Academic Year 2023-2024
EXPC 6066
Peace and Conflict Studies - The Foundation Course
Amr Abdalla, PhD and Adriana Salcedo, PhD
aabdalla07@outlook.com , asalcedo@upeace.org
1. Course Descriptions
The UPEACE Foundation Course provides a critical and concise introduction to the broad fieldof “Peace Studies” for students in ALL UPEACE programmes. It initially addresses key
conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of the origins and development of peace studies as aninterdisciplinary area within the fields of international relations and political economy. Based on a
critical analysis of policies, strategies, institutions, organizations and movements, the course thenexamines a range of core issues, dimensions, perspectives and paradigms for understanding theroot causes of conflicts and violence and constructive strategies to address them and build peacein 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, humansecurity, 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 programmes to relate, ground and intersect their specificareas of academic and practitioner interest with core theoretical, conceptual and analytical ideas inpeace studies.
2. Pre- or Co-requisites
None
3. Course number/number of credits
EXPC - 6066, 3 credits
4. Course length
The course is taught in a nine-week period (9 sessions) from the 4th of September to the 5th ofNovember 2023.
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5. Methodology
Because of the international nature of our online classroom where students bring diverse knowledge
and experiences, this online course will be a combination of collaborative learning using participatory
methods and independent study that will be presented in the virtual classroom, with guidance fromthe instructors.
In a seminar format, participatory and active methodologies will be used. Students become theconstructors of their own knowledge, emphasizing the exchange of knowledge and questions as
well. Students will have a central role in learning, in deciding how and when to learn; while theprofessor will stimulate and facilitate the learning process.
Active discussions will be strongly encouraged; students will acquire new information, analyse it,reflect upon its meaning, and then discuss it with each other. The cultural diversity of the different
students will contribute to vivid and diverse discourses.
Three instructional interactions will be used 1) interaction between the professors and students, suchas discussions in open forums; 2) interaction between students, such as socializing/exchanging
knowledge and experience; and 3) interaction through information resources, such as the active
reading of selected articles, research assignments in the libraries, or searching the internet.
The material for the discussions and also for the final reflection essay will be based on the reader ofthis course and additional material, like texts, videos, links to websites, etc., which will be provided by
the facilitators throughout the course. Students are invited to add their own sources, too.
6. UPEACE Policy on Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is among the most serious breaches of academic honesty and is not tolerated under any
circumstances. Plagiarism involves the use of someone else’s ideas or words without fullacknowledgement of and reference to the source. This definition covers all published and unpublishedmaterial, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form. Plagiarism may be intentional orunintentional, and consent of the author of the source is inconsequential. Plagiarism includes thefollowing instances:a. Failure to use quotation marks when text is directly copied from another source;
b. Paraphrasing or copying text from another source without due acknowledgment by way of areference;c. Adopting the same frame or structure of another author’s written work without due
acknowledgment by way of a reference;d. Adopting the ideas or concepts, or the sequence thereof, of another author’s written workwithout due acknowledgment by way of a reference.
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Plagiarism is, therefore, not only about copying the text of another author’s work, but also about
presenting someone else’s approach (the “paradigm”) without acknowledgment, thereby suggestingthat your work was the result of your own creativity and originality.
These rules apply to all written work. That includes, but is not restricted to exams, papers, groupreports, PowerPoint presentations, thesis, posters, etc. The same rules apply to group work anddocuments produced by several contributors. It is the responsibility of every member of the group or
every contributor to verify that the plagiarism rules have been followed in the whole assignment. If a
student has any doubts about the nature of plagiarism, the rules for use and citation of sources orother issues relating to academic honesty, it is the student’s responsibility to seek clarification fromfaculty before submitting a written assignment.
The following list of resources has been created to help students to prevent plagiarism:
1. University of Missouri - The following tutorial includes quizzes to test yourself to see if you
can recognize plagiarism, information on how to cite your sources and other helpful tips: MU
Libraries - University of Missouri - Plagiarism Tutorial
2. Indiana University Bloomington - School of Education - This site includes cases,
examples and practice tests for guests: IU Bloomington School of Education - How to
Recognize Plagiarism
3. Colby, Bates and Bowdoin (CBB) Plagiarism Resource Site - This site includes a 15minute self test on plagiarism with an overview of helpful terms: CBB Self-Test
4. University of Toronto - "How Not to Plagiarize" - this site includes a special section forEnglish as a Second Language (ESL) students.
5. Cornell University - In addition to exercises, this site on "Recognizing and Avoiding
Plagiarism" also provides links to citation management systems.
UPEACE policy on the use of GenAI tools:
GenAI tools in academia - What is allowed• You are allowed to use GenAI tools as a language assistant for reviewing or improving texts
you wrote yourself, provided that the tools do not add new content.
o In this case, the use of GenAI is like the spelling and grammar check tools that already exist.
o Make sure that the use of GenAI does not interfere with a professor’s ability to evaluate youroutput and assess your original contribution.
• You are allowed to use GenAI as a search engine to get initial information on a topic or to
make an initial search for existing research on the topic. This way of gathering information can belike using an ordinary search engine when working on an assignment.
o After this initial search, ensure that you look up the sources referred to and conduct your own
analysis of the source documents.
o Interpret, analyze, and process the information you obtained; do not just copy-paste it.

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o Be critical of the output sources generated and be conscious of the inherent biases and thepotential fabrication of sources.
o Verify the output generated.
➢ If you do copy-paste certain parts of GenAI output (for instance because of the nature of theassignment), you must cite your sources. See further below for how to refer to GenAI tools whenused in your writing.
What is not allowed:• Any form of copy-pasting of any content generated by GenAI without fully acknowledging thesource (citing, referencing) is not allowed. Anyone who claims AI-generated texts or translations
as their own violates the rules of basic academic integrity and will face the consequences ofplagiarism. See the Student Handbook 2023-2024 and the UPEACE Code of Conduct for therules and procedures in place, in case plagiarism is detected.
o GenAI tools may only serve as a supportive tool, it may not replace your authentic output.
o Any source used/cited in your academic work should be verified, whether AI or of anotherorigin.
o Using GenAI- generated text with proper referencing can only be done in exceptional situations.
• Any use of GenAI that prevents the professors from assessing your skills is not allowed. For
example: using paraphrasing tools on texts you did not write yourself to cover up plagiarism,misuse of translation software.
• Any use of GenAI during examinations or other forms of assessment when the professors haveindicated that the use of GenAI is not allowed.
Course objectives
(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

to gain a general awareness of the realities of conflicts and multiple forms of violence inthe contemporary world and their consequences for human and planetary well-being,
including militarized conflicts and expanding manifestations of economic, social, culturaland environmental violence.
to engage in critical analysis of the root causes of these multiple conflicts in the world
across diverse levels and contexts (micro, macro, local, national, regional, internationaland global).
to understand the roles of gender dynamics, and diverse agencies, institutions,organizations and networks (e.g., United Nations, regional intergovernmental agencies,
national governments/states, economic organizations) and the expanding civil society
sector in promoting/maintaining and/or overcoming these conflicts toward a culture ofpeace.
to feel an initial empowerment and sense of hope that a more peaceful world is possible
amidst the realities of conflicts, violence, unsustainable development, environmental
4degradation, and inequalities and injustices (gender, economic, social, cultural,environmental, political).
7. Course requirements (for credit and non-credit students)
Assessment:
The system of grading for this course is the official UPEACE-grading-system.
Students will be required to complete all readings on the syllabus for each week. This will equipthem with the tools necessary for their effective participation in the forums. Of importance here
is for students to realize that their participation and interaction in forum discussions will make thecourse all the more successful.
❖ Participation (40% spread across forum discussions)❖ In addition to the posting on the first session’s forum (which is not graded), students will
be expected to participate every week by contributing to forum discussions based
primarily on the READINGS and their personal experience related to the theme. As
mentioned, Session 1 does not count for this purpose.
❖ Students should respond to each discussion thread started by the professor in the chosensession by directly responding to the forum question and/or by answering theirclassmates’ responses. More than one forum posting per week is encouraged. During fora,
students will demonstrate familiarity with the assigned readings. It is also important thatstudents respond to the forum discussion during the week of the session (NOT A WEEKAFTER), as it becomes challenging to maintain a discussion on a topic when the course
has moved on to another session.
❖ Each forum post MUST include the following three elements:
1. A review of concise concept(s) discussed in the week's readings and/or video
presentation. Students can focus on any one or more concepts of their choicefrom the readings or the video. The review should be an original writing of thestudent. The summary should reflect how the student understands theconcept(s), with proper citations as needed.
2. Application of the concept(s) to the student's own experiences or context. Thesecan be their own personal, community, societal or cultural contexts. Here astudent will demonstrate how the concept(s) discussed in the first element help
explain or shed light on a specific situation from their own experience orcontext.
3. Application of the concept(s) to any issue that is part of the current affairs of
the world. Here the student applies the concept(s) in the first element to a5

situation of public nature that is in the world or local news media. Students must
apply proper citations and references to the news media.
❖ Each forum post must be in the range of 300 words (give or take 20 words).
❖ Full participation also includes active engagement with special activities in the fora, (suchas quizzes, if necessary), as well as the sharing of relevant resources with the rest of theclass.

❖ Group Conflict Analysis (30% for credit students and 40% for non-credit students)

Submission date: Sunday 8 October 2023
Groups of four or five students will work together to analyze one conflict that they havechosen to map out. The groups can draw on any international/communal/institutional
conflict. This assignment is intended to help students develop their knowledge and skills inanalyzing the various components of conflicts and to identify appropriate interventions
based on conflict dynamics. The outcome document is a series of presentation slides in PDF
or PowerPoint, submitted as a group.
❖ Select a conflict you are familiar with from your own experience or a conflict you areinterested in analyzing. Please make sure to gather or provide balanced information
about the conflict. It is likely in most conflicts to focus on information representing one
point of view. It is our ethical and professional duty to ensure a balanced inquiry into
the conflict. You can use information based on your own knowledge of the conflict orfrom academic, official and media sources.
❖ Include a short summary of the conflict story to explain what exactly happened. Please
do not use more than a few paragraphs on the story. Focus on the analysis and mapping.
❖ Taking into consideration the CR SIPPABIO model of analysis, please provide anassessment of conflict sources, issues, parties, etc., and please address the contextual andrelationship factors that may have influenced the conflict. There are no standard
approaches to delivering this section. This is where you as a group are artists and where
you use your creativity to best present your analysis. This part should account for mostof the presentation. Some groups strictly follow the conflict analysis model we provided
in this course. Some start with contextual analysis, while others start with the SIPPABIO
elements. Others fold their analysis with the summary mentioned in item (2) above. In
all cases, use this section to analyze WHAT HAPPENED including interventions thattook place, not what should happen or what interventions should take place. Leave the“what should happen” to the concluding remarks of the presentation. One suggestion
to make the presentation easy to follow is to use subheadings because they help theaudience follow your logic and train of thought.

6❖ Finally, finish your analysis with concluding remarks which may include suggestions forintervention. This should be another short section of the presentation.
❖ You are encouraged to use references from the course readings, or other academic
sources, to support your arguments, and demonstrate your familiarity with the literature.
If you use any source for information or academic references, YOU MUST USE
PROPER CITATIONS in your PPT. Please make sure to recommendations provided
in the UPEACE policy on plagiarism and the use of AI tools.
❖ Your group analysis should be presented as a PowerPoint or PDF document (.ppx
or .pdf) and must be uploaded to the course website on Sunday 8 October 2023 before
midnight Costa Rica time.
❖ Peer Review Exercise (30%)
Submission date: Due on Wednesday of each week for eight weeks (starting on week 2)
After all students have submitted their weekly Reflections on Sundays, each student will be required
to review their peers’ submissions and choose one to provide their own peer review. The Peer Review
will be due each Wednesday, from sessions 2-9. The peer review will consist of 300 words in length (giveor take 30 words) and include a concise short summary of the key points made by your peer. Your
reflection should include the following:••

An assessment of the strength, weakness, or relevance of the arguments or examples given.
Reflections from the student’s own knowledge and experiences on what the peer presented intheir Weekly Reflection.

Each student are required to do 5 peer review exercise in total. The weightage of each peer review
exercise is 6 points.
8. Description of Sessions

Session 1: Introduction to Peace Studies
Instructor: Amr AbdallaThis session will provide students with an overview of how the field of peace and conflict studies wasdeveloped over the past few decades and the major influences politically, culturally and academically.
The session also provides students with an understanding of the main foundational principles in thefield of peace a conflict studies. Throughout, examples from real conflict situations are used toillustrate some of the theoretical concepts.
Required Readings:

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Ramsbotham, O.; Woodhouse, T. and Miall, H. (2016). Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Cambridge:
Polity Press. 4th Edition. Chapter 2: Conflict Resolution: Origins, Foundations andDevelopment of the Field, pp. 38-66.
Abdalla, Amr and Marie Sender (2023). C.R.T. SIPPABIO: A Model for Conflict Analysis. In Peace
Institute. Maryland, USA.

Recommended Readings:
Pruitt, D. & Kim, S H. (2004). Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate and Settlement. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
3rd Edition. Chapter 1: Overview, pp. 3-14.
Mitchell, C. R. (1981). The Structure of International Conflict. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Introduction, pp.
1-11.

Sessions 2 and 3: Conflict Analysis and Mapping
Instructor: Amr Abdalla
These sessions introduce students to a systematic and comprehensive understanding of conflict
including conflict analysis and mapping. It emphasizes contextual analysis and takes into consideration
factors such as relationship dynamics and the interrelation of elements influencing conflicts andpeaceful interventions. It also introduces students to the major vocabulary in the field and provides
them with an overview of the main intervention approaches. Throughout, examples from real conflictsituations are used to illustrate some of the theoretical concepts.
Required Readings:
Ramsbotham, O.; Woodhouse, T. and Miall, H. (2016). Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Cambridge:
Polity Press. 4th Edition. Chapter 1: Introduction to Conflict Resolution: Concepts andDefinitions, pp. 3-36.
Abdalla, Amr and Marie Sender (2023). C.R.T. SIPPABIO: A Model for Conflict Analysis. In Peace
Institute. Maryland, USA.
UN WOMEN (2012). Gender and conflict analysis. New York: UN WOMEN, pp. 1-5.
http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/Headquarters/Media/Publications/en/04AGenderandCo
nflictAnalysis.pdf
Recommended Readings:
Pruitt, D. & Kim, S H. (2004). Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate and Settlement. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
3rd Edition.
Chapter 4: Contentious Tactics, pp. 63-84.
Chapter 5: Escalation and its Development, pp. 87-100.
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Chapter 6: The Structural Change Model, pp. 101-120.
Chapter 7: Conditions that Encourage and Discourage Escalation, pp. 121-150.

Session 4: Conflict Behavior Theories
Instructor: Amr AbdallaThis session introduces examples of macro, meso, and micro theories prevalent in the field of Peace
and Conflict Studies. The theories discussed in this session contribute to our shared understanding of
patterns of behavior during conflicts and in the process of making peace, they also provide us with adeeper understanding of human nature potential on the group and individual levels.
Required Readings:
Ho-W J. (2000). Peace and Conflict Studies –An Introduction. England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Chapter 6: Sources of Social Conflict, pp. 65-74.
Chapter 7: Feminist Understandings of Violence, pp. 75-85.
Chapter 8: Political Economy, pp. 87-93.
Chapter 9: Environmental Concerns, pp. 95-105.
Recommended Readings:
Galtung, J. (1990). International Development in Human Perspective. In Burton, J. Conflict: Human
Needs Theory. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Chapter 15: pp. 301-335.
Gurr, T. (2016). Why Men Rebel. Fortieth Anniversary Edition. New York: Routledge.
Chapter 2: Relative Deprivation and the Impetus to Violence
Chapter 5: Social Origin of Deprivation: Determinants of Value Capabilities
Monte, C. & Sollod, R. (2003). Beneath the Mask. 7th Edition. New Jersey: Wiley. Chapter 16:
Psychodynamic Social learning theory, pp. 551-581.
Collins, R. (1994). Four Sociological Traditions. New York: Oxford University Press. The ConflictTradition, pp. 47-118.
Kim, U., Triandis, H. C., Kâğitçibaşi, Ç., Choi, S.-C., & Yoon, G. (Eds.). (1994). Cross-cultural research
and methodology series, Vol. 18. Individualism and collectivism: Theory, method, and applications. Thousand
Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc. Chapter 4: A critical appraisal of individualism andcollectivism, pp. 52-65.
Merton, R. (1968). Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: The Free Press. Chapter 6: Social
Structure and Anomie, pp. 185-248.
Skjelsbæk, I. and Smith, D. (2001). Gender peace and conflict. London: Sage Publications. Chapter 3: Is
Femininity Inherently Peaceful? pp. 47-67.
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Session 5: Militarization and Disarmament
Instructor: Adriana Salcedo
This session will provide a brief introduction to the concept of militarization and to the international
efforts in designing and monitoring effective methods of conventional arms control (the Arms Trade
Treaty) as well as those aimed at the reduction/elimination of nuclear weapons.
In addition, this session will discuss the launch of Intervention, Reconstruction and Withdrawal
Operations –IRW carried out by peacekeeping forces to stabilize and stop violent conflict. An
overview of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes (DDR) and the challenges andopportunities of implementing security sector reforms (SSR) in fragile contexts.
Required Readings:
Blix, H. (2018). Is the World on the Road to Peace or War? Stockholm International Peace ResearchInstitute.
Gordon, E. (2019). Conflict, Security and Justice: Practice and Challenges in Peacebuilding. Chapter 8 (Security
Sector Reform). Red Globe Press. UK
Recommended Readings:
Lustgarten, L. (2015). The Arms Trade Treaty: Achievements, Failings, Future. International
Comparative Law Quarterly 64(03), 569-600.
Call, C.T. & Stanley, W. (2003). Military and Police Reform after Civil Wars, in Darby, J. & Mac Ginty,
R. (eds.), Contemporary Peacemaking. Conflict, Violence and Peace Processes. Palgrave
Macmillan. Chapter 18, pp. 212-223.
Gamba, V. (2003). Managing Violence: Disarmament and Demobilization, in Darby, J. & Mac Ginty,
R. (eds.), Contemporary Peacemaking. Conflict, Violence and Peace Processes. Palgrave
Macmillan. Chapter 11, pp. 125-136.

Session 6: Gender, Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding
Instructor: Adriana Salcedo
This session will examine the concept of gender (as socially-constructed understandings of bodies)and the critical role that these considerations play in contexts of violent conflict but also, in building
long-lasting peace. We will revisit some of the main assumptions concerning the participation of men,
women and LGBTQI+ individuals in these dynamics. In addition, this session will analyze the role of
the United Nations in enhancing the participation, protection and inclusion of ‘women’ inpeacekeeping efforts, peacemaking, peace processes and in building sustainable peace (mainly throughthe examination of the UNSCR 1325). We will apply a critical view of these efforts as well as the10

opportunities that have emerged for achieving gender equity in practice through the implementationof the 1325 resolution.
Required Readings:
United States Institute of Peace. (2012). Gender, War, and Peacebuilding, pp. 1-15.
Žarkov, D. (2018). From women and war to gender and conflict? Feminist trajectories. In Aoláin, F.
N. et. al. (Eds.). The Oxford handbook of gender and conflict. UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 17-34.
Shepherd, L. (2017). Women in UN Peacebuilding Discourse, in Gender, UN peacebuilding, and the politics
of space: locating legitimacy. Oxford University Press, pp, 104-128
Recommended Readings:
Lips, H. (2014). Gender: The basics. New York Routledge. (Chapter 2: Power, Inequalities, and Prejudice,
pp. 23-46).
UN Documents on Women, Peace and Security, including the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1325. “Women, Peace and Security,” October 31, 2000.
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/women-peace-and-security/

Session 7: Introduction to Conflict Interventions
Instructor: Amr AbdallaThis session introduces students to the logic and processes of intervening peacefully in conflicts. It
addresses ethical considerations of conflict interventions, types of conflict interventions and cultural
influences on such interventions. Throughout, examples from real conflict situations are used toillustrate some of the dry theoretical concepts.
Required Readings:
Abdalla, Amr and Sender, Marie. (2019). C.R. SIPPABIO: A Model for Conflict Analysis. Washington,
D.C., Chapter 4.7.
Ho-W J. (2000). Peace and Conflict Studies –An Introduction. England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Chapter
11: Conflict Resolution and Management, pp. 167-204.
Pruitt, D. & Kim, S H. (2004). Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate and Settlement. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
3rd Edition. Chapter 10: Problem Solving and Reconciliation, pp. 189-225.
Recommended Readings:

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Ramsbotham, O.; Woodhouse, T. and Miall, H. (2016). Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Cambridge:
Polity Press.
Chapter 6: Containing Violent Conflict: Peacekeeping, pp. 173-197.
Chapter 7: Ending Violent Conflict: Peacemaking, pp. 199-234.
Chapter 9: Peacebuilding, pp. 266-284.
Chapter 5: Preventing Violent Conflict, 144-171.

Session 8: The International Architecture for Peace and the Role of Civil Society
Organizations in Peacebuilding
Instructor: Adriana Salcedo
This session will introduce students to the international architecture for peace and security under theUnited Nations system and what is known as the Liberal Peace paradigm that has inspired many
conflict interventions. It will discuss the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), and the successes,
failures, and challenges of the concept thus far using the examples of Libya, Syria and Gaza. Thissession will also cover the role that civil society organizations play in building and sustaining peace.
Required Readings:
Cavalcante, F. (2019). Introduction in Peacebuilding in the United Nations. Coming into Life. Palgrave
Macmillan, Chapter 6, pp. 153-186 and 218-224
Guterres, A. (2023). A New Agenda for Peace. Our Common Agenda. Policy Brief # 9. United
Nations, New York.
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/our-common-agenda-policy-brief-new-agenda-forpeace-en.pdf
Paffenholz, T. (2009). Civil Society and Peacebuilding. Center on Conflict, Development andPeacebuilding, Geneva, pp. 5-24.
https://www.sfcg.org/events/pdf/CCDP_Working_Paper_4-1%20a.pdf
Recommended Readings:
Ki-moon, B. (2009). Implementing the Responsibility to Protect: Report of the Secretary-General, United
Nations, pp. 1-33.
Nilsson, D. (2012). Anchoring the Peace: Civil Society Actors in Peace Accords and Durable Peace.
International Interactions: Empirical and Theoretical Research in International Relations, 38(2),pp. 243-266.

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Nickel, J. (2007). Human rights as rights. Making Sense of Human Rights. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Chapter 2, pp. 22-34 and Chapter 3, pp. 35-32.
Sriram, C.; Martin-Ortega, O.; and Herman, J. (2010). War, Conflict and Human Rights: Theory andPractice. Routledge (London). pp. 3-12, 30-47

Session 9: Nonviolence: Theory and PracticeInstructor: Adriana Salcedo
This session provides a critical understanding of the principles, concepts, and methods of nonviolent
social action as they have been applied by historical and contemporary movements in response toviolent conflict, political repression, and/or economic, social, and cultural injustice.
In particular, this session will focus on an exploration of nonviolent resistance as a strategy to preventor transform violent conflicts; why and when does nonviolence work; its organizing principles;
strategic collective action; power and conflict.
Required Readings:
Chenoweth, E. & M. J Stephan. (2009). Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict.
New York, NY: Columbia University Press, Chapter 1, pp. 3-29.
Dudouet, V. (2017). Powering to Peace. Integrated Civil Resistance and Peacebuilding Strategies. International
Center for Non-Violent Conflict, pp. 8-35.
Recommended Readings:
Dudouet, V. (2013). Dynamics and Factors of Transition from Armed Struggle to Nonviolent
Resistance,” Journal of Peace Research 50:3, pp. 404-413.
Principe, M. (2017). Women in non-violent movements. United States Institute for Peace, pp. 1-13.

Instructors
Amr Abdalla (Egypt/USA)
Dr. Abdalla is a visiting professor of peace and conflict studies at the University for Peace and theWesley Theological Seminary. He serves as the Senior Advisor on Conflict Resolution at the
Washington-based organization KARAMAH (Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights in the
Washington, D.C. area. From 2014 to 2017 he was the Senior Advisor on Policy Analysis andResearch at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University. In 20132014, he was Vice President of SALAM Institute for Peace and Justice in Washington, D.C. From
2004-2013 he was Professor, Dean and Vice Rector at the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa
Rica. Prior to that, he was a Senior Fellow with the Peace Operations Policy Program, School of13

Public Policy, at George Mason University, Virginia. He was also a Professor of Conflict Analysis
and Resolution at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia.
Both his academic and professional careers are multi-disciplinary. He obtained a law degree in Egypt
in 1977 where he practiced law as a prosecuting attorney from 1978 to 1986. From 1981-1986, he
was a member of the public prosecutor team investigating the case of the assassination of President
Sadat and numerous other terrorism cases. He then emigrated to the U.S. where he obtained a Master's
degree in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.
He has been teaching graduate classes in conflict analysis and resolution, and has conducted training,
research and evaluation of conflict resolution and peacebuilding programs in several countries inAfrica, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.
He has been an active figure in promoting effective cross-cultural messages within the Islamic andArabic-speaking communities in America through workshops, T.V. and radio presentations. He has
also been actively involved in inter-faith dialogues in the United States. He pioneered the developmentof the first conflict resolution training manual for the Muslim communities in the United States titled(“…Say Peace”). He also founded Project LIGHT (Learning Islamic Guidance for Human Tolerance),a community peer-based anti-discrimination project funded by the National Conference forCommunity and Justice (NCCJ). In 2011, he established with Egyptian UPEACE graduates a
program for community prevention of sectarian violence in Egypt (Ahl el Hetta). Abdalla teaches
regularly (face-to-face and online) at Wesley Theological Seminary and the University for Peace.
Adriana Salcedo (Ecuador/USA)
Dr. Adriana Salcedo currently serves as Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the
University for Peace in Costa Rica and Academic Coordinator of the Masters in International Peace
Studies (IPS) and International Peace Studies with specialization in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies(IPS-MPCS) programmes. She is a scholar-practitioner in the field of conflict transformation andpeacebuilding with a focus on conflict, gender, identity and migration. She holds a Doctorate inConflict Analysis and Resolution from The Jimmy and Rosslyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict
Resolution at George Mason University, in Virginia, United States. For this degree, she conducted
extensive research on forced migration, conflict and the social integration of refugees in the
Colombian-Ecuadorian borderlands and in inner cities in Ecuador. She is deeply committed toachieving positive social change through non-violent means and to strengthening social actors
including grass-roots organizations, indigenous communities and minority groups through her
research and practice. Adriana has taught courses at The Carter School for Peace and Conflict
Resolution, George Mason University in Washington D.C., at Boston University and at the Simón
Bolívar Andean University in Quito, Ecuador in conflict analysis, collaborative methodologies forbuilding peace, mediation, identity conflicts, gender and migration.
As a practitioner, Adriana has provided training for the Northern Virginia Mediation Center (as aCertified Instructor/Mediator) and for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Rediálogo and Oportunidades Acción Ciudadana(Venezuela) as well as for the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic and the Observatory ofMigration in the Caribbean (OBMICA). With more than fifteen years of experience in analyzing andtransforming social conflicts, her professional practice has covered the Amazon basin, the Galapagos
14Islands and the Andean region (Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia), the United States, the Dominican
Republic, Haiti and Costa Rica. She has conducted research and collaborated with various public,
grassroots and civil society organizations across the Americas and the Caribbean.

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