Menu

United States Institute of Peace

Media and Arts for Peace: Micro-Course

Print the Page

This micro-course identifies the importance of media and arts for peace, the critical role of creativity and storytelling, and how media and arts are utilized in post-conflict environments.

Acrylic painting was created on two 24×24 inch canvases to depict war and peace.
Acrylic painting was created on two 24×24 inch canvases to depict war and peace.

Course Overview & Key Objectives

Media and the Arts for Peace is an online, self-paced course that explores the impact of mainstream media, digital/social media, and the arts – live art, street art, music, dance, film, theater, etc. – on peace. Participants learn how these various media have been engaged to enrich public discourse, highlight civic responsibility and social justice, and tell the stories behind every conflict – stories that can be used to either dehumanize or humanize a conflict and the people behind it. 

By the end of this micro-course, participants will be able to achieve the following objectives:

  • Describe how media and the arts contribute to peacebuilding;
  • Consider the impact media and the arts have on the individual and how that may influence peacebuilding;
  • Identify the role media and the arts have in fostering a culture of peace; and
  • Describe the role of media and the arts have in post-conflict societies.

Overview Video

Click on the video below for an overview of the course.

If you cannot view the video, click here.

 

Agenda

Section 1 - Introduction

Introduces the importance of media and arts for peace through real-world stories and asks the learner to reflect on their prior knowledge.

Section 2 - Pillars

Discusses a variety of conceptualizations of how to use media and arts as tools for peace.

Section 3 - Tools

Explores a variety of tools to use media and arts for peace including communication, storytelling, participatory art and music.

Section 4 - Application

Provides learners an opportunity to practice using media and arts in peacebuilding work.

Section 5 - Conclusion

Provides a space for self-reflection and tests retention while earning a certificate.

 

Instructors and Guest Experts

Instructor

Guest Experts

  • Dr. Cynthia Cohen, Director of the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts, Brandeis University
  • Dr. James Gordon, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Mind-Body Medicine
  • Rama Mani, Peace and Security Specialist, Poet and Performance Artist
  • Dr. Lisa Schirch, Senior Research Fellow, Toda Peace Institute

Related Publications

Senior Study Group on Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Final Report

Senior Study Group on Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Final Report

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

By: USIP Senior Study Group on Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan

When announcing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in April 2021, President Joe Biden identified counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan as an enduring and critical US national security interest. This priority became even more pronounced after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the discovery of al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul less than a year later, and the increasing threat of the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISIS-K) from Afghanistan. However, owing to the escalating pressures of strategic competition with China and Russia, counterterrorism has significantly dropped in importance in the policy agenda.

Type: Report

Violent Extremism

Why Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan Still Matters

Why Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan Still Matters

Thursday, May 9, 2024

By: Ambassador Anne Patterson; Tricia Bacon, Ph.D.; Ambassador P. Michael McKinley; Joshua White, Ph.D.; Brian Finucane, Ph.D.

From wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to rising tensions in the South China Sea, there is no shortage of crises to occupy the time and attention of U.S. policymakers. But three years after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the threat of terrorism emanating from South Asia remains strong and policymakers need to be more vigilant. Indeed, at the end of March, an Afghanistan-based affiliate of ISIS launched a devastating attack outside of Moscow, killing over 140 people.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy;  Violent Extremism

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

Thursday, March 21, 2024

By: Kris Inman; Matthew Edds-Reitman

As military coups and violent insurgencies have spread across Africa’s Sahel over the past decade, U.S. policy has professed to recognize and address their interconnections across the region, notably through the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership. Yet this effort remains insufficient to meet the scale and complexity of the violence and the underlying failures of governance.

Type: Analysis

Violent Extremism

View All Publications