The course presents concepts and theories related to the peaceful transformation of international violent conflicts, particularly in the context of the current and future climate emergency. illustrating them with examples driven from global, European and Italian peace initiatives,
Lederach, J.P., The moral imagination. The art and soul of building peace. Oxford / New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Kriesberg, Louis / Dayton, Bruce. Constructive conflicts: from escalation to resolution. Rowman & Littlefield, 2012.
ADDITIONAL TEXTS: SEE DETAILED PROGRAM
FURTHER REFERENCE TEXTS:
Additional references for consultation
Royo Aspa, J. M., Urgell García, J., Urrutia Arestizábal, P., VillellasAriño, A., & Villellas Ariño, M. (2018). Peace Talks in Focus 2018. Report on Trends and Scenarios. Barcelona: Icaria Editorial / Escola de Cultura de Pau, UAB. http://escolapau.uab.cat/img/programas/alerta/negociaciones/18/negociaciones18i.pdf
- Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation; http://www.berghof-foundation.org/publications/handbook/berghof-handbook-for-conflict-transformation/
- Institute for Economics & Peace. Global Peace Index 2018: Measuring Peace in a Complex World, Sydney, June 2018. Available from: http://visionofhumanity.org/reports
All texts are available on the Moodle platform of the course (access at www.e-l.unifi.it ; course: International Conflict Transformation 2017/2018, password : conflict).
Learning Objectives
Knowledge: Impact of climate emergenciy on the world system;
Main models and theories of conflict analysis and transformation; role of international actors (International Organizations, Civil Society) in peace processes
COMPETENZE [skills]:
Negotiation, mediation, case study work.
Capacità acquisite al termine del corso [abilities gained at the end of the course]:
After completing this course, students will:
have a clear understanding of international conflict transformation, the key underlying ideas and theories
have an in-depth understanding of modes of intervention and current concepts related to peacekeeping, peacebuilding and reconciliation
have gained an insight in concrete examples of conflict transformation work performed both by global and Italian organizations.
Understand and be able to apply basic skills and strategies of conflict resolution and transformation
Teaching Methods
Classes will be held combining different forms of teaching and learning: lectures, group discussions on assigned readings, students presentations, experiential training and in class exercises, and videos shown in order to present actual case studies and encourage reflection and discussion. Handouts and other materials will be distributed in class by the instructor.
Further information
Attendance to the course is mandatory for Syracuse University in Florence students, highly recommended for UNIFI and Erasmus students.
Having good quality conversation means that you must also possess knowledge and ideas from which our discussions can be launched. Thus, every student is expected to have completed the readings for that day. A successful course is an act of “co-creation”: it is both the lecturer's and the participants' responsibility. And, so that we may better make our points and enjoy the intellectual companionship the classroom offers us, students are expected to bring the texts to class each time we meet.
Classroom Etiquette: Being a class offered by the University of Florence, the audience will be quite diverse, comprising students from Italy, the European Union (“Erasmus” program), the US (Syracuse University study abroad program) and from the global South. This enriches the learning experience, but requires at times some patience and a degree of intercultural sensitivity. Please be respectful of the opinion of others, and do not be afraid of articulating your own.
Remember to turn cell phones and similar devices off during class. Please do not leave the classroom during class time –use the restrooms or visit the bar before or after class but not during. Please refrain from using electronic devices for social media, chatting and the like in class!
Finally in order to discourage mindless consumption of plastic, student are encouraged to use refillable bottles instead of disposable ones.
Type of Assessment
I. For SUF students and Erasmus undergraduates:
Students will have to complete:
- short assignments during the course – participating in group work, practical exercises and role plays;
- groups of students will make presentation and conduct practical exercises on one of the books . Each student will then write a short report (up to 3 pages) on the part of the book s/he has used and the type of work proposed in class.
- The final exam will consist in a written exam: you will have to respond to 3 questions regarding the content of the course out of a list of 5.
The final grade will reflect your performance in each of the areas above and is divided as follows:
20% Participation, short assignments and personal contribution to class, including practical exercises
40% project work / student-led sessions
40% Final exam
II. For MSc students in Economics & Development
Instead of the final written exam, MSc students will submit a written paper analyzing a conflict and specific strategies, concepts and tools for its peaceful transformation and/or a societal crisis induced by climate change and possible responses. The essays have to be about 15 pages, double spaced.
Writing the paper you should:
- choose a relevant title and divide the text into paragraphs, with a brief introduction and a conclusion;
- formulate a guiding question you want to answer to with your work;
- use what has been written in the literature to back up your argument: concepts, theories and empirical findings;
- critically assess the quality of sources: avoid to quote Wikipedia, use partisan sources with care and discuss them critically. Avoid one-dimensional, one-sided descriptions of conflict.
- include a complete bibliography at the end. You are expected to use at least 10 different texts.
FOR STUDENTS TAKING THE EXAMS WITHOUT ATTENDING THE COURSE (studenti non frequentanti - UNIFI and Erasmus only):
Students should prepare the exam studying: Lederach, J.P., The moral imagination (2005) and the list of additional texts for all sessions.
In addition to the required reading, students will submit a written paper analyzing a conflict and / or specific strategies, concepts and tools for its peaceful transformation. The essay has to be about 15 pages, double spaced (see above for essential guidelines).
Course program
10.09
Presentation of the course. – themes, methods and requirements
Basic notions of climate change
Basic notions of conflicts and their transformation
Assignment: self-assessment of CO2 footprint, particularly related to intercontinental travel
17.09.
Conflict - Definitions of conflicts - conflict constellations
Kriesberg, L. Constructive Conflicts: From Escalation to Resolution, Rowman & Littlefield, Ch. 1.
Aspects of the current climate emergency:
Spratt, D., & Dunlop, I. (2018). What lies beneath: the understatement of existential climate risk. Melbourne: Breakthrough, National Centre for Climate Restoration.
https://www.breakthroughonline.org.au/whatliesbeneath
Working groups on books:
Short presentation on content and relevance of each book.
First assignment due: self assessment of climate change emissions – 2019.
24.09
The global context: resource depletion
Bardi, Ugo, World Mineral resources and the Limits to Economic Growth, 2014
Conflict: escalation and de-escalation
Kriesberg, L. Constructive Conflicts: From Escalation to Resolution, Rowman & Littlefield, Ch. 6, 7.
Groups have formed on books / project work
30.09
Deadline to Add or Pass/Fail course (SUF students)
01.10
Manifestations of violence: direct, structural, cultural / symbolic
Farmer, P. (2004). An anthropology of structural violence. Current Anthropology, 45(3), 305–325.
Johan Galtung (2004), Violence, War, and Their Impact. On Visible and Invisible Effects of Violence, Polylog, 5.
Conflict transformation skills: active listening
04.10
Deadline to drop course (SUF students)
08.10
Societal Collapse: learning from the past
Diamond, J. M. (2005). Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed. Penguin Group USA. Prologue p. 1-22, ch. 4 p. 136-154, chö 14 p. 419-438.
Student led presentation 1: M. Rosenberg, Nonviolent communication
15.10
Climate change and armed conflicts: current reality and trends
Mach, K. J., Kraan, C. M., Adger, W. N., Buhaug, H., Burke, M., Fearon, J. D., . O’Loughlin, J. (2019). Climate as a risk factor for armed conflict. Nature, 1.
Cattaneo, C., Beine, M., Fröhlich, C. J., Kniveton, D., Martinez-Zarzoso, I., Mastrorillo, M., . Schraven, B. (2019). Human migration in the era of climate change. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 13(2), 189–206.
Earth rights defenders. Defending the rights of Nature and indigenous people. Challenges and opportunities
Guest speaker : Francesco Martone
Global Witness. (2019). Enemies of the State? How governments and businesses silence land and environmental defenders. https://www.globalwitness.org/documents/19766/Enemies_of_the_State.pdf
Hill, C. (2018). Fighting back. A global protection strategy for earth rights defenders. https://earthrights.org/
22.10
Conflict resolution, conflict transformation I
“Introduction to Conflict Resolution: concepts and definitions”, in Ramsbotham, O., Woodhouse, T., & Miall, H. (2011). Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Polity, p. 3-31.
Conflict resolution, conflict transformation II
“Conflict Transformation”, Berghof Glossary on Conflict Transformation, p. 22-27.
Miall, H. “Conflict transformation: A multi-dimensional task”, Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation, Berlin: Berghof Center for Constructive Conflict Management (2004).
29.10
Mid term break
05.11
Negotiation theory and practice
Patton, B. (2005). Negotiation. In M. L. Moffitt & R. C. Bordone (Eds.), The handbook of dispute resolution (pp. 279–303).
Negotiation exercise (attendance is mandatory)
12.11
Student led presentation 2: Lederach, J. P. (2005). The moral imagination: the art and soul of building peace.
Reading: Lederach, J.P., The moral imagination, ch. 4 and 12.
19.11
Beyond the “tragedy of the commons”
Ostrom, E., Dietz, T., Dol ak, N., Stern, P. C., Stonich, S., & Weber, E. U. (Eds.). (2002). The drama of the commons. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press, ch. 1.
What does a peacebuilder do? Un ponte per. (I)
Guest speaker: Martina Pignatti Morano
26.11
“Track two” diplomacy – Peace constituencies and the role of civil society
Jones, P. L. (2015). Ch. 1 What is Track Two Diplomacy?, in: Track two diplomacy in theory and practice. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, p. 7-31.
“Peace Constituencies”, The Berghof Glossary on Conflict Transformation
What does a peacebuilder do? Peaceful Change Initiative, I/UK
Guest speaker: Anthony Foreman
03.12
“Track three” and unarmed peacekeeping
Mahony, L. (2006). Proactive Presence: Field Strategies for Civilian Protection (Geneva: Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, 2006); Mahony and Eguren. Geneva: Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, p. 13-48.
Nonviolence and conflict transformation
Dudouet, V. (2008). Nonviolent resistance and conflict transformation in power asymmetries. Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation. Berlin: Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management.
10.12
Student led presentation 3: Joanna Macy Active hope
Final session: visions for planetary peace and humanity’s future.