Uganda: Post-Conflict Transformation

Examine the human cost of conflict in northern Uganda and the ways local communities are fostering peace, economic development, and sustainable reconciliation.

The combination of a colonial legacy and post-colonial politics contributed to wide divisions in many African nation-states, including Uganda. Colonial policies created significant discrepancies between northern and southern Uganda that have continued to fuel ethnic tensions.

This program examines the origins of the conflict in northern Uganda; issues of identity construction in the Ugandan context; and ongoing efforts by Ugandans to advance peace, community building, and reconciliation.

A major focus of the program is on the challenges associated with displacement: estimates suggest that the number of internally displaced Ugandans reached 1.7 million people, amounting to roughly 80 percent of the regional population.

Students learn from Ugandan academics, community leaders, and international professionals working in the areas of post-conflict transformation, peacebuilding, sustainable reconciliation, and community development. Learn more about the program's coursework.

The program's two-week excursion to Rwanda gives students the opportunity to study post-genocide restoration and peacebuilding in a different content while considering post-conflict transformation efforts in the broader Great Lakes region.

Students are strongly encouraged to become fully immersed in the local culture. They receive intensive instruction in the Acholi language and spend six weeks living with a Ugandan family.

Credits: 16

Duration: 15 weeks

Program Base: Uganda, Gulu

Language Study: Acholi

Prerequisites: Coursework in conflict theories recommended. Read more...