Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis (ESS.2019.011)
Conflicts and wars have been recurrent throughout history. In 2010, over 300 conflicts have affected the lives of millions of individuals around the world. Despite their different occurrences, conflicts have common characteristics and working mechanisms. Only by analyzing the causes, actors and specific dynamics, conflicts can be efficiently mediated. To this end, conflict analysis is a vital source of information as it helps actors on the ground to gain a better comprehension of the environment in which they work and of their role in preventing the escalation of tensions.
The goal of the course is to provide participants with an overview of the key elements of conflict analysis and how these can be integrated into the context of pre-intervention assessment and planning of a peace operation.
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Identify potential and existing conflict causes as well as possible factors contributing to peace;
- Map out the actors that are engaged in or affected by conflict;
- Trace conflict dynamics;
- Analyze the interaction between the specific context and current/future interventions.
This self-paced course is composed of five modules:
- Module 1: Causes of conflict
- Module 2: Actors in conflict
- Module 3: Dynamics of conflict
- Module 4: Integrating conflict analysis in the planning of a peace operation
- Module 5: Good practices and evaluation in conflict analysis
The number of estimated hours required to complete the course is 45, which means a workload of 9 hours on average per week.
The course is based on the synergy of theory and practice. The conceptual foundations of confict analysis are explained through illustrated narratives and interactive lessons. These concepts will be applied in scenario-based activities. During these scenarios students will apply various conflict analysis tools and evaluate their strenghts and weaknesses. Students can also continuously check their progress through self-assessment activities. In order to create collective knowledge and to facilitate interaction and experience sharing among participants, discussion forums are organized.
Taking advantage of the opportunities of technology-enhanced learning, the learning materials are presented through various media, such as text, graphs, images and video material, which contribute to better retention and enhance the learning process.
The course is open to anyone interested in conflict and conflict analysis, including practitioners working in post-conflict contexts, field workers, and international volunteers. United Nations Volunteers, holding a valid contract, can benefit from a reimbursement from the UNV Programme. Students are entirely responsible for ensuring their eligibility and requesting their reimbursement directly with the UNV office.
Technical Requirements
UNITAR recommends the following as a minimum in hardware and software to take our e-Learning courses. Please consult your Network Administrator or Systems person to ensure that you have the following:
Platform:
- Windows XP, 7 or superior;
- MacOS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or superior;
- Linux.
Hardware:
- Intel Core 2 Duo – or AMD – 3 GHz processor;
- 3 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended);
- Hard drive: 160 GB minimum.
Software:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader;
- Adobe Flash Player.
Browser:
- Google Chrome 30.0 or superior;
- Mozilla Firefox 25.0 or superior;
- Safari 7 or superior;
- Internet Explorer 8 or superior.
Note that JavaScript, Cookies and Popups must be enabled
Mobile:
- Apple iOS in Apple iOS 7 or superior on iPad:
- Articulate Mobile Player;
- Moodle Mobile.
- Android OS in Android OS 4.1 or superior (optimized for tablets):
- Articulate Mobile Player;
- Moodle Mobile.