Collection of Global Course Syllabi Relating to Internally Displaced Persons
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The Brookings—SAIS Project on Internal Displacement Collection of Global Course Syllabi Relating to Internally Displaced Persons by Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli September 2004 Collection of Global Course Syllabi Relating to Internally Displaced Persons September 2004 Foreword The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement expresses its appreciation to all of the experts from different parts of the world who have contributed their courses to this collection of global syl- labi on internal displacement. We are especially grateful to Michael Cernea of the World Bank for preparing an insightful commentary on teaching about displacement. Appreciation is due to Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli for researching and identifying courses that relate to internal displacement throughout the world and for compiling this collection. It should be noted that this collection does not include all courses that deal with the subject of internal displacement. Rather it is the first effort that brings together a broad sampling which highlights how instructors have inte- grated the subject matter into their curriculum. We hope that this collection will serve to stimulate further development of courses and trainings mate- rials on internal displacement. Such courses are vital to raising global awareness of the plight of the internally displaced worldwide and building the knowledge base necessary for finding durable solu- tions to their protection and assistance concerns. Roberta Cohen Francis M. Deng Co-Directors The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement 1 Collection of Global Course Syllabi September 2004 Relating to Internally Displaced Persons 2 The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement Collection of Global Course Syllabi Relating to Internally Displaced Persons September 2004 Introduction This collection is intended to serve as a resource for academics, researchers and trainers interested in developing courses and training materials pertinent to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and to encourage worldwide efforts to create courses inclusive of this subject. University faculty in different parts of the world have asked the Brookings-SAIS Project to undertake this compilation in order to stimulate additional courses and provide an exchange of ideas on how best to teach the different aspects of internal displacement and integrate the subject into broader coursework. Since 1997, a growing number of academic institutions around the world have begun to include the subject of internal displacement in their course work. At the City University of New York (CUNY), Dr. Francis M. Deng, Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, introduced the first course exclusively devoted to the subject of internal displacement in 2002. In preparation for this course, I developed a Selected Bibliography on the Global Crisis of Internal Displacement, published by the Project in December 2001. The widespread interest in the bibliogra- phy and Dr. Deng’s course further influenced the decision of the Brookings-SAIS Project to compile syllabi from around the world relevant to the subject of internal displacement. The course syllabi found in this collection were sent in by faculty and trainers in different countries in response to an announcement that was circulated to over 300 academics and researchers engaged in the field of forced migration and other relevant course subjects. The announcement went to numer- ous universities, non-governmental and international organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East in the course of 2002–3. The collection is divided into two sections: courses exclusively focused on internally displaced persons; courses on broader subjects that include internally displaced persons; training programs; and certifi- cate programs. The diversity of the university course syllabi demonstrates that internal displacement is a multi-faceted issue of relevance to several fields of study, including anthropology, law, public health, political science and development. The subject of forced migration has begun to be taught in Western industrialized states (Canada, Italy, Norway, Spain, UK and USA) where there is growing academic interest in the issue. It is also taught in countries with significant populations of displaced persons, such as Colombia, India, Mexico and Sri Lanka. In Colombia, an academic field of study has been developing in an effort to address the concerns of IDPs and analyze the country’s legal and national response to the problem. In India, the Mahanirban Calcutta Research group has decided to launch its annual forced migration course in order to bring forward a South Asian perspective on how to conceptualize and address the concerns of forced migrants. The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement 3 Collection of Global Course Syllabi September 2004 Relating to Internally Displaced Persons In addition to university course syllabi, this collection includes training modules on internal displace- ment and on the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the first international standards for IDPs. The modules reproduced include those used by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)’s Global IDP Database and by the agencies in the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). To date, the NRC has conducted training workshops in Angola, Burma, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Liberia, Philippines, Sierra Leone, and Uganda (see www.idpproject.org). OCHA’s Internal Displacement Unit regularly uses the IASC training modules to train UN staff and local actors to better understand and respond to IDPs. In particular, the Unit’s training has served to support the development of national policies that address the protection and assistance concerns of the internally displaced. To date, the IDP Unit has conducted training in many countries (for the reports of the Unit training, including lessons learned, see www.reliefweb.int/idp). The author wishes to thank the faculty members and trainers who submitted their syllabi and mod- ules for inclusion in this compilation. Appreciation also goes to the staff of the Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement and to Co-Director Roberta Cohen for encouraging and editing this volume. We are aware that there may be other universities with courses not listed here and would therefore appreciate receiving any additional syllabus or training materials. The Brookings-SAIS Project’s support of educational initiatives on the subject of internally displaced persons is an ongo- ing effort. I would therefore very much appreciate receiving from you any syllabus or training mate- rials, for future editions. Internal displacement can now be found in more than 50 countries throughout the world. There are an estimated 25 million persons displaced due to conflict alone most of whom are in urgent need of protection and assistance. These large numbers of women, men and children who find themselves in this complicated and vulnerable state point to the need for increased education on this subject. Further development of course syllabi on internally displaced persons (IDPs) is encouraged in order to stimulate more effective global, regional and national strategies among the actors. Education is the first step in the process of consciousness raising and providing inspiration for action. Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli Senior Research Analyst The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement 4 The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement Collection of Global Course Syllabi Relating to Internally Displaced Persons September 2004 Teaching About Population Displacement: Reflections About a Collection of Syllabi Michael M. Cernea1 Social science research on population displacement has vastly expanded in recent decades, in all respects: more published empirical investigations; broader territorial coverage; increasing efforts towards theory building; methodological innovations in research; and visibly stronger influence on actual policies and on operational programs. Now, due to the present compendium of University syl- labi, we receive convincing testimony about yet another dimension of this growth: the expansion and diversification of academic teaching about displacement and resettlement. This is an important body of research-accumulated knowledge about displacement, not only claiming, but also legitimately stak- ing, its own territory in the academy. Specialized university courses multiply, achieve clearer didactic structure and — most importantly — gain access to more minds eager to learn. The present compendium of University syllabi, tenaciously collected and organized by Gimena Garzoli-Sánchez for the Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement, is indeed a very timely and important academic publication. It makes possible for the first time an intellectual stock-taking of the progress accomplished to date in the academic reproduction and communication of knowledge about population involuntary displacement. It also enables the exchange of experiences, between those at great distance of each other from the US to Bangladesh, from China to South Africa, from India to Norway, and to and from many other countries — who now teach, or would teach these topics in the future. The international community of scholars, researchers and practitioners in this domain there- fore owe a debt of gratitude to the Brookings-SAIS Project and its leaders, Francis Deng and Roberta Cohen, and