The Foundation Course, as the first course of the academic year, provides all students of UPEACE with a comprehensive and critical introduction to the wide field of Peace Studies, which will work as background knowledge for the specialisations that students will be undertaking in their master’s programmes. Key theories and concepts will be introduced and debated from various critical perspectives (e.g. international relations, human rights, gender theories, political economy, environmental sustainability, development studies, peace education, media studies, corporate responsibility, conflict analysis and transformation), and an introduction to the UN-system of conflict prevention, peace-making, peacekeeping, peace enforcement and peacebuilding will be provided.

Some of the main topics of the course will be:

• diverse manifestations of conflict and violence together with their contexts and levels;
• gender inclusive strategies for transforming those conflicts;
• roles of women/men, agencies, institutions, organisations, networks and the civil society sector in promoting a culture of peace;
• various influencing sectors, e.g. social structures, international law,  environment, economy, the media etc.
• empowerment and joint creativity for a more peaceful/ethical situation amidst the realities of conflicts, violence, unsustainable development, environmental degradation, inequalities and injustices.

The course will consist of theoretical lectures and discussions as well as practical exercises and skills, e.g. non-violent communication. Participatory activities encouraging the students to creatively share their experiences will be part of the course’s critical pedagogical framework.

This course analyzes bargaining and negotiation processes in international relations and their contribution to the management of international conflict.  It focuses on how the process of conducting diplomatic negotiations and other informal processes aimed at managing inter-state and intra-state conflicts have an impact on the outcomes of those conflicts, laying the foundations for outcomes ranging from stable peace to further escalation of violence.  Conflicts of interest and identity, as well as misperceptions and misunderstandings, are ubiquitous features of international relations.  While these conflicts may be resolved in many different ways, this course deals explicitly with "the art and science" of negotiations as a means to resolve those conflicts, preferably before they escalate to violence, and to build peace after conflict.

This course explores the past, present, and future of efforts to address poverty and environmental degradation on a global scale. Although these issues are still often treated separately in some policy circles—indeed, in many cases they were seen as diametrically opposed—it is increasingly argued that the two dynamics are intricately intertwined in myriad ways and thus must be addressed simultaneously. We will begin by examining the history of international development and environmental interventions, respectively, analyzing the ideology or “discourse” informing their practice, and discussing their convergence under the rubric of "sustainable development" or, more recently, the “Green Economy.” Then we will explore various practical and conceptual issues involved in pursuing economic, social, and ecological sustainability.  We will finish by reviewing contemporary directions and controversies in the field and exploring new possibilities for the future.

Reflecting both the newfound recognition within policy circles of the importance of the complex human dynamics involved in addressing poverty and environmental degradation and the relative neglect of such considerations in the past, this class will emphasize social scientific study of political, economic, social, cultural, and logistical issues involved in implementing successful measures. Rather than focusing on specific themes or topics addressed in other courses (i.e., forestry, ecotourism, agriculture, etc.), we will emphasize the core conceptual issues that cross-cut and underlie all specific foci. We will try to push our understanding of these issues as deep as possible, probing their philosophical roots and cultural consequences.  In this effort, we will also reflect critically of our own beliefs, values, and assumptions in order to develop sensitivity to the types of cultural differences likely to influence interventions’ success in diverse parts of the world.

 City Nature and Environment

This course explores the city in relation to environment and sustainable development. In particular the course focuses on the relationships and interactions between nature, humans and social justice in cities. The aim of the course is threefold: first, to explore the historical relationship between cities, justice, and environmental change; to explore the different approaches to urban environmental problems, including issues of urban environmental security; and finally to analyse various strategies for creating more environmentally sustainable cities.

This course explores conflict, insecurity and collaboration in relation to scarcity, poor quality, and variability of freshwater resources. Students will examine disputes and conflict over access to fresh water resources and rivers, including dam construction.  

A special focus will be on how conflict over transboundary freshwater resources has fostered peace building through cooperative co-management. Throughout the course, mechanisms and instruments will be introduced to assist the resolution and prevention of water-related conflict and insecurity including: international law; institutional arrangements; governance and policy reform; and involvement of civil society organizations.

This course explores contemporary trends in sustainable agriculture and agroecology. The course begins by building a framework of the different ways in which sustainable agriculture is practiced. We relate these contemporary practices to the capitalist transformation of agriculture in the 20^th century. We then ground our  academic study of the transformation of agricultural practices in actual existing famers and agribuisness. We will visit a Dole banana plantation, the Corsicana organic pineapple plantation and two small organic farms all in the Caribbean plain of Costa Rica. The field trip gives an opportunity to view how course topics inform contemporary agricultural practices. In the second week of class we examine how trade, globalization and hybrid / GM technologies have accelerated the transformation of agriculture. We pay particular attention to the role of science in this transformation via case studies of organics, transgenics, and the IAASTD report. We end with a focus on population and its role in agricultural transformation, institutional projects to promote agro-ecology, and a move towards local food production and consumption.  

An MA thesis is an academic piece of research, which sets certain quality criteria regarding its structure, content, and writing style. The course will help students to understand those factors, which enhance the quality of a thesis, and give an overview of the research stages. In the course, we will be working interactively with the following questions: 

• how to choose a thesis topic;
• what is a research gap, and how to find one;
• what is a theory;
• which research approach is suitable for me;
• how to develop your research ideas and arguments; and
• how and where to make a contribution.

 The benefits of this course are not limited to learning how to conduct academic research. Students will also develop skills that are needed in most professions in the field of sustainable development. These skills include, reading and writing texts with critical reflexivity, as well as developing and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different kind of arguments. As a methods course is offered separately, thesis seminar will not be focused on research methodology but instead takes account of key epistemological and ontological questions.

You are warmly welcome.

This course is a broad examination of the notion of economic development: its theory, practice as well as policies but with a specific emphasis on the concept of sustainability, at social, economic, cultural and political level. It will offer students an opportunity to better understand the concept of economic development from the traditional point of view where the analysis of the economic progress of nations was only measured by economic growth, to the present debate concerning development, which is focusing more on poverty and inequality as well as on questions concerning governance. 

During the course special attention will be given to the role of conflict in development.  

The course will discuss both national and international development issues, such as international trade, finance and climate change. Special attention will be given to various aspects of globalisation, including international governance and international negotiations.  

During the course both development theories will be discussed as well as practical experiences in development policy making and peace building.

This course will take a close look at the linkages between the environment and peace and conflict. First we will introduce the theme of global environmental change and its impacts on human security, development and life in general. We will discuss the different root causes of these environmental and social or development crises as they come forward in the literature, focusing on overpopulation, industrial development, and free market capitalism and globalization. Part of this discussion will be an analysis of the responses to this crisis and what can, should and is being done to stop it.

A second theme we will discuss is the way sustainability is defined and measured, analyzing different aspects of the political characteristics of measuring, and of the complexities around coming up and using indicators to measure something as complex as sustainability. We will analyze the often proposed focus based on the faith on technological efficiency, and demonstrate that technology by itself won’t solve the sustainability problem with regards to the environmental and social dimensions.

A third main theme of this course is to look at the different linkages between environment and violent conflicts. We will discuss the literature on environmental security, going from older frameworks of scarcity induced conflicts to more complex notions of natural resource abundance, globalization, and historical, political, ecological and economic issues that influence peace and conflicts. The topic of environmental peacebuilding will be presented and critically analyzed. We will make use of specific case studies that give insights into the often contradictory roles of the environment and natural resources when analyzing peace and conflicts.

This course will provide a brief introduction to the particularities of coastal and oceanic resources and ecologies. Second, we will investigate the unique attributes of the human economic, social, and cultural systems (i.e. fishing, fisherman and fishing cultures) that are most directly dependent upon them. Among the many topics within this section, the course will specifically focus on understanding artisanal fisheries, large-scale/industrial fishing, and aquaculture, as well as the differences and conflicts that exist between these methods of resource extraction. Third, a broad overview of the development of the current resource crises and conflicts will be presented and examined via case studies from throughout the globe. Fourth, the evolution of and trends in coastal and marine management over the last century will also be a central aspect of this course.  

Thus, we will explore the evolution from traditional top-down models to the implementation of stakeholder inclusion participation, and comanagment. We will also thoroughly review the role of marine parks, protected areas, and no-take reserves in the management and conservation of coastal resources. Finally, through practical exercises, guest lectures, and field visits, students will be able to explore the complex nexus of relations between humans and coastal/marine resources as it applies to Latin America and the case of Costa Rica.  

In sum, students in this course will gain insight into and knowledge of how we have moved from the naïve perspectives of Mare Liberum and the inexhaustibility of oceanic resources, which were predominant in the 19th century, to the increasingly complex layers of marine tenure systems, marine protected areas, and precautionary approaches that characterize contemporary 21st century marine and coastal resource management regimes.

Food security is an important issue in Central America as multiple stresses from climate change to transformation in the food system hamper efforts to improve food production and access. When compared with its regional neighbors, Costa Rica ranks fairly well in most food security indicators. Nonetheless, the prevalence of both food inadequacy and undernourishment have risen over the last ten years (FAO 2014), and high food price inflation has the potential to continue to reduce food access (IICA, 2012). Rising issues with food security come at a time of crisis for many small farmers in Costa Rica. Increasing land prices and urban encroachment threaten both a vital local food production industry, and a cultural legacy of small farmers. In a predominately urban Costa Rica, where both farm and food security are growing problems, this course investigates whether farmers markets can play a role in addresses these twin crises. Farmers markets have a long tradition in Central America, though the role they play in securing fresh affordable food for the urban poor while ensuring a livelihood for small farms has not been sufficiently analyzed. 

 

The physical risk reduction capacity of ecosystems depends on their  health and structure, and the intensity of the hazard event. Degraded  ecosystems can still play a buffering role, although to a much lesser  extent than fully functioning ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems reduce  social-economic vulnerability by sustaining human livelihoods  and providing essential goods such as food, fibre, medicines and  construction materials. For example, in addition to  providing coastal hazard protection, mangroves and seagrass beds support fishing and tourism activities and store high amounts of  carbon.  Ecosystems can reduce physical exposure to common natural  hazards, namely landslides, flooding, avalanches, storm surges, wildfires and drought, by serving as natural infrastructure, protective barriers  or buffers. For example, in the European Alps,  mountain forests have a long history of being managed for protection  against avalanches and rockfall. Protection forests in Switzerland, have been valued at USD $1,000 per hectare  per year along mountain roads and the state provides considerable  financial incentives to manage forests for hazard protection.

 

The objective of this course is to first explore the nature of our food systems and the paradox of why, despite the apparent scientific and technological developments in agriculture enabling production of a worldwide food surplus, food insecurity is increasing globally. Secondly, students will explore what needs to change in our food systems in order to reach a goal of sustainable food security.

To achieve these two objectives, students will be encouraged to explore food security from a household and community perspective in order to understand the environmental factors that contribute to food insecurity. This knowledge-building process will be done through group tasks in the classroom and in the field. Students will be expected to undertake practical work to assess the situation of households vulnerable to food insecurity, hopefully in two locations, one urban and one rural. The course emphasizes “learning by doing” and so there will be field trips to two locations to meet vulnerable households and to assess successful local research initiatives which are increasing household and community food security.

Group work in the class will address defining food security and what constitutes a healthy sustainable food system. In addition, there will be group work, for example, in exploring the causes of famines, the issue of food justice and a right to food, the problems of food aid, and the implications of commoditization of our food systems. To bring out opposing viewpoints on food issues, part of the group work will be organized as debates. The intention of the course is to emphasise experiential learning rather than focus on formal lectures although there will be an initial presentation by the instructor on a food security topic prior to each workshop session. Hopefully, students will have gained both practical skills and theoretical knowledge about hunger, famine and food security and will feel confident and empowered to address these issues directly or indirectly in their future work.

The central goal of this course is to provide the students with a basic variety of research tools, methods and approaches used in the social sciences.  The final goal of this course is to enable them to formulate research problems, select a research approach, develop and implement a research design, and review and criticize investigations executed by peers and colleagues in the wider research community.

This course offers students with foundational knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods, elements to discern how and when they should be used, and the benefits and drawbacks of each specific method. It will develop students’ theoretical knowledge and applied skills in conducting qualitative and participatory research with ample field examples from the social and natural sciences, addressing issues, challenges and emerging trends in a globalized world.

This course examines issues of environmental quality and social justice. It focuses on socio-environmental conflicts at different scales (local, national, global) and global movements for environmental justice. The underlying premise of the course is that all people have the right to live in a clean and healthy environment, free from contamination and environmental hazards; moreover, to have access to the natural resources and ecologies necessary to sustain health and livelihoods. The course asks the questions of why certain groups of people do not have access to basic resources or who are exposed to pollution or environmental hazards to a greater extent than other groups. The course will address these questions by examining the social, political and economic processes that produce these uneven conditions and social relations. The course will explore the philosophical foundations and history of the environmental justice movement and foundational concepts such as justice, gender, race and class. We then use several case studies in environmental justice (both rural and urban) to explore these concepts. 

Deforestation is seen by many as one of the main global environmental challenges of our times, because of its significant impact on biodiversity and its important contribution to Global Warming. This course analyzes the way deforestation has been and is being explained by both mainstream and alternative narratives, critically engages with the way it is defined and measured, and discusses the various attempts in stopping or reducing it. Additionally, this course takes a look at the links between poverty and deforestation, some of the possible strategies to reduce poverty through forest-based activities, and analyzes and discusses the importance of forests for humans and the challenges faced by those who try to manage them sustainably.

This class is an opportunity to explore in-depth how different land-uses and conservation approaches intermingle in one particular region: the South of Costa Rica.  The purpose of the field trip is to obtain critical direct experience and knowledge of important natural resources management issues in a developing country, given the real political, economic and ecological context of the same. This course enables students to assess the contextual factors that affect natural resource management. Over the course of the trip, we will visit and be exposed to projects and issues with various resources, different actors involved in the management and different institutional settings.

Scholars and practitioners across the globe agree on the fact that changes in land cover and land use stand among the most important human alterations of the Earth’s land and water surfaces.  The negative impacts of land-use and land-cover changes are reflected in biotic diversity loss; local and regional climate change; global climate warming; soil and water degradation; habitat destruction; ecosystem services alteration; and modification of the Earth’s biogeochemical cycles.  These changes in turn exacerbate the vulnerability of places and people to climatic, economic and socio-political perturbations. 

In spite of this legitimate evidence, oftentimes the understanding and knowledge of the ecological processes and potential consequences of land transformation are neglected and not considered in decision-making processes

This course addresses the basic ecological factors that need to be taken into account to ensure that the land use systems are in harmony with ecological foundations based on climate, soils, and other features that are difficult, costly, and often impossible to change. The key objective is to understand what it takes to move towards sustainable land use patterns that are environmentally desirable, biologically sound, socially and culturally acceptable, and economically viable and equitable.

 

The 21st century is described as the age of globalization, a phenomenon which is increasingly affecting human beings in every aspect of their lives. While globalization has undoubtedly resulted in significant economic and social integration at the global level, the pace at which it is occurring has also brought with it several unintended consequences for the respect and promotion of human rights at other levels. The principal institutions facilitating this phenomenon such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, have often been accused of keeping human rights issues out of their respective domains. The critical challenge, therefore, facing the present world order lies in ensuring that the vehicles of globalization are oriented towards development and promotion of human rights, through appropriate laws and policies. This course will introduce students to the major themes and debates concerning these different linkages between globalization and human rights and explore the new streams of critique that have enabled a confluence as well as a questioning of the globalization-human rights interface.

Based on theories and experiences from diverse cultural contexts, this course will provide students with a holistic and critical understanding of the linkages between gender, sustainable development, environment, and classic economic approaches. The notion of “development” itself will be critically analyzed. The inequality between women’s and men’s access to and ownership of resources, along with power differentials in decision-making will be considered. Students will then focus on a more gender inclusive, eco-feminist model for participatory action. This directs the focus to issues of     environmental justice, corporate and social responsibility and ethics, while raising questions about current strategies.  The course also makes visible the differential impacts of global warming , climate change and scarcity of resources given that already women are the poorest in the planet an yet they are pivotal actors for survival and change.

The course aims at understanding the impact of climate change on the global environment and on human activity.  Climate change increases risks to human livelihoods and as such may endanger the security of individuals and groups. This in turn could increase the propensity for conflict within and between states.

Components of the course will include a critical examination of the drivers of climate change, largely induced by human activity, and a review of international efforts to limit the magnitude of climate changes, including those concluded in Kyoto and Copenhagen. Consequences of climate change for human health, for economic activity, for resource use and resource availability will also be examined, as will be the options for adapting to climate change.

The examination of climate changes will be viewed within the broader context of the current demographic, economic and political global reality.   Introductory comments and discussions led by the instructor will be followed by seminars with broad student input.

This course analyzes the nature and evolution of systems of governance to address climate change at the international, national, and local levels, charting the changing history of climate policy from the issue's initial introduction into political discussion to its recent ascension to become the new "master concept" of environmental governance generally.  The roles of various stakeholders in the negotiation, including transnational institutions, nation states, nongovernmental organizations, private businesses, and municipal governments, will be examined, as will the efficacy of different mechanisms (state-led, market-based, hybrid, etc.) for enacting climate policy.  The potential impact of climate policy on particular environmental issues (e.g., hydroelectric and nuclear power) and social groups (e.g., women, minorities, indigenous peoples) will be discussed as well.  Case studies will examine specific instances of climate policy and negotiation, including recent UNFCCC conferences, Costa Rica's own payment for environmental services (PES) and "Peace with Nature" climate neutrality initiative, and the emerging debate over proposed REDD (Reduced Emissions through Deforestation and Degradation) mechanisms.

The UPEACE Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) is an academic simulation of the real United Nations Organization, its most important specialized agencies and other associated organizations, held for the purpose of providing participants with valuable insights into procedures and conflict resolution within the UN. UPMUNC is aimed at providing a common platform for students from across the globe to discuss current international affairs and how action can be taken on key global issues. The conference enables participants to become part of the decision making process, whilst hoping to find ideas and solutions where thus far the United Nations has been unable to do so.

Assistant Professor
Adam Baird has a PhD, MRes and MA from the Peace Studies Dept. at the University of Bradford. He is a specialist in urban insecurity and has worked substantially with gangs and processes of male youth inclusion. He has over a decade of experience in Latin America and is currently writing a book on urban violence prevention. In 2011-12 he was a Drugs, Security and Democracy postdoctoral fellow with the Social Science Research Council/Open Society Foundation. He is contributing editor to Paz Paso a Paso: Una mirada desde los Estudios de Paz a los Conflictos Colombianos (2013). He is also an ‘Associate Expert to the UNDP in the area of Crisis Prevention and Recovery’ in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Brian Dowd-Uribe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment and Development. Brian is also a co-founder of the New Roots Institute for the Study of Food Systems, an educational nonprofit based in Santa Cruz, California dedicated to interdisciplinary research and education on food systems. Before joining UPEACE, Brian was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. His current research explores the social and economic dimensions of food, agriculture and water policy, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. One major research project assesses how the liberalization of agricultural commodity chains and the introduction of transgenic crops (GMOs) affect poor producers in Burkina Faso. Other current research explores (a) the politics of integrated water resource management (IWRM) implementation in Burkina Faso, and (b) the environmental and social impacts of community gardens in New York City. Brian received his interdisciplinary PhD in Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Prior to his graduate work, he served as an Environmental Protection Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, West Africa. Brian originally became interested in Costa Rica as an undergraduate study abroad student at the Universidad de Costa Rica, and at the University of California’s Tropical Biology and Conservation Program in Monteverde.

Daniela Ingruber is a war researcher, specialised on war photography, film and the ethical aspects of media-production, and a journalist and editor. She also works for the Diagonale – the Austrian Film Festival, as a political consultant as well as a writer for film productions. Besides her position at UPEACE she is a faculty member of the UNESCO Chair for Peace at the University of Innsbruck/Austria.
Website: www.nomadin.at

Currently professor of Theory and Practice of International Development at the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in the Netherlands, he graduated as economist at Erasmus University in Rotterdam (NL) in 1964.  He has been Minister for Development Cooperation from 1973-1977 and in 1989-1994 and Minister of Housing, spatial planning and enviornemnt in 1998-2002.  He has also been active Member of Parliament for several legislative periods.  From 2004 to 2006 he became the special representative Secretary General of the United Nations in Sudan and between 1980 and 1986 the Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD in Geneva.  Between 2000-2001 he was elected as Chairman of the 6th Conference of Parites at the UN Convention on Climate Change.  In 2001 he joined the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of United Nations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (2001-2003).  In 2002 he became Chairman of the Board of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED, London 2002-2004) and in 2003 also Chairman of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) in Geneva (2003-2004).  At the same time he was Chairman of the Federation of Refugee Organisations in the Netherlands from 2003 to 2004 and recently the President of the IKV, Interchurch Peace Council and the President of the Society for International Development (SID, Roma 2008-).
During his carreer, he received several special honours as Dr Honoris Causa at the University San Marcos in Lima, Peru (1974) and at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague (2002).  Among others, he also became the Officier of Legion D'Honneur of France (2001) and the Officer in de Orde van Oranje Nassau of the Netherlands (2002).

 

Jan Breitling is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment and Development at University for Peace. He holds a BSc. in Tropical Forestry, from the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, and a MSc. in Environmental Sciences from WUR Wageningen University and Research Center, The Netherlands. His research interests include root causes of deforestation and Global Environmental Change, and Environmental Governance, specifically market based approaches addressing biodiversity conservation and Climate Change.

Assistant Professor
Dr. Jimena Alvarado Chavarria received her Ph.D. in Community and Social Psychology from Portland State University and her Master's in Women's Studies from San Diego State University. She has focused her research on the impact of gender hierarchies on HIV prevention. Her interests have also centered on gender and psychological issues, especially for women as psychiatric consumer/survivors.  As a gender educator, she is interested in feminist pedagogy and popular education involving community groups in struggling against inequality and oppression. Her pedagogical approach emphasizes examples from the quotidian as well as techniques that make visible the micro aggressions, aimed mostly against women that have become normalized. Her focus is on bridging the gaps between theory and practice, and providing field experiences for students in the Gender and Peace Building Programme.

Juan P. Hoffmaister is a specialist on international governance and law, with expertise adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and development and cooperation policy. He is associated with Third World Network and the Stockholm Environment Institute, and serves as negotiator for the Group of 77 and China in multiple UN forums. Mr. Hoffmaister has completed extensive field work on implementation of adaptation and disaster risk reduction activities and has spoken to international audiences on the strengthens and drawbacks on community-based adaptation. He has served in research, assessment and policy advice to governments and multilateral organizations on climate change, particularly in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change process, and is also knowledgeable of international governance processes on biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity), trade (World Trade Organization), and sustainable development (Commission on Sustainable Development). He has training in adaptation and resilience from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden (Msc) and ecology and environmental policy from College of the Atlantic, USA (BA).

M.Sc. in International Economics Studies from the Maastricht University, The Netherlands, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies with a specialization in Economics of Development from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague. From 2012 he is a Ph.D. candidate at the ISS.

He has experience in the study of trade and its social and economic impact in developing countries, specifically in Southern Africa and in Central America. He has also worked on rural development issues in transition countries, notably in the Caucasus and Central Asia. He holds experience in urban development studies, particularly focusing on informal settlement development, and labour market studies, specifically paid domestic work.

Currently, in his position as a researcher at the Institute of Social Research of the University of Costa Rica, he is specializing in the study of welfare regimes, gender, labour markets and the formation and impact of social and economic policies on the one hand, and trade on the other. Also, he is a lecturer at the School of Communication at the University of Costa Rica.

Laura Shillington is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment and Development. She has a PhD in Geography from York University (Toronto, Canada) and held a post-doctoral fellowship at the Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM, Mexico City). Recently, she was Affiliated Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Planning at Concordia University (Montreal). She remains a Research Associate with Concordia’s Loyola Sustainability Research Centre. Dr. Shillington's research programme broadly explores urban social-nature relations. In particular, she is interested in understanding how everyday life in urban areas, especially in mundane spaces such as the home, is embedded within multi-scalar ecological politics - from gendered human-nature relations in the household to uneven urban environmental problems and governance structures. She concentrates in particular on gendered and racialised experiences and knowledges of urban natures. At present, she has two main research projects: (1) gender, safety and urban environmental services; and (2) urban political ecologies of nature and children. Her research focuses primarily on cities in Latin America, in particular Managua, Nicaragua. She is on the editorial board of Gender Place and Culture and is Chair of the Geographic Perspectives on Women speciality group of the Association on American Geographers (AAG).

Leonardo García is professor instructor at the Department of Environment, Peace and Security. He holds a BA in Biology (University of Costa Rica) and is a graduate student from the MA in Natural Resources and Peace at UPEACE. His professional experience includes working as a consultant, resident biologist, naturalist guide, and environmental educator. In previous years he worked with the University of Costa Rica, Conservation International and the Organization for Tropical Studies, and his professional interests comprise Management of Natural Resources, Environmental Policy, and Biodiversity Enhancement and Conservation. He is currently the Executive Director of the UPEACE Centre for Environmental Studies (CES). He is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

T.B.A

M.Sc. in Marine Biology, Universidad de Costa Rica.  Ph.D. candidate, Marine Affairs Department, University of Rhode Island. Coordinator, Southern Central America Marine Program, Conservation International. Member of the Costa Rican Ocean Commission, in representation of Conservation International and of the Costa Rican Marine resources sub-commission, within the Presidential “Peace with Nature” Initiative. Appointed to Costa Rica’s technical working group for the South Pacific, for the assessment of the viability of establishing a new marine protected area in Costa Rica’s south Pacific. As a member of Costa Rica’s EEZ Commission, active participation in the elaboration of Costa Rica’s National Marine Strategy. Professor, Introduction to Fisheries Management (B-0681), School of Biology, University of Costa Rica.

Mihir Kanade is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Law and Human Rights at UPEACE and is also the Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre. He has a LL.B. from Nagpur University, India, and an MA in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes from the University for Peace, Costa Rica. He has worked as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India, the Bombay High Court and in WTO arbitrations for several years, before joining UPEACE in 2009. He has been a consultant to the United Nations University, Tokyo, on International Trade and Development issues. His principal area of academic research is Globalization and International Law, with a focus on Multilateral Trade.

 

University instructor in food security and community development and natural resource management consultant working on community development and food security issues for international development organizations such FAO, DANIDA, DFID, GTZ, OXFAM, UNESCO, UNDP etc.

In 1997, he became a founding member of a nonprofit association of development professionals, the International Support Group (ISG) and was on the board of the association from 1999 to 2005 working as treasurer and member of ISG's strategic planning team. In addition to membership of ISG, Reg Noble is also a research associate for the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Ryerson University (Toronto) and Academic Coordinator for the postgraduate program in food security at Ryerson where he teaches three of the program courses: Food Security Concepts and Principles; Research Methods and Evaluation in Food Security; and Community Development and Food Security. His skills include: Workshop facilitation with community members and their service providers (from government, non-government and private sectors) to assist them forming multi-stakeholder learning groups for community development planning; Design of collaborative processes for policy development with regard to natural resource management (NRM) and food security; Stakeholder analysis; Design of client-led research approaches for community development; among many other fields of experience. Reg Noble has undertaken his work mostly in Africa (where he lived for 17 years in Malawi) dealing with development issues such as decentralization of agricultural planning in Uganda; impact of integrated rural development on rural livelihoods in Ethiopia and ecologically-based smallholder farming development in Malawi. Reg Noble holds a Ph.D. in Ecology, awarded in 1981 from the Chelsea College of Science, University of London, UK.

Instructor, Coordinator, Media, Peace and Conflict Studies Programme and Editor, Peace and Conflict Monitor and Peace and Conflict Review Ross Ryan holds degrees in political science and literature from McMaster University, Canada, as well as environmental security from the University for Peace, Costa Rica. He is chief editor of the Peace and Conflict Monitor and managing editor of the Peace and Conflict Review, as well as instructor in the department of peace studies and coordinator of the media, peace and conflict studies programme. He is currently working on a research project entitled “Information Technology, Civic Engagement, and the Cyber-Ethnography of Peace Movements”.

Distinguished Professor, Academic Affairs Dean and Coordinator, Gender and Peace Building Programme
Professor Sara Sharratt received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Southern Illinois University. She is Professor Emerita of Psychology Sonoma State University, California. Additionally, she specializes in Gender Studies especially on the prosecution of sexual violence in International Courts. She was part of the official Costa Rican delegation to Rome where the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court was adopted. Dr. Sharratt taught the first graduate courses in Gender Studies in Costa Rica and was also the main consultant in the development of a Master’s Program in Gender Studies.  She has directed programs on gender and violence and sustainable development for the Government of Costa Rica and has written numerous articles. Her two books deal with women in the former Yugoslavia: “Assault on the Soul: Women in the Former Yugoslavia; and” “Gender, Shame and Sexual Violence: The Prosecution of Sexual Violence in International Courts.” She is currently focusing on women and access to transitional justice. Dr. Sharratt has been a visiting scholar at U Peace for the last 10 years.

Siniša Vukovic is Professorial Lecturer at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches International Mediation. He is also Assistant Professor at the Nijmegen University’s Centre for International Conflict Analysis and Management (CICAM) and a Lecturer at the University of Amsterdam. He received a Ph.D. (cum laude) in International Relations and Conflict Resolution at Leiden University, an MA (cum laude) in International Relations and Diplomacy from Leiden University and The Netherlands Institute of International Relations "Clingendael", and a BA (laurea) in Political Science from University of Rome "La Sapienza". For his research at SAIS, he has received the Rubicon research grant from The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). His research focuses on various forms of international conflict resolution, mainly multiparty mediation efforts. He has published in academic journals such as Millennium Journal of International Studies, International Journal of Conflict Management, International Negotiation, Cooperation and Conflict, and Acta Politica, and contributed to several edited volumes with book chapters. He has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses related to the field of conflict management, with a particular focus on the processes of negotiation and mediation.

Tara Ruttenberg is a doctoral candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies at UPEACE, specializing in sustainable economic development. With a background in international politics, Latin American studies, grassroots community development and socioeconomic justice, Tara has written on issues ranging from leftist trends in Latin American politics and the role of indigenous cosmologies in development policy, to the emerging field of wellbeing economics, and social activism toward systems change.   Tara's doctoral project is titled “Buen Vivir in Post-Neoliberal Latin America: 'Good Living' Paradigm for a Post-Capitalist Future”.

Urbano Fra Paleo, B.A. Hons. Geography (Santiago de Compostela), Ph.D. Geography (Santiago de Compostela, 1996), also holds a Diploma in Environmental Engineering from the EOI Business School and is a certified Geomatics Specialist (GIS/LIS).

Professor and Coordinator, Peace Education Programme
Dr. Virginia Cawagas holds an Ed.D. (Peace & Development) (meritisimus), MS in Educational Management and BS in Education (Mathematics). Her publications and contribution to the development of peace education curriculum, training modules and instructional materials is widely recognized. She has taught and facilitated workshops in peace education, development education, social justice education, multicultural education, and gender mainstreaming in curriculum development and policy making. She has long been involved in major transnational networks in peace education such as the International Institute in Peace Education (IIPE), the Peace Education Commission of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA), and the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction (WCCI).