Zones Conflict / Zones Peace

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Registration in this course is by application only. This course examines zones of ethnic, political, social, and religious conflict, with the goal of better understanding both the causes of conflict, and the difficult process of reconciliation. A major part of the program is a trip to the area studied to meet with relevant parties. The trips have been nine to eleven days and involved meetings with politicians, journalists, community organizers, and other change-makers in the destination country, as well as visits to points of historical interest. To prepare for this rigorous period of meetings, tours, and discussions, participants study the subject matter leading up to the trip, designed to familiarize them with the history of the conflict in question, as well as background information about the destination country. Past destinations have included Israel and Palestine, Rwanda, Germany and Poland, Northern Ireland, East Timor Cambodia, Cyprus, South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, USA, Oman, Zanzibar, and Japan.