"Fred Cuny Peace and Conflict Summer Program" of the American University in Kosovo

The program offers the following unique features: 

• Regional Travel: The programs include a joint, one-week study tour to Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where students learn about the region and its history by meeting local stakeholders and activists and visiting historical and recreational areas. 

• Live What You Are Learning: Kosovo is a ‘living laboratory' of history and state-building in the heart of the Balkans and an ideal location to explore the origin and resolution of armed conflict and mass atrocities, reconstruction, international peacekeeping, institution-building, justice, and reconciliation efforts at the end of wars. 

• Practitioner-Focused and Mentorship Based: Courses are taught by senior civilian and military officials, NGO activists, and academics with hands-on experience in the Balkans, Middle East, and elsewhere. The staff function not just as instructors but as mentors invested in your professional development as a leader in international affairs.  

• Professional Exposure: You will meet Kosovo government senior officials, activists, and officials from diplomatic and international missions.  

• Intellectual Stimulation: Visit historically significant sites in Kosovo, take part in informal late-afternoon seminars on current issues, and participate in workshops/simulations of peacekeeping operations and reconciliation efforts. 

Courses

• Human Rights in Global Perspective
• International Law and Organizations
• Genocide and Transitional Justice
• Peace Keeping & Conflict Transformation
• War, Diplomacy & State Building
• Terrorism and Political Violence
• Albanian Language
• Serbian Language

Note: Availability of courses will depend on the number of registered students. RIT Kosovo reserves the right to cancel a course due to insufficient number of registered students.

Summer Program Regional Tour

A study tour at the start of the program enables participants to visit important historical and cultural sites in the region and to meet officials and activists in the region. Our tour goes from Albania, Montenegro, Croatia (Dubrovnik), and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Program Details

Part I (27 May - 21 June 2024)

Human Rights, Transitional Justice, and International Law Program 

This is a premier international human rights and justice program where students have the opportunity to investigate the converging dynamics of human rights, mass atrocity occurrences, and post-conflict reconciliation and their critical impacts on peacebuilding. In line with the ‘living laboratory’ example of Kosovo, this program will immerse students into the processes promoting human rights protection, preventing mass atrocities, and facilitating justice. Course subjects will include the role of international law in conflict resolution, the causes and effects of atrocities like genocide and ethnic cleansing, and the considerations behind post-conflict justice and reconciliation. These courses will be taught by experienced practitioners and academics who possess unique insights into conflict in the Balkans. The program’s education is amplified through its diverse range of international students possessing a critical passion for human rights protection, promotion, and application. Engagements with organizations like the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo and the USAID Kosovo Office will supplement course understanding with visible subject-application.  

Courses (students choose two):

• POLS-330: Human Rights in a Global Perspective
• POLS-325: International Law and Organizations
• ANTH-345: Genocide and Transitional Justice 

Part II (1 July – 26 July 2024)

Peacekeeping and Conflict Management Program 

This is a premier international leadership and peacekeeping program where students have the opportunity to explore the history, politics, and economics of conflict situations in an environment that serves as a living example of the subject. You'll learn about the background of the Kosovo conflict of the late 20th century, the dynamic nature of security in the period following the fighting, and continuing challenges to conflict transformation and development. Courses in areas such as war and peace in the Balkans, the role of the international community in conflict resolution, and economic development in post-conflict areas will be taught by renowned experts who have hands-on experience in the crises of the Balkans and elsewhere. Classes include students from around the world sharing one thing in common: an interest in learning about the timeless issues of war and peace in a newly-born country. Your classroom experience will be further enhanced by day trips across the region, highlighting the rich cultural diversity and history of the Balkans. 

Courses (students choose two):

• POLS-541: Peacekeeping & Conflict Transformation
• POLS-542: War, Diplomacy & Statebuilding
• POLS-445: Terrorism & Political Violence 

Optional Internships

Students will have the opportunity to complete internships with international and local government and non-government institutions. Internships can have a duration of 2 to 4 weeks depending on the student’s choice. Internships will be offered after completion of the program selected by the student, i.e. in July or August.