Course Level: Continuing Education

Summer Institute (0)

Religion and Culture in Conflict Resolution

This course focuses on the impact of cultural and religious factors in peacebuilding processes. Students explore the role of cultural and religious identities in peacebuilding, and gain concrete skills and approaches to integrate with their ongoing work. Meets with SIS-419 N01 SIS-619 N01 SIS-419 N07 SIS-619 N07.

Course Level: Continuing Education

Summer Institute (0)

Designing Programs for Children in Adversity

In this course students draw upon and help build a theory of change. The whole of children's issues within all societies is much greater than the sum of responses. To make a greater change and greater good for a greater number of children, it is not enough for one person, one organization, or one government to get it right. A change in the field-ecosystem-landscape-regime of child rights/child protection/child-being is needed. The course is interactive, participatory, and builds on the experiences of students, their organizations, and work in the intersecting fields of peacebuilding, rights, and development. Students help collaboratively design and refine the course content and process. Many of the non-formal/adult learning education methods and tools used in the course have emerged from work experiences in communities, societies, development, rights, and peacebuilding. Case studies and critical incidences/real life vignettes are used to broaden and deepen students' skills and knowledge and their use. Meets with SIS-419 N02 SIS-619 N02.

Course Level: Continuing Education

Summer Institute (0)

Trauma Sensitive Peacebuilding,Development,Humanitarian Aid

Peacebuilding, development, and humanitarian aid work engages populations that frequently have experienced historic, cumulative, and ongoing trauma as the result of persistent poverty, natural disasters, and wars. This course focuses on trauma and how greater trauma awareness affects and interfaces with peacebuilding and related activities with affected populations. Students explore the nature of trauma and resilience in relation to these fields through conceptual presentations, interactive activities, readings, and personal reflections. The course looks at how various types of trauma affect individuals, communities, and societies in their thought processes, behaviors, and physical responses. This shapes to a large degree how individuals and groups participate in peacebuilding, development, and humanitarian aid efforts, which in turn if done with a trauma-sensitive perspective can contribute to greater individual and collective resilience and wellbeing. Meets with SIS-419 N03 SIS-619 N03.

Course Level: Continuing Education

Summer Institute (0)

Media and Peacebuilding

The growing ubiquity of new technologies, which enabled the Arab Spring movement, underscores media development's potential as an element of revolution and for democratization. Capacity-building in journalism and innovative educational and entertainment media initiatives are now integral to many multinational peacebuilding initiatives, and they globally attract expenditures exceeding a hundred million dollars annually, delivered by professional interveners and indigenous partners. However, media and peacebuilding raises unique challenges for peacebuilders and for media professionals: media usage is a double-edge sword, free media and rule of law are necessarily symbiotic, standards and capacity are essential, much media is counter-productive to peacebuilding by corporate or state imperatives, many funded initiatives are unsustainable, and overall funding is still small compared to its impact. This course provides an introduction to the concept of media development for peacebuilding, examining predominant themes, and exploring these concepts in practice. Field experiences in conflict-stressed environments are examined, other necessary conditions for the success of media within peacebuilding interventions are explored, and the course considers lessons learned and emerging ideas. Meets with SIS-419 N04 SIS-619 N04.

Course Level: Continuing Education

Summer Institute (0)

Monitoring and Evaluation for Peacebuilding Programs

Monitoring and evaluation are the learning disciplines most readily available for peacebuilding practitioners. For students familiar with the theory and practice of peacebuilding, but less so with monitoring and evaluation, this introductory course provides help in acquiring tools for analysis, reflection, and learning. The course uses experiential learning activities and practical exercises to build skills and gain experience; several of which are ideal for setting the stage for participatory evaluation. Studentsl work on the theories of change either behind their own initiatives or select case studies and develop their own evaluation plans focusing on outcome level changes. Meets with SIS-419 N05 SIS-619 N05.

Course Level: Continuing Education

Summer Institute (0)

Women's Leadership and Peacebuilding

This course is based on the premise that gender equity is a prerequisite to any sustainable peacebuilding initiative. The course looks at the gendered dynamics of peacebuilding processes in addition to exploring the roles of women in war and peace, from perpetrator, to victim, to agents of change. Through interactive roleplays, small group work, case study analysis, and use of visual media, the course provides a wide range of tools to further understand the critical contributions of women's leadership in rebuilding war-torn societies. Meets with SIS-419 N06 SIS-619 N06.