F1ID 4105 - Development for Peace: Thinking Politically

This graduate course aims to acquaint first-year students with the concepts, realities and dilemmas encountered in promoting peace through development; inviting them to reflect and recommend possible ways of action. Ultimately, the course aims to help equip tomorrow's peace and development practitioners with the skills to be strategic, agile, and effective peacemakers – from positions in governments, international organisations, NGOs, media, and private sector. The UN Secretary-General's call for a global ceasefire following the outbreak of the COVID pandemic failed to produce any results. There was a record-high number of 56 state-based conflicts in 2020, with Afghanistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Tigray, Syria, Somalia, Nigeria, and Yemen being the most deadly. The Islamic State is involved in 16 of these 56 conflicts.
Official development assistance also reached an all-time (US$ 179bn in 2021), showing that in times of crisis, aid resources can be increased. Aid for peace is still a small portion of that, but there are increasing efforts to ensure development cooperation helps peace, including aid for “normal”, bricks-and-mortar projects. Some of these development for peace efforts have been recognized: humanitarians and developers that have received the Nobel Peace Prize include the European Union, ICRC, MSF, WFP, UNHCR and Grameen Bank, and figures such as Malala Yousafzai and Denis Mukwege.
The worlds of humanitarian aid, development cooperation, diplomacy, security have long collided, and no international professional is able to work in his/her own bubble. Peace and security actors often use development aid and development gains as a way to keep warring parties at the table and support peace processes. And development actors need peace for development results to take hold.
“Thinking politically” means recognising that development cooperation, done without understanding of the forces at play, can be harmful; … or can promote peace, by purposefully building bridges across communities, and by restoring state-society relations. This is what we will learn, building on the experience of war-affected people and their international partners.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Conduct a conflict analysis in all its dimensions (local, national, regional, global) and its dynamics, both positive and negative), presented both in writing and graphically
2. Identify ways development cooperation can make a difference in these dynamics, be it providing incentives, sending signals, or managing spoilers
3. Design a project or programme that will create social cohesion across social groups, create trust between citizens and their government, and help implement a peace agreement (where there is one)
4. Measure and demonstrate peace and development results
5. Contribute original ideas to the field of peacebuilding

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
1. Leadership and management: Leading, influencing and guiding other members of an organization
2. Understanding stakeholders: Understanding and taking into account the priorities and concerns of others
3. Conflict Resolution: Facilitating the peaceful outcome of conflict and retribution.

Juana DE CATHEU

Séminaire

English

- Class: 24 hours a semester
- Reading and preparation for class: 24 hours a semester
- Research and preparation for group work: 24 hours a semester
- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments, including one essay, one policy brief, one film or book or article review (reflecting on the questions raised in lectures): 30 hours a semester
- Blogging/vlogging on country of choice (see point six in reading list): 24 hours a semester
- Interviews and site visits: 24 hours a semester

Autumn 2022-2023

To prepare for the peace and development professions, the course will emphasise both oral and written work, both group and individual. Guidance and examples for each assignment will be given well ahead of time.
- Session 3 to 11: One 10-minute oral presentation (as pairs) -- 25%
- Session 4: 2-page policy brief (individual) -- 20%
- Session 8: 3-min elevator pitch for a peacebuilding idea (individual) -- 20%
- Session 10 : 2 page policy brief (individual) -- 25%
- Session 1 through 12: individual participation: critical analysis of assigned readings/videos; engagement in group discussions -- 10%
- Session 2 through 12: Blogging/vlogging on country of choice -- 0%

• Readings are an important part of the course, and will have to be done in preparation for each course. Questions to guide required readings are provided, and students should be able to summarise or critique their readings in two or three points, for example: (i) what is the issue; (ii) what does it entail for conflict-sensitive development?
• Each student will “own” a country of her/his choosing throughout the semester, and be the go-to reference on it.
• To enable collective learning and promote professional standards, all papers could be published on the group's blog. UK English is used and bibliographic references are footnotes in APA style. As in the workplace, any tardiness is frowned upon and will result in loss of points.

FEEDBACK:
Collective feedback to students will be provided orally mid-semester (class 6), at the same time as collection of feedback from students on the course. Individual feedback to students will be provided after each assignment:
• Oral presentation (individual or as pairs): written or oral, right after the presentation
• Policy briefs and review: written or oral, when copies are returned to students