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Two field trips

In recent weeks the students in the Peace and Conflict Management Program had the opportunity to enjoy 2 field trips, which provided insights into some of the complex conflicts in the region:

On 4th of January, the students from the class Community Conflict and Civil Society, with the professor Harry Frey were on an academic visit to the city of Akko, very close to Haifa, where they had the opportunity to explore and experience the territory from the perspective of local leaders and habitants of the area. Akko is a mixed Jewish-Arab city and the purpose of the visit was for the students to identify the opportunities and challenges that this community has in relation to the social development of the city. The students were invited to reflect on how they, as future peace builders, would face the different challenges that they identify in order to improve the quality of life from all the different populations that live and share the city of Akko.

A few days later, the students from the Peace and Conflict Management Program MA and Diplomacy MA accompanied by Professor Edward (Edy) Kaufman,  had the opportunity to walk and experience the city of Haifa from an academic point of view. The tour was carried out with the objective of getting to know the different dynamics and cultures of the people who live in this city and the interaction between them. The field trip leads them to visit the Ahmedian Mosque and talk with one of the leaders, the Beit Hagefen, a well known and a great example of a Community Center in Israel that shares and strive for shared living, working with Arab and Jewish population, a guide tour though Wadi Nisnas neighborhood their history and context. The students and academic companions were also able to stop by the Municipality in Hassan Shukri and get to hear more from their historical main aspects and actual context of the city. Finally, the day ended at the Baha'i World Center, having the complete experience with a walking tour through the gardens, seeking for an open dialogue with some volunteers from the Baha'i faith, sharing their beliefs and identifying shared values that we all have as human beings.

 As part of the holistic formation that the Peace and Conflict Management Program is seeking for their students, the field trips are created to help students apply what they learn in the classroom and have the opportunity to identify complex social conflicts in the real and tangible context, having a more rounded approach and developing their leadership, empowered to think how they can add value if intervening as a Peacebuilder/ Conflict Specialist.

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On November 21, 2022, the Program in Peace and Conflict Management at the University of Haifa held a conference on the occasion of the release of a study conducted by Dr. Rolly Rosen under the supervision of Dr. Keren Sharvit and Dr. Ran Kuttner, entitled “Breaking Down the Walls: Municipal response to the May 2021 riots in Haifa and lessons for managing a shared city”. The study, conducted in collaboration with Abraham Initiatives, a central NGO focusing on Jewish-Arab relations in Israel, aimed at understanding the dynamics that led to the outbreak of the violent events and their decline; and formulating recommendations to prevent the occurrence of similar events in the future. The conference included a presentation of the study, an academic panel, and roundtables in which participants discussed the recommendations and took part in thinking about future steps. An upcoming follow-up project will include convening key stakeholders from relevant organizations and the public for the joint implementation of the recommendations, thus offering a model for building infrastructure and capacities in mixed Jewish-Arab cities to prepare and better manage possible future escalations. To read the complete study, in Hebrew and Arabic (summary in English in the last 18 pages) Press Here

 


 

Group photo 2022 12 12 at 19.15.12As part of the extra-curricular activities  of the MA Program of Peace and Conflict Management, there are some specific spaces generated for guest-lectures, experts in different topics and fields related to the challenges and applicability of the topics learned during the semester. On Monday 11th of December, the professor Edward Kaufman, led the lesson of Continuity and Change in the Field of Conflict Resolution/ Management/Transformation:  A personal reflection. The purpose of the lecture was to point the transition from a new groundbreaking field into a well established discipline & profession,  offering an introspection of the lessons learnt and also best practices developed over time.

Haifa is Israel's third largest city. First and foremost a port city for international commerce, it has in recent decades become a major center for Israel's high-tech industry. Built on Mount Carmel, Haifa is a collection of diverse, picturesque, and easily accessible neighborhoods from the port area in the lower city, to the commercial Hadar area in the middle tier, and the beautiful residential areas on the upper ridge.
 
Due to its special history and location, Israel is a unique place to study conflicts and their sources as well as diverse and intriguing methods and strategies to manage and resolve them. This is particulary true for the city of Haifa. With a pluralistic, ethnically and religiously diverse population, Haifa provides the perfect backdrop for students from around the globe to come together to learn about conflict and peacemaking.

Two of the most distinguishing features of Haifa are  the  physical beauty of the city and the coexistence of  its  ethnically diverse communities who live and work  together. Home to the Carmel National Forest and  miles of developed and natural beaches on the  Mediterranean Sea, Haifa provides a wonderful  environment for almost any kind of recreational activity. Haifa is the world center of the Baha'i Faith. Its shrine,  administrative center, and world-renowned  gardens are prominent features of the city’s  landscape. The   Christian and Muslim communities of  Haifa, and the neighboring Druze villages of Usifiya and Daliat- el-Carmel, are important components of  the city's social and cultural development. Along with Jewish  communities from Europe, North Africa, the Middle  East, North and South America, Ethiopia, and India,  they have combined to create a modern Mediterranean  city that is truly special.
 Haifa Bahai Gardens 2007  BetHaGeffen  Esther Rahma1
 
 

Dr. Ran Kuttner - Head of the program

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Dr. Ran Kuttner recently returned to Israel after seven years in the US, in which he was an Associate Professor of  Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at the Werner Institute, Creighton University. Preceding his arrival at Creighton, Ran was a Visiting Scholar at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School for three years, where he acted as an Associate Director of the Dispute Resolution Project and where among other research projects he helped redesign and teach the Harvard mediation course, a joint course for law and MBA students.Ran completed his Ph.D. at the Program on Conflict Management and Negotiation at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. His focus is on relational approaches to conflict resolution and he published articles on mediation, dialogue, leadership, negotiation and conflict resolution pedagogy in leading academic journals. He is a certified mediator and mediation teacher in Israel and consults to organizations and community mediation centers that work towards a more dialogic Israeli society in implementing collaborative conflict engagement approaches.

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Dr. Keren Sharvit

Dr. Sharvit joined The Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Haifa in 2010, as part of the process of creating the new MA Program in Peace and Conflict Management (PCM). Since then she has served as a faculty member in the PCM program as well as in the School of Psychological Sciences, and was the head of the PCM program between 2014 and 2021. Prior to joining the University of Haifa, Dr. Sharvit spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research Management and Resolution, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and two additional years as a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on social-psychological processes involved in intergroup conflicts, especially intense and protracted conflicts. Some of her specific research topics include the roles of emotions and their regulation, moral reasoning, categorization processes and societal beliefs and ideologies in situations of conflict, as well as the individual and collective implications of being victims and perpetrators of violence.

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Dr. Carmela Lutmar

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Researcher  , Ph.D., Political Science, New York University, 2004. Research Interests:  Causes of War and Peace, Conflict Resolution, Mediation, Theories in  International Relations, Leaders, Civil Wars, State Building.

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 Prof. Edy Kaufman

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Prof. Edward (Edy) Kaufman completed his B.A. in Sociology and Political Science and M.A. in International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, his doctoral dissertation at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and conducted post-doctoral studies at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). He is a Senior Researcher at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management and its former Director and held earlier similar positions in the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University. In the last years, he has been teaching at the Department of Government and Politics of the University of Maryland and in the Government and Diplomacy Program of the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzlyiah.

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Dr. Harry Frey

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Dr. Harry Freycompleted his undergraduate studies is Social Sciences and Social work in Australia. He completed his M.A in Community work in Haifa University and has for many years has been a community practitioner helping to establish the Association for Community Development, Acre. His doctoral studies and thesis from Ruskin University England was on the subject of ethnic community conflict and is based on research both in Israel and Northern Ireland.

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To watch a video about the program, click here

The MA Program in Peace and Conflict Management Studies is a rigorous, one-year program of study that introduces an interdisciplinary approach to peace and conflict management. The program addresses intergroup conflicts at different levels, ranging from local community conflicts to international conflicts, and presents a variety of approaches to dealing with such conflicts including formal and informal ones. While special attention is given to the Middle East, conflicts and peace processes in different parts of the world are also discussed. In addition to the great variety of courses within fields such as political science, international relations, psychology, sociology, social work, history and Middle East studies, the program offers a practicum (field internship) at NGOs working in areas related to peace and conflict management and a wide range of exciting and enriching extra-curricular activities. These activities include field trips to regions that are dealing with conflicts throughout Israel; thoughtful simulations of decision-making, negotiations and conflict management; and guest lectures by experts from academia and the field.

The program is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Haifa. The master’s degree is awarded by the Faculty of Social Sciences.

As a deeply divided society and a country in protracted conflict with other countries in the region, Israel is a unique environment for a program whose goal is to enable students to understand how conflicts unfold from a grassroots level and move up through the halls of government to the international community. Israel supplies excellent field study opportunities that allow students to see how attempts to manage conflicts and promote coexistence, mutual understanding, and peace processes actually develop and take root. Israel is a real-time hands-on working laboratory for advanced international and Israeli students, offering encounters with ongoing conflicts as well as successful and failed efforts to achieve peace.

The main objectives of the program are to:

  1. Provide students with an invaluable opportunity to learn about discord around the world, especially the specific conflicts within Israeli society and the Middle East;
  2. Endow students with theoretical knowledge and practical tools to deal with ethno-national conflicts and peace-building;
  3. Provide students with field experience that will build skills, knowledge and unique perspectives which can be applied to future careers.

 

The program begins in the fall and runs for three consecutive semesters from October to September. Courses cover the following subjects:

  1. The sources, types and levels of conflicts and how they develop
  2. Conflict management and ways to foster peace processes
  3. Research methodology
  4. Practicum (field internship) 
Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Semester
2 Core Course 1 Core Course 1-2 Elective Courses
1 Research Methods Course Practicum  
0-1 Elective Courses 1-2 Elective Course - 4 Hours  
Total: 3-4 Courses Total: 2-3 Courses + practicum Total: 1-2 Courses

Track A: Thesis Track*

7 Courses = 36 credit hours (5 core courses and 2 elective courses)
Thesis Research Paper

Track A students will be required to write one seminar paper (5000-7000 words) and a thesis research paper. For more detailed guidelines see here.

*Being able to pursue the thesis is dependent on the student's ability to find an appropriate advisor.

*Students selecting the thesis track should take into consideration that completion of a master’s thesis within one year is not guaranteed. A master’s thesis is an independent research project, and the pace of progress largely depends on the student’s efforts. Completion of a thesis may often require more than one year.

Track B: Non-Thesis Track 

9 Courses = 36 credit hours (5 core courses and 4 elective courses), Graduation project

Track B students will be required to complete two seminar papers (5000-7000 words each) and a graduation project (12,000 words). The graduation project can be based on the practicum, but can also be about another topic. For more detailed guidelines see here.

Language Study

Hebrew and Arabic courses are not included in the program curriculum. However, language study is available through the International School. Please note that language course grades are not calculated into the MA GPA, but they do appear on the student's transcript. The language courses begin prior to the MA program start date. Please contact the International School at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for exact dates and costs. 

Practicum

The practicum aims to provide students with hands-on experience in the practice of peace and conflict management, and to integrate the practical experience gained with the theoretical knowledge acquired in the program. Students will complete an internship at organizations working on projects related to peace and conflict management, broadly defined. In parallel, students will reflect on their experiences and analyze them on the basis of theoretical knowledge acquired in other courses. For more information, see here.

Extra-Curricular Activities

In addition to the courses and practicum, students will have opportunities to participate in field trips to regions of Israel that are experiencing conflicts and dealing with them; to take part in simulations of decision-making and negotiations; and to hear lectures by guest experts. The interactions between students coming from different countries also expand the students' experience and knowledge.

For stories about extra-curricular activities and student experiences, see here.