The competition theme this year is “Conflict and Compromise in History” and the USIP article asks students and teachers to rethink how they study historical examples of conflict. It challenges them to find examples of movements and people throughout history who have embraced nonviolent conflict and sought to transform it into positive change in their communities and around the world.

The article also highlights some of the many resources USIP offers for educators including:

The Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators

The toolkit is a resource developed by and for educators, to enable them to introduce peacebuilding themes and skills into their classrooms. It can help develop students’ understanding of, and interest in, global peacebuilding, and develop their skills and capacities to act as peacebuilders. It can help teachers develop their own understanding of key concepts and skills, and enhance their capacity to teach about global peacebuilding themes and issues.

Examples of Toolkit Lessons Featured in the 2018 Theme Book:

• Defining Conflict: Before students can begin to think about how to prevent or manage conflict, they must be able to identify it. This process begins with establishing a definition for conflict. In this activity, students begin to define conflict and explore various interpretations of conflict in order to further their understanding of the subject. Download the high school (.pdf) or middle school (.pdf) versions of the lesson plan.
• Identifying the Elements of a Conflict:  This activity presents a more complex and thorough framework for students to analyze conflicts. Conflict analysis is considered an essential skill in conflict management, as it allows an individual to do the necessary information-gathering that can broaden their perspective and understanding of the conflict and can lead to creative problem-solving in the search for a solution. Download the high school (.pdf) or middle school (.pdf) versions of the conflict analysis lesson plans.

Peace Terms

To help practitioners, scholars, and students answer questions about terminology, USIP developed the Peace Terms: A Glossary of Terms for Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. This extensive glossary provides short definitions of a wide range of complex and often confusing terms used in the field of conflict resolution.

Curve of Conflict

Conflict has its own dynamic, and it tends to escalate and recede over time. The curve of conflict helps us to visualize how conflicts typically evolve over time and how different phases of conflict relate to one another. It is one way in which we can deconstruct the dynamic of conflict and seek to understand it and handle it more effectively.

For more resources, visit the Public Education section of usip.org. Learn more about USIP’s contests that get students thinking about peace and conflict by visiting the Contests for Students page.