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Regular Masters Programmes
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Media, Peace and Conflict Studies
New thinking about media coverage of conflict on the international and local level is also studied, and participants are encouraged to develop critical thinking around issues such as objectivity and ethics in news reporting and news gathering. In this programme, participants also discuss how free, responsible media can help prevent conflict and build peaceful societies - and in so doing, provide the international community and employers with informed individuals. Key questions are addressed: “can the media be a tool for peace? What kind of role the media can play in an escalating conflict, in preventing any greater explosion, in helping in peacekeeping or peace building situations?” participants enrolling in this programme are expected to have some professional experience in media and related matters, because the MA provides them with limited practical journalism training. The courses provide participants with a critical focus on media and its role in the areas of peace, conflict and security; therefore, though a first degree in any discipline is acceptable, a degree in the social sciences or humanities is an advantage. Few programs in the world are fully dedicated to explore the young and vibrant academic field of Media, Peace and Conflict Studies, like this 40-credit MA does programme does. The participants will be exposed to the history and the current realities of the complex and changing world of the media-traditional ones, like newspapers, radio and TV, but also the new media, the internet and the huge impact new technologies are having on the modern media landscape. The courses will look at the theories and the debates about both how media influences conflict and how the media are affected by armed conflict. The long history of propaganda and the short history of information; the different roles media play in the different phases of a conflict situation; the power of the media to disseminate hatred, as in Rwanda in 1994 or in Yugoslavia in the early 90s; their role in peace building and conflict prevention and their influence in foreign policy; women and the new media in the Arabic world: these are other topics that will be addressed in the ten months the participants will devote to the program. An intellectual, academic journey that will end up in the field: the last course of the program—“Working in Conflict Areas”—will be a highly demanding field-training experience to be carried out in a special security forces location, away from the classroom, when theory and practice should come together. The required courses are: In addition, participants may chose from the elective courses during the UPEACE Institute (3 Credits) - taught by UPEACE Resident Faculty and Visiting Faculty For complete course descriptions, course calendar and information about the prefessors, please follow this link: http://www.upeace.org/academic/calendar/ participants who have successfully completed the programme will have acquired a wide, systematic knowledge of the field of Media, Peace and Conflict Studies, its main theories and debates and of the many ways in which media interacts with peace, conflict and security. They will have a firm grasp of the different roles the media play in different conflict situations. They are likely to work in information, communication, post-conflict assistance, or peacebuilding with international organizations such as the UN, national governments, media organizations, or academia. They will also have the skills to work in media monitoring and content analysis as journalists or editors, and designing and implementing media interventions in the field.
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This Master of Arts Degree programme in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies is designed to enable participants coming from diverse cultures and academic backgrounds to develop the skills necessary to manage the many complex ways in which media interact with conflict, peace and security. 