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Course Details

Seminar on Conflict and Peace Studies

$900.00

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Course Code:

CPS7501

Credit Hours:

3

Course Level:

700

Area of Study:

Conflict and Peace Studies

Course Description

CPS7501 - (DHS/PHD– Elective Course) This seminar has two primary goals: (i) to critically examine the evolution of Conflict and Peace Studies in the 20th century, and (ii) to develop a Hindu Dharmic framework for conflict resolution. The course begins with a discussion of conflict theories and various approaches to understanding conflict. It explores conflict at multiple levels—individual, group, intra-state, and interstate—followed by an examination of popular methods of conflict management and resolution. Students will analyze the nature of conflict as a perennial and morally neutral (neither inherently good nor bad) facts of life that emerges from competing goals, whether within families, within communities or between states. When such competition turns violent, resolution becomes crucial. All aspects of conflict, including its causes, escalation, and transformation, will be studied through a Hindu Dharmic lens.
introduction to conflict and peace studies
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Program of Study

This course is part of the following programs:

Doctor of Hindu Studies

Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu studies

Division

Graduate Division

Required / Core / Elective:

Elective

Prerequisites:

Must have completed Orientation to Hindu Studies/ Enrolled in Orientation to Hindu Studies.

Semester / Quarter System:

Quarter

Number of Weeks:

16

Semester / Quarter Offered:

TBD

Days of the Week:

TBD

Time:

TBD

Start Date:

End Date:

Faculty

Dr. Debidatta. A. Mahapatra

Dr. Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra serves as a Core Doctoral Faculty at HUA. He holds a doctoral degree from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His areas of interest include conflict management and peacebuilding, South Asia, and Indian thought.
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debidatta.mahapatra@hua.edu

Course Learning Objectives

As a result of taking this course, students will be able to

  • Explain major theoretical approaches that shaped the development of Conflict and Peace Studies in the twentieth century.
  • Analyze the causes, dynamics, and manifestations of conflict across multiple levels, including individual, communal, intra-state, and interstate contexts.
  • Evaluate major methods and frameworks used in contemporary conflict management and resolution.
  • Interpret conflict as a morally neutral social phenomenon emerging from competing goals and interests.
  • Apply key concepts from Hindu Dharmic thought to examine the origins, escalation, and transformation of conflict.
  • Develop a Dharmic framework for conflict resolution that integrates philosophical insight with practical approaches to peacebuilding.
introduction to conflict and peace studies

Featured Testimonial

Course Content

Conflicts are omnipresent in human relations. They are neither inherently good nor bad, but simply facts of life. A conflict situation arises when individuals or groups pursuit incompatible goals. These competing goals can range from needs within the family to competition over scarce resources between members of a community or between states. When competition turns violent, conflict resolution becomes essential as the costs rise with short term and long term implications. This course introduces some of the leading theories of conflict and conflict resolution.

The goals of this course are threefold: to introduce students to the background and characteristics of conflict and peace studies; to explore a multitude of tools and explanations used by scholars in order to understand peace and conflict; and, to encourage students to explore a complex and interesting subject in an innovative manner through drawing from the existing theories.

The course begins with an introduction to conflict theories, focusing on various ways to approach conflict. It also focuses on the conflict at various levels – individual, group, intra-state, and interstate. The course then focuses on various approaches to conflict management and conflict resolution.

Class Structure

There will be 3 contact hours with the faculty every week. The class is structured in a way that promotes discussion and debate based on self-study, research and writing assignments each week. At the end of the course, students will be required to submit a short essay.

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Doctor of Hindu Studies, Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu Studies
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Doctor of Hindu Studies

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Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu Studies

Seminar on Conflict and Peace Studies

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