2015 Summer School in Comparative Conflict Studies

Venue: Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia
Period: June 28- July 5, 2015
Application deadline: April 17, 2015

The Challenge of International Intervention: Balancing Justice and Order
Dr. Maxine David

Course Description: The fundamental organising principle in the international system has long been one of state sovereignty. Thus, states are considered to have authority over a defined and internationally recognised territory, protected from external intervening forces. In 1991, George Bush Senior spoke of a ‘New World Order’, one in which the United Nations would now be free to fulfil its founders’ visions. Since then, the principle of non-intervention has been challenged by successive interventions into the sovereign affairs of states by international organisations, notably the United Nations and NATO, as well as some states. As if in acceptance of this new world order in which human rights protection could – would – be privileged over traditional understandings of sovereignty, in 2005 the international “community” adopted the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). R2P has since been widely debated by reason of the emphasis it places on achieving justice for people, placing obligations on states to protect the wellbeing of their citizens and to face the possibility of an outside intervention when they fail to do so. However, events since 2005, not least the conflict in Syria, are suggestive of a limited commitment to the principle of rights protection and therefore to the vision of a New World Order.

In this course, students will be introduced to the underpinning concepts and competing understandings of intervention in situations of conflict, state collapse, humanitarian and human rights emergencies. Students will learn to identify and deliver a critical analysis of those factors that shape international intervention. Emphasis is then placed on the application of concepts and theories to real-life scenarios, examining a few of the case studies that have been particularly significant in respect of developing international-level responses to crises. Ultimately, students will be required to deliver well-evidenced verdicts on whether the founding visions of the United Nations have been fulfilled and whether order must always come at the expense of justice.

Course themes:
Throughout the course, students will be asked to consider when and how real moments of change occur and to evaluate the extent to which we see more continuity than change in the international system. Four core themes in the study of Intervention will sit at the heart of our studies: Sovereignty, Legitimacy, Legality, Human Rights. The course aims to help students understand the arguments for and against intervention: what motivates actors to intervene, what constrains them, the inherent costs and dangers of their choices. Through study of a number of interventions, students will debate the choices available to actors in order to achieve an understanding of the context in which difficult decisions are made and the consequences of those decisions.
 
Mnemonic Battles and Memory Activism in and after Conflict
Dr. Orli Fridman

Course Description: This course invites students to approach the study of conflict analysis and conflict transformation through a journey in the field of social memory studies. The course will focus on the role of social memory studies for peace and conflict studies scholars and allow student to delve into the analysis of internal dynamics of societies in or after conflict and the way they negotiate their pasts, presents and futures in the aftermath of war, conflict, repression, genocide and mass atrocities.

The course will explore dynamics and frameworks allowing the social organization of memory, and modes in which entire communities (and not only individuals) preserve and remember the past, commemorate it, deny or obliterate it. Finally the course will highlight practices related to memory work and memories activism in the space of conflicts over the narratives and representations of the past (Jelin, 2003).

In order to do so, students will be introduced to some underpinning concepts in social memory studies and in conflict studies. Students will then apply this knowledge to a number of case studies, allowing them to further investigate the role of memory and memory activism in conflict analysis, and think comparatively about processes in conflict and post-conflict transformation.
The Kosovo Case Study will be taught by Dr. Nita Luci from the University of Prishtina, who will join the course as a guest lecturer.

Course Structure:

We accept applications from graduate students, advance undergraduate students, professionals working in related fields, applicants holding a BA already who are currently not students but are considering to continue their higher education and pursue a graduate degree, or currently applying for graduate programs.

Those who are interested should fill out the Application Form before April 17, 2015.

Tuition includes access to all reading materials before and during the Summer School, daily lunches and participation in all additional Summer School activities:

Tuition for the 2015 Summer School:

- Reduced Tuition: 200 Euros for students from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia as well as students from Conflict/post-Conflict countries;
- Full Tuition: 400 Euros for all other applicants.

Registration and payment schedule:

Application registration: Upon acceptance to the Summer School, applicants who wish to reserve their place in the course they chose, will have to confirm their participation by paying an initial registration fee which includes a payment of 200 Euros for Full Tuition applicants, and 100 Euros for Reduced Tuition applicants by May 2, 2015.

Additional information and instructions for payment will be shared with applicants upon their acceptance to the Summer School.

The rest of the payment is to be made upon arrival in Belgrade during the Summer School registration session on June 28, 2015.

Please note: Deadline for receiving applications is April 17, 2015.
All applicants should expect to hear back from us by April 27, 2015.

With the support of the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) we are able this year to offer 10 scholarships for participation in the 2015 Summer School in Comparative Conflict Studies. Please read the requirements carefully, to see if you are eligible to apply.

Center For Comparative Conflict Studies
e-mail: info@cfccs.org