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All Courses

We compiled here all the courses that the In Peace, Amr team has been offering for over twenty years in all corners of the globe.

The UPEACE Foundation Course provides a critical and concise introduction to the broad field of “Peace Studies” for students in ALL UPEACE programs. It initially addresses key conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of the origins and development of peace studies as an interdisciplinary area within the fields of international relations and political economy. Based on a critical analysis of policies, strategies, institutions, organizations and movements, the course then examines a range of core issues, dimensions, perspectives and paradigms for understanding the root causes of conflicts and violence and constructive strategies to address them and build peace in contemporary global, international, regional, national and local contexts.                                                   

The core concepts include militarization, disarmament and arms control; human rights violations and promotion; gender inequalities, gender-based violence and gender mainstreaming; structural violence, human security, development and globalization; environmental sustainability; corporate social responsibility; international law in conflict and peacebuilding; cultural and religious identities; media’s role in conflict and peacebuilding; strategies of nonviolence; and peace education. This Foundations course will be essential in catalyzing the awareness, understanding and motivation of UPEACE students in diverse academic programs to relate, ground and intersect their specific areas of academic and practitioner interest with core theoretical, conceptual and analytical ideas in peace studies.

The focus of this course is on research methods. This focus is considered in connection with three themes: 1) peacebuilding, conflict analysis and resolution, 2) gender issues, and 3) cultural considerations.  The course incorporates these three themes throughout its lesson plans and applied assignments by addressing qualitative, action and participatory research issues from a gender perspective, while critically using traditional research perspectives. 

Such an approach corresponds to the unique principles of conducting research in the areas of peacebuilding, conflict analysis and resolution- namely, the principles of inclusiveness, participation, and contextual analysis.  In addition, this gender-based approach to research methods establishes a foundation for reviewing cultural issues that are often fundamental to peacebuilding, conflict analysis and resolution.  Practical experience and examples will be utilized extensively to illustrate theoretical concepts.

The course serves as starting point for students in their doctoral research, tying themes of Culture, Gender and Peace Building to practical research skills.  The course is designed for working professionals and for students at Masters or doctoral programs.

Students completing this course will be able to:

  1. Design sound research projects relevant to the fields of peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
  2. Incorporate qualitative and basic quantitative research methods.
  3. Demonstrate appreciation to, and consideration of, gender and cultural issues in their research design.
  4. Emphasize the use of participatory research approaches as crucial to the integrity of research in the areas of peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
  5. Implement research designs with high ethical, professional, and compassionate standards.
  6. Conduct both qualitative and quantitative analysis.
  7. Write clear and concise research reports.

Below is a list of courses conducted in the last ten years:

  • Graduate Course (online) on Research Methods for Peace and Conflict Studies.  University for Peace. 2011- 2019. Costa Rica.
  • Graduate Course on Research Methods for Peace and Conflict Studies.  Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.  March-May 2017. Doha, Qatar.
  • Graduate Course on Research Methods for Candidates of the Doctoral Program in Peace and Security.  University of Addis Ababa.  January 2011-October 2016.  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • Graduate Course on Research Methods for Peace and Conflict Studies at Hacettepe University’s Master’s Degree Program in Peace and Conflict Studies.  November 2014.  Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Graduate Course on Research Methods for Peace and Conflict Studies at UPEACE.  2003-2013.  San Jose, Costa Rica.
  • Graduate Online Course on the Evaluation of Peacebuilding Programs and Projects.  Open University of Catalonia.  March-June 2011-2015.  Barcelona, Spain.
  • Graduate Course on Research Methods for Peace and Conflict Studies at the UPEACE Asia Pacific Center.  July 2012.  Seoul, South Korea.
  • Graduate Course on Skills for Peace Research.  International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program.  School of International Services.  American University.  Fall 2010-2013.  Washington, D.C.  USA.

The purpose of this course is to develop students’ knowledge of theories and concepts related to negotiations and mediation, and to develop their practical skills to apply them effectively in different settings and conflict situations.

This course will focus on providing students with comprehensive understanding of theories and concepts related to negotiations and mediation as two of the most prominent methods of intervention in conflict situations.  The course will also concentrate on providing students with practical applications and with skills for conducting negotiations and mediation.  A strong emphasis throughout the course will be on the cultural factors influencing the logic and application of negotiations and mediation.  The course will rely on the use of practical exercises, roleplays and simulations in order to build students’ skills and illustrate cultural factors influencing negotiations and mediation.

For more than 20 years, our In Peace, Amr team, including former associates such as Patty Anton, Dr. Fatima Mirza and Louai el Haffar, initiated the design of courses in Peace and Conflict Studies with Islamic Perspectives under the auspices of the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS).  The courses include grounded knowledge and practice from the Peace and Conflict field, with methodical approaches to relevant information in Islamic sources.  This course has provided the academic and scholarly underpinnings for our work through training workshops in communities worldwide.  It also provided the depth of knowledge that we rely on when conducting training of trainers workshops.

The following is a list of some of the courses offered on the topic:

  • Course on Conflict Resolution in the Islamic Context.  Boston Islamic Seminary.  February 2019.  Boston. USA.
  • Graduate Course on Introduction to Conflict Analysis and Resolution with Islamic Perspectives.  Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences.  1998-2004.  Leesburg, Virginia.

This course addresses the dynamic relationship and entanglements between the state, government, political authority, and religion-based political agents. The Focus is on the changing nature of political religions and religious politics; and the role of religions and religion-based political actors in democratization and democracies.

The course aims to develop knowledge of the religious, social, cultural and political roots of terrorism in the Muslim context, providing balanced frameworks that may lead to peaceful transformation.

The course does not start with a simplistic assumption that “religion has been the cause of all conflicts”.  Instead, the course studies critically the role of religion (along with other factors, such as nationalism, ethnicity, race, class, gender, among others) in contributing to conflict causes, influencing its persisting negative and destructive dynamics,  and in peacefully resolving and transforming conflicts.  

The course will be studied from the vantage point of the field of peace and conflict studies, using frameworks and models intended to deeply analyze several case studies from different parts of the world.  The course materials and activities will culminate in an exploration of methods and processes that would advance the positive peaceful role of religion and religious institutions in various types and levels of conflicts, and which are suitable for the realities of the 21st century.

Expected outcomes of this course are:

  • To develop a holistic understanding of the dynamics of religious violent extremism
  • To develop a strong understanding of the history, dynamics and motivations of violent extremism in the name of Islam
  • To gain insights into models of religious violent extremism prevalent in students’ context
  • To develop a strong foundation for understanding and programming de-radicalization and religious violent extremism projects and programs, leading to transformation.

The following is a list of some of the courses offered on the topic:

  • Graduate Course on Religious Violent Extremism and Terrorism.  Ateneo de Manila University and University for Peace Dual Masters Programme.  August 2019. Manila, Philippines.
  • Graduate Course on Religious Dimensions in Peace and Conflict.  Wesley Theological Seminary.  2015- 2019.  Washington, D.C.
  • Graduate Course (online) on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization: Best Practices and Lessons from the World. Wesley Theological Seminary. 2016- 2018. Washington, D.C.
  • Graduate Course on Religious Violent Extremism and Terrorism.  University for Peace.  May 2017. San Jose, Costa Rica.
  • Graduate Course on Religious Violent Extremism and Terrorism.  Ateneo de Manila University and University for Peace Dual Masters Programme.  July 2016. Manila, Philippines.
  • Graduate Course on Religious Violent Extremism and Terrorism.  Institute for Peace and Security Studies Ph.D. Programme.  June 2016.  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • Undergraduate Course on Terrorism in the Muslim Context: Causes, Developments and Prospects for Peaceful Transformation.  University of Winnipeg. May 2010; June 2012.  Winnipeg.  Canada.
  • Graduate Course on Religious Violent Extremism and Terrorism.  University for Peace.  2004-2013. San Jose, Costa Rica.
  • Graduate Course on Religious Violent Extremism and Terrorism.  School of Public Policy, George Mason University.  Summer 2004. Arlington, VA.