behind. Urban sustainability goes beyond how "green" a city is. This course will be based on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and the New Urban Agenda, and will provide an understanding on how sustainability in cities is a multi-variable concept, interconnected with other SDGs and issues such as urban planning, transport planning and design, inequality, climate action, health, gender, economic development, among others. You will learn from case studies, articles, reports and the experience of experts in the field, in addition to gaining tools and developing skills that will help you propose strategies, projects and policies to improve your community, town or city in order to make it more sustainable.
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Optional |
TBA .()
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3 |
3 weeks |
13-May-2024 31-May-2024 |
- |
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UPM-6003 |
The United Nations System and...
UPM-6003-The United Nations System and UPMUNC (Part II)1CreditsThe 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.
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Mandatory |
UPEACE Resident Faculty()
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1 |
3 days |
03-Jun-2024 05-Jun-2024 |
8:45am.-3:45pm. |
Council Room |