Global Peace and Security from Multiple Perspectives
A College and University Faculty Seminar
Note: This seminar will not be held in 2008.
When: July 10-15, 2007
Where: U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C.
Application Deadline: The application deadline was April 16, 2007.
Download suggested readings on conflict resolution from USIP staff
Agendas
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Overview
The United States Institute of Peace announces a seminar on global peace and security from multiple perspectives for college and university faculty. Participants will be given the opportunity to reflect on:
- The new and difficult international security environment;
- Approaches to managing conflicts and possibilities for building peace in this environment; and
- New ways of teaching global peace and security at the undergraduate level.
In the post 9/11 world, there is a new international security environment; peace seems far more elusive than was first expected after the cold war. Political, economic, social, religious, and cultural transformations are breaking countries apart and causing serious tensions across borders. At the same time, an increasing number of international actors are actively engaging in conflict prevention, management and post-conflict reconstruction.
Various professions involved in working for global peace and security each have different perspectives on these three components. Indeed, as different professions start to engage in various aspects of conflict prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding, they will benefit from looking at other perspectives. Thus, a full study of the issues should involve a wide range of disciplines from law and social sciences to environmental and health sciences.
These complex international factors present challenges to college and university faculty members to stay current with a rapidly changing world, develop a deeper understanding of the nature and consequences of the transformations, and find effective ways of communicating this material to their undergraduate students.
The Program
The seminar will involve examinations both of major issues surrounding examples of conflict and peacemaking and of specific cases illustrative of broad themes. Participants should gain substantive knowledge of contemporary cases of conflict and various approaches to building peace and security. They will also gain a better understanding of how to frame these issues in ways that make them interesting and relevant for today’s students.
In addition, the sessions will reflect and demonstrate techniques for integrating different teaching methods: lecture and discussions, interdisciplinary instruction, case studies, simulation and role-playing and multimedia presentations. There will be ample opportunity for discussion, and supportive materials such as readings, bibliographies and case studies will be provided. To increase participants’ input, they will each be expected to work on incorporating seminar material into their courses and will be asked to design a model syllabus or exercise in working groups and present it at the end of the seminar.
Seminar Faculty
Leading scholars, analysts, practitioners and policymakers involved in conflict resolution, global peace and security and teaching will serve as faculty for the seminar. These individuals will be drawn from specialists among the Institute’s staff as well as experts from the Washington academic and policy community.
Participants
The seminar is open to all faculty, tenured and untenured, who are teaching full-time at the under-graduate level in American colleges and universities. The Institute is seeking seminar participants who reflect the broad diversity in institutions of higher education. The Institute encourages an interdisciplinary approach to the study of global peace and security and therefore solicits applications from a wide variety of fields, including but not limited to political science, international relations, history, education, geography, economics, anthropology, environmental studies, psychology, sociology, art, philosophy and religion. How well the seminar relates to the applicant’s current or potential teaching program will be a strong consideration.
Travel, Meals, and Housing
Each participant will be provided with a travel and incidental expenses allotment. All lodging and some meals will be provided by the United States Institute of Peace.
