Core Competencies: The Challenge For Graduate Peace and Conflict Studies Education

Abstract

This article uses a case study of the assessment of a graduate program in negotiations and conflict management as a springboard for discussing several critical, but unanswered questions in our field. It raises questions regarding the lack of clear core competencies and expectations regarding curricula at the graduate-level of peace and conflict studies programs, as well as concerns over how educators in this field can or should assess their own work and train students for practice. It also addresses, via a comparative case analysis in Tajikistan, the degree to which the competencies and pedagogical approaches in this field are culturally bound. The picture that emerges from these case studies suggests that there have been important omissions in the way that the varied educational programs and the larger peace and conflict studies field itself have developed thus far.Re´sume´-COMPÉ TENCES FONDAMENTALES : LE DÉ FI D'UN ENSEIGNE-MENT POUR DIPLÔ MÉ S DES É TUDES DE LA PAIX ET DU CONFLIT -Cet article utilise une e´tude de cas de l'e´valuation d'un programme pour diploˆme´s de ne´gociations et de gestion de conflits comme un tremplin pour discuter de plusieurs questions critiques mais reste´es sans re´ponse dans notre domaine. Il soule`ve des questions concernant aussi bien le manque de compe´tences fondamentales claires et les attentes concernant les programmes d'e´tudes au niveau diploˆme´des e´tudes de la paix et du conflit, que les pre´occupations quant a`la fac¸on dont les e´ducateurs peuvent ou devraient e´valuer leur propre travail dans ce domaine et former des e´tudiants pour la pratique. Il aborde e´galement, par l'interme´diaire d'une e´tude de cas comparative au Tadjikistan, le degre´auquel les compe´tences et les approches pe´dagogiques dans ce domaine sont culturellement lie´es. L'image qui e´merge de ces e´tudes de cas sugge`re qu'il y a eu d'importantes omissions dans la manie`re dont les programmes e´ducatifs divers et le champ plus large des e´tudes de la paix et du conflit lui-meˆme se sont de´veloppe´s jusqu'a`pre´sent.

Grooming a new generation of peacebuilders: a review of the Rotary Peace Fellowship program

“…Research efforts to identify peacebuilding core attributes and competencies to date have focused only on the needs of individual institutions, with isolated cases where other stakeholders got involved (Windmueller et al, 2009 What this research study clearly recommends is for Rotary to initiate and facilitate this dialogue through consultations and interactions with all stakeholders. The dialogue will also go a long way in enhancing conversations about building a consensus on the core attributes required by effective peace builders, which the RPF programme can then offer during the training process.…”

“…This lack of research is a cause for concern. It leaves a void that 'may threaten the quality and integrity of the conflict management work itself' (Windmueller et al, 2009) (Windmueller, Wayne and Botes, 2009: 294). Despite the dearth of holistic evaluation approaches to training of peace builders, graduate PACS programmes continue to supply graduates to the market.…”

“…We know that there is no accepted vocational training path for peace builders, nor even a consensus about the core attributes that PACS programmes should teach (Fitzduff, 2006;Windmueller et al, 2009). However, it is uncontroversial to say that training peace builders require more than imparting a theoretical knowledge.…”

“…In so doing, the programme produces highly mobile graduates, who move around to different countries, locations, departments and organisations. (Zelizer and Johnston, 2005: 25) (Zelizer and Johnston, 2005: 25), there is no consensus on core competencies that peace builders require in the workplace (Fitzduff, 2006;Windmueller et al, 2009) (Fitzduff, 2006;Windmueller et al, 2009a). …”