Course Description
Why do individuals, groups, and states engage in violence? What makes building lasting peace so challenging—even when all sides say they want it?
This 9-week live online course offers a comprehensive introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS), combining academic theory with practical skills used by mediators, diplomats, peacekeepers, and humanitarian actors. You will explore the root causes of conflict, the dynamics of escalation and de-escalation, and the diverse strategies used to manage, resolve, and transform violent disputes.
Through interactive discussions, case studies, and simulated negotiation and mediation exercises, you will apply key concepts to real-world situations—from civil wars and ethnic conflicts to peacekeeping missions, reconciliation processes, and international diplomacy.
By the end of the course, you will have both a rigorous theoretical foundation and practical conflict resolution skills—equipping you to analyze conflict, evaluate peace strategies, and engage constructively in peacebuilding efforts.
No prior knowledge required—just curiosity and a commitment to understanding peace and conflict.
Throughout the course, applied exercises—including negotiation simulations, conflict mapping, and role plays—help you translate theory into practice.
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
Why Study Peace and Conflict Resolution?
Peace and Conflict Studies helps us understand why violence happens and how societies move toward lasting peace. These skills are essential for careers in:
Open to learners from all backgrounds—ideal for students, professionals, and activists.
Teaching Approach
This course blends academic depth with practical training through:
Ready to Join?
Seats are limited and classes run with a minimum of 5 participants.
For enrollment, questions, or payment instructions:
📧 info@gadaedu.com
Topics include:
What is Peace and Conflict Studies?
Why PCS matters for understanding global violence
Foundational concepts: positive and negative peace
Conflict analysis tools
Peace agreements vs. everyday peace
The foundations of peacebuilding and conflict transformation
Topics include:
Conflict dynamics: escalation, de-escalation, stalemate, intractability
Mapping conflict and conflict cycles
Actors in conflict and peace processes
Applying PCS to understand conflict onset, duration, and termination
This week examines the drivers of interstate conflict.
Topics include:
Power politics and the balance of power
Security dilemmas and misperception
The Democratic Peace Theory: strengths and critiques
Territorial disputes, arms races, and alliance politics
Case studies of interstate war
Topics include:
Identity-based conflict
Ethnicity and group mobilization
Psychological drivers: nature vs. nurture, grievances, emotions
Stereotypes, cognitive bias, and group threat
Nationalism as a driver of genocide
Topics include:
Greed vs. grievance debate
Resources, lootable goods, and war financing
Structural inequality, poverty, and political exclusion
State weakness, corruption, and environmental stress
Comparative case studies of civil war
Topics include:
Theories of conflict resolution and settlement
Peace vs. justice dilemmas
Nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience
Conflict transformation through nonviolent action
Case studies of successful nonviolent movements
Topics include:
Track I, II, and III diplomacy
Preventive diplomacy
International mediation and negotiation
UN peacekeeping: mandates and challenges
Humanitarian intervention and its controversies
Topics include:
When separation (partition, secession) reduces violence—and when it worsens it
Federalism, territorial autonomy, and decentralization
Consociationalism, power-sharing, and constitutional design
Topics include:
Transitional justice (trials, truth commissions, amnesties)
Memory, trauma, and healing
Post-war reconstruction and statebuilding
The politics of reconciliation
Who Should Join?