Peace Education Program Development
What does a program in Peace Education look like? What programs already exist?
How do I plan and prepare a program in my own school, community
or university?
This section of our learning portal is dedicated to providing resources to
educators and program developers interested in developing peace education programs
at various developmental levels. Please check back frequently as we will be
adding new resources on a regular basis.
Consultation Reports and Framing Documents
from the U.N. mandated University for Peace M.A. Programme in Peace Education
United States Institute of Peace - "Undergraduate
Curriculum Development Guide"
The Status of Peace Education in West Africa
What Comprises an Advanced Degree in Peace Education?
In
the spring of 2002 the Peace Education Center began consulting with Dr. Abelardo
Brenes of the United Nations mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica on
the development of a new MA program in Peace Education. As an outcome of the
initial consultation it was decided that the Center would host an International
Consultation at Teachers College November 6-10, 2002. The consultation brought
together a group of experienced academics in peace education from different
regions in the world for their advice, including recommendations on how to
adapt the University of Peace program proposal to meet the culturally specific
needs of diverse regions. Participants helped to clarify and integrate into
the stated goals of the proposal their views on the social purposes, learning
goals and conceptual frameworks around which the program should be built. In
addition to the consultative meeting a public forum was held with keynote speakers
including Dr. David Hamburg and Dr. Toh Swee-Hin, as well as panels of UN and
NGO agencies working in the field of peace education.
In November 2003, TCPEC Co-Director Tony Jenkins began organizing
a substantial effort to design a conceptual and guiding framework for the UN
affiliated University for Peace’s new Peace Education Masters Degree
Programme that began accepting students in the fall of 2004. This framework
serves as the foundation of the programme and guiding instructions for course
development. The TCPEC assisted the University for Peace in identifying leading
peace educators from around the world to teach and design the newly developed
courses, assessed other courses that have been developed, and designed two
comprehensive capstone courses for the programme.
“The Comprehensive Programme and Course Framework” was developed
to assure the academic programme and courses of the Masters Degree Programme
in Peace Education are fully consistent with comprehensive and holistic principals
of peace education. The Framework is built around core concepts and organizing
ideas based on the values which inform the purposes and goals of peace education.
The need for such a framework was determined at the International Consultation
for the Masters Degree Programme in Peace Education, held at Teachers College
Columbia University, November 6-10, 2002. The substance of the framework is
derived from several sources; primarily, the theoretical work of Betty Reardon
as it has been applied and developed by the TCPEC; the international field
of peace education as it has been practiced for the past three and a half decades
in various parts of the world, particularly by the members of the Peace Education
Commission of the International Peace Research Association; the International
Consultation on the University for Peace Masters Degree Programme in Peace
Education; and the preparatory documents of the UPEACE Masters Degree Programme.
The Comprehensive Programme Framework designates the concepts, skills and
capacities integral to the programme as a whole. It is based upon general principles
underpinning comprehensive peace education, and provides an overview of their
multiple dimensions. This provides a rationale for the values, themes, pedagogies,
and structures of the various courses. The framework is also holistically developed:
each of the basic principles given specific attention is interrelated to form
a holistic conceptual foundation for the degree programme.
The Comprehensive Programme Framework is also intended to assist in addressing
the more general concerns that may arise in the course delivery, particularly
in those offered by interim-visiting instructors and course developers. It
recognizes that the richness of peace education is evident in its diversity
of practice and cultural perspectives, a diversity that at every opportunity
should be embraced in all aspects of the programme. At the same time, the framework
allows for the courses to complement each other in a holistic and conceptually
coherent fashion.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT and FRAMEWORK HERE
 Final
Report of the Consultation
The
Comprehensive Programme and Course Framework
 Undergraduate Curriculum Development Guide:
Building Global Peace, Conflict, and Security Curricula at Undergraduate
Institutions
In response to increasing requests by colleges and universities on how to
develop programs focusing on global peace, conflict, and security, the Education
program of the United States Institute of Peace has developed this guide to
undergraduate programmatic development. It includes not only models, but also
advice on strategies that can be used in the planning stage.
Undergraduate Curriculum Development Guide
The Status of Peace Education in West Africa
The International Conference on “Strategies for Peace with Development
in Africa: The Roles of Education, Training and Research” was held in
Addis-Ababa, 12-14 June 2006 under the auspices of the African Union and the
University for Peace – Africa Programme. At this conference recommendations
were made to develop a broad-based curriculum in Peace Education and development
taking into consideration national peculiarities and contexts; to facilitate
the creation of a network of African peace and development researchers, educators,
practitioners and policy makers to share experiences and best practices;
and that Peace Education should be enshrined in national education systems
with a focus on strengthening the capacities of teachers to play a role in
Peace Education.
In the regard of the these recommendations, the University for Peace Africa
Programme and the African Union convened a preliminary survey in order to collect
relevant information on Peace Education in West Africa. The aim of the survey
was to take stock of the existing undertakings and initiatives in Africa, analyze
them and draw lessons and practices that may help in the development of Peace
Education strategy in Africa. The results of the survey are presented in this
report that was compiled by Assouan Gbesso, the Survey Coordinator for West
Africa and a graduate of the University for Peace MA Programme in Peace Education.
The Status of Peace Education in West Africa |
