1 March 2004 - 19 March 2004

This course is meant to give an overview of the theory and practices of war, its causes and consequences, the definition of the meaning of peace and an interrogation of human security. Students will be introduced to different forms of war and armed conflicts – ethnic conflicts, communal violence, resourced based conflicts, religious based conflicts, terrorism and other conflicts that have recently erupted in other countries. The subject will also look at gender roles during war and peace time and how it shifts before, during and after the conflict.

The course will address human rights violations committed during war time; how to monitor the violations and relate this to international human rights law and humanitarian law. The course will also discuss the role of state and non state actors as perpetrators during armed conflicts. It will also address justice and accountability to survivors and victims of war and its major role in reconciliation and peace processes. Transitional justice and restorative justice are important mechanisms that could deal with the issue of impunity.

The course will also tackle peace, human rights and human security in relation to the aftermath of war or armed conflict. This will be linked to the protection of civilians, refugees, internally displaced persons, human rights field operations and humanitarian intervention. An assessment of human security in the context of governance in failed states or collapsed state will be made. Additionally, participants will question the nature of a quasi governmental entity and how it defers from the centric notion of centralized government.

Finally, the course will also discuss how investigation, documentation, and monitoring of violations during war and armed conflict is being undertaken. It will address the crucial role of UN agencies and civil society in doing investigation in order to do direct intervention and mobilization.

This course has a length of 3 weeks, 3 hours per day (45 hours) and will be taught from March 1, 2004 to March 19, 2004. Course instructor Indai Lourdes Sajor is an internationally renowned human rights defender, political scientist and educator in the field of women’s human rights. She has worked on the issues of women in war and armed conflict for the past two decades, and has presented papers to UN expert group meetings and various international conferences and consultative meetings. She had been a regional director of Asian women’s human rights institutions for the past decades bringing Asian women’s participation in UN world conferences in Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen and Beijing.

Level: professional , graduate

Location: San José, Costa Rica

Participants: professionals who work in governmental, non-governmental, non-profit organizations, international organizations and private enterprises as well as the interests of post-graduate students who face new challenges in this field and desire to improve practical skills in an atmosphere of engaging debate and case study analysis. The number of participants will be limited.

Tuition, fee, lodging: The cost of the Course is US$2,500. This covers tuition and course materials. The University for Peace does not have student residences. The Office of the Dean for Academic Administration will provide housing information upon request. UPEACE can arrange accommodation at the rate of approximately US$50 per day. Living expenses for a three-week period of studies in Costa Rica may be as much as US$1.500 or US$2.000. Deadline of application: 15 January 2004.

Contact Information:
University for Peace
Office of the Dean for Academic Administration
P.O. Box 138-6100
San José
Costa Rica
Tel: +(506) 205-9000
Fax: +(506) 249-1324
E-mail: acadmin@upeace.org
Web: http://www.upeace.org