Guest Post: Here’s Why Conflict Analysis And Security Studies Is Crucial For Malta
Malta has never been a stranger to conflict and violence. Situated at the crossroads of different civilisations, it saw a succession of invasions and conquests, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, the Knights of St. John, the French and finally the British.
Often Malta is more famous for who failed to conquer us, than who did, successfully repulsing the Ottomans during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, and the Axis powers in WWII.
Considering Malta’s history, it is fitting that the country is also home to one of the most exciting master programmes on Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean Security Studies, which is currently accepting applications.
Offered through the University of Malta’s Centre for the Study and Practice of Conflict Resolution, together with George Mason Universities’ Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (based out of Arlington, Virginia), the programme offers a three-semester intensive dual master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean Security Studies, and allows students to engage with some of the greatest minds in these fields.
This is not an online programme, but instead brings in international professors and lecturers who specialise in their respective fields to teach in-person classes at the historic Valletta Campus.
I completed this programme myself in 2013, and it changed my life. I since went on to
complete my PhD in Conflict Analysis, and now serve as a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta and the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies.
But what is Conflict Analysis and Resolution?
While many students might be acquainted with the concept of Security Studies, Conflict Analysis and Resolution is often less familiar.
In brief, Conflict Analysis studies systems of violence, which means that students learn to unpack the mechanisms contributing to conflict, including the historical, the political, the institutional, the economic, the cultural and the international.
Students are taught to look at every contributing factor that has led to social, political, economic, and institutional instability and to unpack these components so that they can assess and explain conflict in a manner that that everyone can understand.
The first step in being able to resolve conflicts is to properly understand them in the first place. That means that subjects taught as part of this programme are rich and diverse, including Environmental Conflict, Human Rights and Conflict, Economic Issues and Conflict, Conflict and Negotiations, political causes of conflict, and Identity and Conflict.
By the end of the programme, students not only graduate with two Master degrees — both from the US and EU.
However, more importantly, students will learn tools to unpack different causes of conflict, develop skills of managing different types of conflict, acquire the know-how to address all forms of violence including structural (embedded in institutions, for instance) and prevent its manipulation (through narratives of violence and injustice).
This programme presents a fascinating opportunity for anyone interested in joining an international cohort to study current and relevant conflict resolution scenarios across the globe.
Credit: European Union Agency for Asylum
The programme also has a strong research record, and a broad appeal to employers, NGOs and research institutions alike, with past alumni having found employment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European institutions such as the European = External Action Service as well as prestigious doctoral programmes and private enterprises to name a few.
The final application deadline for this programme is 15 September at 14:00. Click here to learn more.
For questions or comments, please contact: [email protected]
Alexandra Schaerrer Cumming is a Swiss-Maltese national, residing and lecturing in Malta.
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