The Peacebuilding & Development Institute's mission is to provide cutting-edge, skills-based training and instruction to peace practitioners, development and humanitarian aid workers, civil society leaders, and the future of these fields--American University students. PDI has carved a niche for itself within American University and the School of International Service as the "operating arm of the SIS's International Peace and Conflict Resolution Division," and we intend to live up to that name. PDI is always looking for new and innovative ways to combine the theory and framework that students learn at American University with the skills sets and applied concepts that they will use in jobs and in the field once they graduate.

The most obvious opportunity for students to supplement their academic pursuits at American University is the Summer Institute, June 2nd - 20th, 2008. For one, two, or three weeks, AU students join international peace practitioners, development and humanitarian aid workers, civil society leaders, foreign government officials, and local professionals for a set of innovative and hands-on training courses on a variety of topics. Expert trainers and instructors from around the world enable students to build their applied skills sets , while group presentations, simulations, and case studies allow students to interact with and learn from practitioner classmates who work for local, regional, and international organizations in post-conflict regions around the world. AU students have taken advantage of the perpetual networking opportunities during the Summer Institute in order to score paid internships and full-time jobs in DC and overseas. Countless others have enhanced their research capacity simply by listening to the captivating stories and experiences of their international classmates. All in all, graduate students are more competitive for jobs as a result of Summer Institute opportunities.

Summer Institute courses are two credits each, and summer session registration begins on March 31.
For a full list of courses and instructors, please visit the Summer Institute website.