Conflict, Peace and Development Studies (CPDS) is a multidisciplinary Masters Program which strives
to impart theoretical, methodological, and practical set of knowledge and skills. Through whole
program you can expect to participate in interesting lectures, seminars, research, fieldwork, and
internship. You are going to learn about global concepts connected with conflict studies and peace
process. You will be able to analyze conflict situation, and use methods to prevent it. Moreover, you
can acquire negotiation ,mediation and facilitation skills. What is more, you can get an opportunity to
take part in a field work, in rural areas of Nepal to practice everything what you learnt . Classes are
conducted in the evening time (4pm-8pm) from Sunday to Friday (only Saturday is kind of a weekend
in Nepal) Sometimes lectures are conducted by academic guests from foreign universities, especially
from Sri Lanka, Norway and USA. You can also expect some additional seminars which are led by
distinguished guests like politicians, religion leaders or ambassadors. Beside study, you can also
improve your English skills, teaching primary school kids (It’s possible to take some kind of internship
in Valley View English School)
So, if you want to learn how to change a world? Get a new experience? Meet amazing people? See
astonishing views of the highest mountains in the world? - Nepal is perfect for you!
(a short version of syllabus: TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences)
I semester:
Conflict studies: The course gives some attention to the philosophical, moral aspects and conflict
resolution techniques.
Good governance: The course provides comprehensive concept and theories on governance.
National security: The course provides comprehensive concept and theories on National Security. It also
familiarizes the students with the application of knowledge in the field of factors affecting national
security and its various aspects.
Models and Applications of Conflict Resolution : The course focuses on practical and experiential
learning through exercises, simulations, case studies, guest lectures and discussions. (THE BEST
ONE!!!)
Research Methods: This course is intended to acquaint the students with the techniques of
conducting social research and to enhance their skill in developing proposal and writing research
reports.
II semester:
Peace Studies: The course provides students with a broad based understanding of peace studies.
Social and Cultural Dimensions of Conflict and Peace: The course acquainta the students with the
fundamental social, cultural and political processes and institutions related to the organization, order
and conflict in society.
Gender, Conflict and Development: The course familiarizes students with basic conceptual,
theoretical and methodological aspects and contemporary issues of gender studies. Moreover, it
equips students with knowledge of gender dimension of conflict, peace and development.
Studies in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: This course provides a theoretical
and historical introduction to International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Law. Students
should be able critically analyze the theories and relate it to the contemporary practices in human
rights and humanitarian law.
Research Practicum, Field-Work and Report Writing: This course provides practical skills and
experience to the students with regard to carrying out research on topics and issues relevant to
Conflict Peace and Development Studies. It will be devoted to impart hands-on skills on HOW to
undertake a field research and produce a paper on the basis of empirical data/information. Part Iinteractive sessions held in the classroom. Students will prepare a mini research project, design the
study, tools and techniques for data collection, etc. Part II - a field-work (10-12 days) wherein the
students will collect data/information on the basis of the tools and instruments prepared during Part
I of the course-work.
III semster
Development Studies: This course examines the relationships between conflict and development
and consider strategies that can address their interplay in a variety of settings, both before violence
breaks out across social fault lines, and after.
Natural Resource Conflict: This course familiarizes the students with various conceptual and
theoretical perspectives to interpret conflict over/due to natural resources. It enables to identify how
conflicts arise in relation to various types of natural resources (e.g. in land, forest, water, minerals,
etc.); and enables to understand international dimensions of resource conflict (such as in transboundary water resource, climate change, etc.).
Psychology and Personal Transformation: This course provides fundamental concepts, theory and
application of psychology in understanding conflict, its source, psychosocial consequences and
reduction of it through the introductory and practical insights of the science-based knowledge
combined with various wisdom traditions relevant for personal transformation and art of peaceful
living.
International Relations: This course introduces key ideas and debates in the field of international
relations. Students will be familiarized with Levels-of-Analysis and several leading IR theories
including neo-liberalism, neo-realism, and strategic choice. Concentrated on political, military
relations among states, international political economy and the politics of global welfare.
Power and Politics: The course familiarizes the students with the foundational issues of political
power and authority and its linkages with governance, development, and conflict.
Transitional Justice and Reconciliation: The course builds a theoretical and practical understanding
of the role of 'transitional justice', and the underlying relationship between justice and peace. It
examines the role of the international and domestic legal systems and institutions in facilitating
transition. It makes links between the experience of Nepal and other international and comparative
contexts and pursues research agenda through theoretical and empirical work that seeks to
transform and develop the theory and practice of transitional justice.
Violence and Human Security: This course provides comprehensive knowledge, concepts and
theories on violence and human security. It also familiarizes the students in the application of
knowledge in the field of human security.
IV semester
Migration, Refugee and Conflict: This course acquaints with the discourse of migration, refuge and
displacement. It focuses on the enhancement of knowledge and techniques by analyzing conflicts
related to migration, refugee and displacement around the globe. The course also highlights the
consequences of migration, refugee and displacement conflicts, and roles and responses of different
international agencies to mitigate the problems.
Economics of Conflict: The course introduces economic causes and impacts of conflict, and measure
the costs of conflict, identify post-conflict economic issues and its management, and examine lessons
derived from conflict from selected countries.
Peace-Tourism and Development: The course provides extensive knowledge about humans‘
movement, interaction, intercultural communication, understanding, goodwill and peace between
the people of different countries on one side and tourism is as developmental tool during the peace
time on the other.
Peace and Disarmament Education: This course provides knowledge on dialogue on disarmament,
non-proliferation and security matters by informing about global disarmament and non-proliferation
norms and region-oriented approach to translating global disarmament and non-proliferation norms
in Asia and around the world.
Comparative Constitutions: The course imparts the knowledge about Constitution and
Constitutionalism. It explains general features of different models of Constitutions. It enhances
students' capacity for evaluating the role of different organs of government.
International Organizations: The overall objectives of the course: to delineate the historical
antecedents and trends in the growth of international organizations; to identify the various types of
international and transnational organizations and discuss the important characteristics of each; to
discuss the various theories and concepts used to study international organizations; to describe the
structure and activities of the principal organs and specialized agencies of the UN system.