OCAM 2025 - Youth, Violence and Resistance in the Americas

In recent years, youth have increasingly occupied a central place in international debates on violence, peace and security. Youth demographics are frequently cited as the most common perpetrators of violence – a data point, but also a stigmatizing association that has fuelled punitive security policies and criminalization. Yet across the world, young people are also key agents of resistance and transformation, standing at the forefront of movements for justice, democracy and peace. Landmark international frameworks such as UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security have further intensified the interest of humanitarian, development and peacebuilding sectors in this demographic, giving rise to a wealth of programmes and funding streams.

Drawing primarily on qualitative research conducted across the Americas, this course offers an anthropologically informed and critically engaged exploration of the intersections between youth, violence and resistance in diverse contexts. Rather than reproducing mainstream institutional narratives, it foregrounds the lived experiences of young people, guiding students toward a deeper understanding of the complexities of growing up and becoming adults in violence-affected settings. Students will also acquire practical knowledge and tools to work with – and for – this demographic within the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding sectors.

Learning Outcomes

• Critically analyze the intersection of youth and violence by deconstructing dominant narratives that associate young people with criminality, threat, and disorder.
• Examine youth as political and social actors by exploring the varied ways in which young people resist, adapt to, and transform conditions of violence and marginalization.
• Interrogate the UN Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda and its associated institutional frameworks by critically assessing its underlying assumptions, political interests and inherent tensions.
• Bridge theory and practice by employing critical analysis to examine and inform youth-oriented development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding strategies.

Professional Skills

Policy analysis, critical thinking, bridging theory and practice

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Students will receive feedback on their film, policy brief, and research essay topic ideas at any time during the course after class and/or during office hours. Students can also bring to office hours any short piece of text they would like to receive feedback on.

Attendance & Class Participation 10%

Active engagement in seminars is essential. Students are expected to attend all sessions, contribute thoughtfully to discussions, and demonstrate familiarity with the week’s readings.

Film Presentation 20%

Throughout the course, students will work in small groups to identify a short film clip that illustrates an aspect of young people’s engagement with violence and / or resistance. They will be requested to make a brief presentation on the selected audiovisual piece and the reflections that it generated in them, connecting it to key authors and concepts discussed in the class.

Policy Brief 20%

Over the course of the semester, students will prepare a 1,500 word policy brief targeting a specific stakeholder (e.g. UN agency, NGO, or local government) responding to a key news items connected to the course’s themes and readings. The brief should connect theory to practice and demonstrate critical thinking. The brief should summarize the key challenge and propose evidence based, youth centered interventions.

Final Research Essay (3,000 words) 50%

The summative assessment is a 3,000 word essay in which students critically analyze a youth related violence or peacebuilding issue of their choice. Essays must draw on empirical examples and engage with at least one of the core course themes. Topics and outlines must be approved by the instructor by mid term.

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: N/A
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 1 hours a week / 12 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 1 hours a week / 12 hours a semester