This course consists of two components; the first part (the foundation) is more conceptual, where analytical and critical thinking and hands-on activities in The Hague, the city of Peace and Justice, are the key component. The second part (the specialization) is practice-oriented and requires participants to deliver professional products for external organizations.

The foundation part takes place in the first 10 weeks of the minor and can be taken as an independent minor.

Students will have the opportunity to learn about and consult on contemporary (post) conflict situations and the conflict resolution of various forms of disputes and conflicts. They will compare and contrast the more traditional state-oriented, top-down approaches to peacebuilding under the umbrella of the UN with regional, local and community-based practices. The foundation also provides a space to discuss the correlation between warfare, justice, human rights, public opinion and democracy in current events and from a historical perspective.

Analyzing current political and social challenges requires looking at peacebuilding, justice and human rights from other perspectives than the resolution of 'conflict' in the sense of war, as well. This module will introduce to students, therefore, concepts such as climate justice, human security and global migration.

In the exhibition, students will create awareness of a current challenge/situation in peace (building), justice and human rights. Students are invited to embrace their creativity (e.g. photos, paintings, poems, infographics or mind maps) and are trained by artists and content experts from the field. In addition, students will organize a social event for a target group or social movement of their choice to stimulate community building, peaceful dialogues and social interaction while addressing peace(building), justice and human rights.

Here is the link to the collection of videos that students of this minor from 2022 produced.

Students will write an article on a topic of their interest and establish a homepage, a blog site, or other platforms of their choice, to showcase their writing work. All students will be responsible for the content, editing, and quality of the end product. They will be trained and coached to write peer reviews.

The concrete learning goals for this part of the minor are the following.

At the end of the first part of the minor (week 1- 10), the student is able to:

analyze, contrast and compare the different approaches to peacebuilding, justice and human rights in contemporary (post) conflict situations;

explain the interaction between warfare, public opinion and democracy from a historical perspective applied to current conflicts;

analyze the visual language used in stereotyping and vilifying;

demonstrate critical and conceptual thinking;

demonstrate persuasive and presentation skills to influence the targeted audience; and

organize a social event for and with a relevant target group of choice.

The Specialization part takes place in weeks 10-20. It enables students to gain experience in the field and carry out action research or an evaluation for an external organization operating in the field of peacebuilding, justice and human rights. Furthermore, students will design a policy advice or formulate recommendations based on their own research results.

The concrete learning goals for the Specialization part are the following. At the end of weeks 20, the student is able to:

analyze and apply different approaches to peacebuilding, justice and human rights in selected contemporary (post-)conflict situations;

carry out an evaluation or action research for an IO or NGO operating in the field of peacebuilding, justice and human rights;

formulate or design policy advice in accordance with the mandate of an IO or NGO operating in the field of peacebuilding, justice and human rights;

demonstrate persuasive and presentation skills to influence the targeted audience; and

organize a social event for and with a relevant target group of choice.

The lecturers of this minor include practitioners of the field of peace(building), Justice and Human Rights who have years of experience in the field. They will be excited to bring the  real-life experiences and practices to the seminar rooms and to you, directly. Lecturers include Chizu Matsushita, Davin Bremner, Leo Huizinga, Roeland Audenaerde, Hanna Mitra Rambaran and Roya Varjavandi. The minor also invites guest lecturers who are artists, academics, and practitioners from various fields relating to this minor's topics.

 

The minor aims to develop the student’s knowledge, attitude and skills:

·        to become a change agent who promotes, creates and sustains cultures of peace;

·        to become a professional who can, through critical, and analytical thinking, and or artistic expression, create awareness and deal with so-called wicked problems in the fields of peacebuilding, justice and reconciliation;

·        to operate and collaborate effectively at a local, regional or international level with multiple stakeholders and in multidisciplinary teams; and

·        to deliver professional products based on the needs of International Organizations (IOs), Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO)’s or social movements operating in fields of peacebuilding, justice and human rights

Students should have a propaedeutic degree (or an equivalent) and should at least be enrolled in their second year of one of the following (or related) areas: Public Management, Public Administration, International Relations, Politics, Governance, Law Safety and Security Management, Social Sciences, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Communication or Social Work.

Motivation and commitment are key; this will be assessed via an informal interview

block 3/ block 4 semester 2

16 contact hours per week

Scheduling: 2.5 days a week. 3 hours instructions / workshops in the morning and 2 group work hours in the afternoon.

Tentative list, more partnerships /MoU’s will follow when the minor is

accepted.

Justice and Reconciliation Project (Gulu – Uganda)

Peace Brigades International (Indonesia, Colombia and the Netherlands)

Cross Cultural Human Rights Centre

Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de MesoAmérica (Antigua

Guatemala)

Amnesty International

Upeace

UNHCR

ICRC

ICC

Projeto Djeu de Merca e Djunta Mon (Cape Verde)

(other regional IO’s)

COA