Program is part of an initiative to open a new, multidisciplinary and multicultural MA program in Peace Studies at the University of Haifa. This English-language program would be open to Israeli, Palestinian, and foreign students who are interested in taking advantage of the opportunity to study within a unique learning environment: a region that is in the midst of an ongoing conflict, a city that is known for the coexistence of members of various religions (Haifa), and within the multicultural context of the University of Haifa.
The Peace Studies program would seek to train researchers in the field of conflict and conflict resolution; to train experts in combining academic and practical approaches of conflict resolution, education for peace, and negotiation between adversarial sides in a conflict; and to develop leadership that can lead organizations and society toward a peaceful future.
The proposed program would focus on four areas: conflicts and their development, with an emphasis on the conflict in the Middle East; various approaches to conflict resolution and striving for peace, their success and failure; quantitative and qualitative research methods; and field experience in relevant aspects, including observation, meetings with policy makers, and closely following peace talks. Interaction between students of different cultural and religious backgrounds should further enhance the learning process.