Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation
"I chose SIT’s degree for two reasons: the diversity of the student body and the outstanding faculty. I also wanted an institution that incorporated my international experience with academic challenges and critical thinking."
Brehan Doud, Asia/Africa Disaster Management Specialist at USDA Forest Service International Programs , Mercy Corps
Acquire practical skills and strategies for peacebuilding based on a holistic, multidisciplinary approach and real-world experience in the field.
SIT is a pioneer in the field of conflict transformation, which is an integral part of its broader academic focus on international peace studies and peacebuilding. The SIT Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation is designed to help students develop the insights, analytical ability, theoretical knowledge, and practical skills they need to work with groups of people that are in conflict with other communities. In order to transform the relationships and systems that produce intractable inter-communal conflicts around the world, the SIT program takes an interpersonal and systematic approach to the identity-based dynamics of conflict, with a particular focus on developing holistic responses. During the program, students will:
- Study the theory and practice of conflict transformation, including conflict management and conflict resolution
- Examine the dynamics of deep-rooted conflicts
- Explore potential solutions in diverse settings
SIT’s Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation prepares professionals to:
- Design and lead conflict transformation programs
- Develop conflict prevention and conflict sensitive interventions
- Create and manage projects that address the causes and consequences of complex and multi-layered conflicts
Graduates are prepared for positions with nongovernmental organizations, education institutions, the media, the private sector, the government, international organizations, and other professional venues.
Students learn from faculty and alumni who are engaged in peacebuilding activities in critical conflict zones. They conduct in-depth, multiangled analyses of conflict and explore potential solutions in diverse settings.
Program Focus
Students develop conflict analysis skills, which they use to explore and articulate the roots, dynamics, and processes of social conflict. They also build core skills in the practice of:
- Negotiation, facilitation, mediation, strategic nonviolence, social healing, and reconciliation
- Program design, management, and evaluation
- Training for capacity-building
- Leading inter-communal dialogue
- Cultivating positive and inclusive group relations through organizational change
- Advocating for human rights and community organizing
Students learn to be aware of their own attitudes and behaviors, the impact they have on others, and their role in society. They also understand themselves as members of particular groups and the consequences such group membership has relative to others in conflict. They are aware of both their power and their limitations in transforming or mitigating conflict at home and abroad, whether as a third party in internal and external conflicts, as an intermediary, intervener, program consultant, or self-reflective advocate.
Students develop the ability to introduce and advocate for conflict consciousness and sensitivity within organizations and communities. They might choose to focus on development, inter-group relations, youth programs, humanitarian aid, education, or human rights, all with an eye toward:
- Conflict prevention and mitigation
- Conflict management and resolution
- Reconciliation and recovery
Degree Sequence
View this year's Academic Calendar |
Alum Brehan Doud
Asia/Africa Disaster Management Specialist at
USDA Forest Service International Programs
Mercy Corps:
"Peace does not happen when the last bullet is fired...years, even decades"
[Read More]
Phone:
802.257.7751
Admissions:
800.336.1616 (toll free in US)
802.258.3510 (outside the US)
TTY:
802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3500
Mailing Address:
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA