Univeristy of Oregon

This professional concentration explores how both conflict and cooperation shape our highly globalized world. Courses examine conflicts between nation states and para-states while recognizing that violence and other forms of conflict have a variety of causes and manifestations and must be examined on many scales. The curriculum ranges from biography to official international policy. The classes affiliated with this concentration magnify the root causes of violence, both personal and institutional, articulating the complex relationships between war, inequality, and human rights. This concentration introduces students to numerous examples of peoples and organizations (civil society) who have creatively resolved conflicts and by doing so challenge the notion of the inevitability of violence. The aim of this professional concentration is: (1) to develop a fundamental knowledge and literacy regarding recent and ongoing international conflicts (2) to critically examine how these conflicts are experienced and presented by various stakeholders, and (3) to consider creative and successful attempts to resolve conflicts and build sustainable peace. The concentration prepares students for work in international diplomacy, human rights, and non-governmental organizations working in areas of conflict resolution.