Objectives:

• Building an active peace constituency in the region
• Making lessons of peace-building the core of a peace education programme
• Publication of course material for the peace education programme
• Preparing a manual of the Peace education programme in the region
• Building the regional network and providing a regional platform for manifold activities on human rights and peace
• Set up a library for the research work on South Asian peace and conflict issues.

Features of the Course:

• Three months of distance education and communication with faculty members followed by a fifteen (15) day direct orientation programme in Kathmandu
• Twenty-five (25) participants from all over South Asia with some joining from outside the region
• Regional and international faculty
• Value of foundational nature of the course with its emphasis on case studies
• Basic concepts of human rights and their links to peace as the introductory module, is covered during the correspondence course.
• Field work and term papers
• Participatory sessions
• Evaluation of the course at all levels towards continuous improvement
• A high level regional advisory board
• Public notification and open selection process
• Emphasis on youth, and the mix of activism and thinking
• Gradual deployment of human resources trained through the course for further work on peace and human rights
• Mix of fundamental and current themes as subjects of the course
• Stress on building up a corpus of reading material – theoretical, experiential, and region-specific
• Linking the course with other human rights and peace activities of SAFHR and its partners in various fields – thus placing the course not as a programme by itself but as a propellant for an immensely potential network

Course Structure

Modules

There will be five compulsory modules and three optional modules. Of the 3 optional modules participants will have to opt for one. In the direct orientation workshop there will be 4 classes per compulsory module and 3 classes per optional module. Thus there will be 20 compulsory classes, 9 optional classes - in all 29 classes in the direct course period. Besides there will be fieldwork, participants' presentations of term papers, participant's workshops, public lectures and other interactive sessions.

• Module 1 “Basic concepts of human rights and appraisals of their role and relevance for ideals of peace in history” as the introductory module, the module will, with distinctive reference to 20th century South Asia, deal with ideas and histories of State, citizenship and democracy, sovereign prerogatives and fundamental rights, justice and accountability, national and international human rights law. All participants will have to take part in this introductory module, which will also constitute the basis for three months long distance education in July, August and September. A reader, comprising select literature for the correspondence course will be supplied to every selected participant. All participants will have to write a compulsory review paper of around 1000 words highlighting the topics covered within the introductory module from the perspective of their location within the human rights and peace movements in the region. The review paper will have to reach SAFHR peace studies desk by July 25, 2008.

Compulsory Modules:

1. Basic concepts of human rights and appraisals of their role and relevance for ideals of peace:

• Ideas and histories of State,
• Citizenship and fundamental rights,
• Sovereign prerogatives and democracy,
• National and international human rights law
• International humanitarian law.

2.  State building in South Asia

• The current doctrines of economic development and the impact on society
• The dominant doctrines of security – National security and militarism versus People’s security
• The shrinking space for democratic dissent
• The treatment of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities in South Asia
• The civil society – Who are in and who are out

3.  Globalization, political economy of overseas development aid and the politics transfer of technology. 

• Economic globalisation and violence
• Trade and development: ethical issues of globalisation
• Global economy and the politics of transfer of technology
• Globalisation and environmental justice

4. Conflict and the politics of peace in South Asia

• Nature, causes and types of conflict
• State practise of conflict management and conflict resolution
• Role of media in conflict and peace
• Role of women in conflict and peace
• Cases studies of conflicts: India’s Special Economic Zones, Naxlite Movement in India, Self-determination movements in Nepal, Tamil nationalism in Sri-Lanka, Baluch nationalist movement in Pakistan and democracy movement in Maldives.

5. The War on Terror and the emerging international order, national counter-terrorism measures, the role of media and democratic accountability: case studies and focus

• “War on Terror” and the challenges to democracy and human rights
• Iraq, U.S. and the War on Terror, A case study on Iraq.
• Dimension of the war on terror, asymmetries of military capacity and their impact on the humanitarian law on the use of force.

Optional Modules

6. Constitutionalism, law and the system of dispensation of justice in post-colonial South Asia

• Theories of constitutionalism and the histories of constitution making and challenges
• The civil war, the ceasefire and the constitutional process in Sri Lanka
• Ten years of conflict and the constitutional discourse in Nepal

7. Demand, denial and acceptance of  “Partition as a method of resolving ethno-nationalist conflict in South Asia.

8. The practices and culture of ‘Impunity’ and challenges for democracy and human rights in South Asia.

• Rule of law, exceptionalism, Justice and accountability,

Distance education or the correspondence programme part

• The first three months – July, August and September will be engaged in correspondence course work. From SAFHR peace studies desk relevant literature will be sent to the participants in phases electronically and by post.
• Participants are required to study the reader on the basic concepts of human rights and appraisals of their role and relevance for ideals of peace in history”. The introductory module of the course will deal with, distinctive reference to 20th century South Asia focusing on ideas and histories of State, citizenship, fundamental rights, democracy, national and international human rights law as well as International Humanitarian law.
• Course assignments, advice and consultation on the subjects of term papers, choice of the optional modules, the preparation for the workshops, and exchange of views with members of the faculty are of some of the features of the correspondence part of the programme.
• Module 1 will be completed through distance learning in July. The participants will have to submit their “review paper” on any one of the topics covered in module 1 by the end of August 2008. These will be discussed during the direct orientation course.
• Preparation in this phase is crucial for the following 15-day course in Kathmandu.
• The quality of term papers and planning for future work depends to a significant extent on the correspondence course work.

Term paper

• In addition to the review paper related to Module 1 participants will have a term paper on any of the compulsory modules, other than the first, offered in the course. The participants will have to identify the module clearly relating to which s/he wants to prepare the term paper. The participant will consult the peace studies desk and the faculty on an appropriate theme and the relevant module.
• Guidelines for the term papers will be sent to the participants.
• The participants will prepare the two papers and submit them before they come to the 15-day direct orientation programme; these papers will be presented in a workshop during the programme in Kathmandu.
• The term papers will be revised on the basis of discussions and will have to be re-submitted within 15 days of the closing of the direct orientation course.
• The term papers should not be more than 2000 words long, will have to be typed in double space, and will have to be submitted in hard copies by post. A copy of the same will have to be sent by e-mail.

Field visit

• Field-visit(s) will be organised on any of the themes related to peace studies. It is an integral part of the programme.
• Information on the visit(s) will be provided to the participants beforehand.
• Each participant will have to write a report on the field visit for discussion at a designated session during the 15-day programme.
• While reporting on field visit the participants may reflect on their earlier experiences in peace and human rights work, in their own area.
• The reports and the related theme can be prepared in groups, and group reports will be discussed.

Interactive sessions

• Peace studies course shall hold interactive "face to face" sessions intended to convey to the participants how peace activism in its various forms has grown at the ground level in South Asia. The presenters in these sessions are front-ranking thinkers and activists, and the moderators are aware of the dimensions of the work of these people.

Participants' seminars

• All participants will present their term papers in a participants' seminar, which will be an integral part of the course. The details of the seminar will be notified beforehand. Each of the participants will have to comment on a fellow-participant's term paper besides presenting his/her own term paper.
• Faculty members will also join the seminars.

Reports and publications

• Detailed reports on each year's course with information on matters like participants, faculty, activities, public lectures, term papers, are available in print. They are available also on SAFHR website www.safhr.org
• Reports on audits and other necessary reports in form of SAFHR papers are available during the course – some are given as part of the course material and some are available on payment.
• Course material is drawn from SAFHR publications - SAFHR paper series on contemporary themes of human rights and peace; SAFHR volumes, which are results of collaborative, research and dialogues among partners across borders.

 Peace studies films

• Several films on themes of peace, struggles for freedom and human rights will be screened in the evenings during the course and these will be followed by discussions. The films will be screened in the evening.