By the end of this curricular unit, each student should be able to:
LO1 - Explain the main normative frameworks of the UN in peace and security (Pact for the Future; New Agenda for Peace) and identify practical implications for professionals.
LO2 - Identify and compare contemporary challenges to international security: hybrid threats, cyber conflicts, climate security, and the protection of civilians.
LO3 - Apply negotiation and mediation techniques in simulated conflict situations, adapting them to multilateral and multistakeholder contexts.
LO4 - Analyze the role of different actors (States, IOs, the private sector, and civil society) in conflict prevention.
LO5 - Formulate well-founded policy recommendations based on real-world cases of peacekeeping operations and crisis management.
LO6 - Develop leadership skills in contexts of uncertainty, integrating ethical issues and gender perspectives into peace and security analysis.
The program is organized around 5 programmatic contents (PCs), including a preparatory online phase and an in-person component.
PC1 - (Online) Global order in transformation; Pact for the Future and New Agenda for Peace; contemporary peacekeeping operations
PC2 - Multilateral diplomacy; UN Security Council and coalition dynamics; Portugal's position in the context of international peace and security
PC3 - Hybrid threats and cyber warfare; climate security and resource conflicts; protection of civilians; early warning systems and conflict prevention
PC4 - Negotiation techniques; mediation skills; integrated mission planning; civil-military coordination; crisis simulation
PC5 - Role of the private sector in conflict prevention; ethics, gender, peace and security (UNSCR 1325); action-oriented policy recommendations
The assessment system for this course unit is appropriate for the profile of a non-degree specialisation course, taking into account the need to simplify the award of the specialisation certificate.
Assessment takes place throughout the programme (continuous assessment); no examination-based assessment modality is foreseen. It is based on the following elements:
1. Online test [individual] – 20%: Individual test administered at the end of the synchronous online phase. Assesses acquisition of the knowledge and conceptual frameworks delivered by the guest speakers.
The individual online test is conducted synchronously, within a limited time window, through the Iscte learning management platform. The questions directly apply to the content and case studies covered in the online phase, generated from a randomized bank for each participant, and there is no possibility of going back. Before starting, participants confirm an academic integrity declaration, attesting to the autonomous completion of the test, without the use of artificial intelligence tools or third-party support.
2. Active participation in in-person sessions [individual and group] – 20%: Engagement in debates, simulations, and workshops throughout the in-person week, including the crisis simulation exercise. Assesses analytical, communication, and collaborative competencies in a real-time context.
3. Individual final presentations [individual] – 30%: Individual oral presentation delivered on the last day of the in-person week, on one of the course topics. Assesses synthesis, argumentation, and communication skills in a professional context.
4. Final written assignment [individual] – 30%: Individual written document (1000–1500 words) with evidence-based policy recommendations on one of the course topics, to be submitted within 3 weeks of programme completion.
The final classification is expressed on a scale of 0 to 20. Approval requires a minimum grade of 10. No minimum grade is required for each individual assessment element. No mandatory minimum attendance criteria are applied, given the intensive nature of the programme and the diversity of the target audience; however, attendance at at least 80% of in-person sessions is recommended to ensure the coherence of the learning experience.
Mandatory
Williams, P. D., & Bellamy, A. J. (2021). Understanding Peacekeeping. 3rd ed. Polity Press. | Howard, L. M. (2019). Power in Peacekeeping. Cambridge University Press. | Caplan, R. (2019). Measuring Peace: Principles, Practices, and Politics. Oxford University Press. | Mac Ginty, R., & Wanis-St. John, A. (eds.) (2022). Contemporary Peacemaking: Peace Processes, Peacebuilding and Conflict. 3rd ed. Palgrave Macmillan / Springer. | Bove, V., Ruffa, C., & Ruggeri, A. (2020). Composing Peace: Mission Composition in UN Peacekeeping. Oxford University Press. | Hultman, L., Kathman, J. D., & Shannon, M. (2019). Peacekeeping in the Midst of War. Oxford University Press. | United Nations (2023). A New Agenda for Peace. Office of the Secretary-General. | United Nations (2024). Pact for the Future. Summit of the Future.
Optional
Hultman, L., Kathman, J. D., & Shannon, M. (2013). “United Nations Peacekeeping and Civilian Protection in Civil War.” American Journal of Political Science, 57(4), 875–891. | Bellamy, A. J. (2023). “The Responsibility to Protect.” In P. D. Williams (ed.), Security Studies: An Introduction. 4th ed., 268–283. Taylor & Francis. | Bellamy, A. J. (2022). “The United Nations and Peacemaking.” In R. Mac Ginty & A. Wanis-St. John (eds.), Contemporary Peacemaking, 83–101. Palgrave Macmillan. | Hultman, L., Kathman, J. D., & Shannon, M. (2016). “United Nations Peacekeeping Dynamics and the Duration of Post-Civil Conflict Peace.” Conflict Management and Peace Science, 33(3), 231–249. | Hultman, L., Kathman, J., & Shannon, M. (2014). “Beyond Keeping Peace: United Nations Effectiveness in the Midst of Fighting.” American Political Science Review, 108(4), 737–753. | Nilsson, D. (2012). “Anchoring the Peace: Civil Society Actors in Peace Accords and Durable Peace.” International Interactions, 38(2), 243–266. | Zartman, I. W., & Faure, G. O. (eds.) (2005). Escalation and Negotiation in International Conflicts. Cambridge University Press. | Crocker, C. A., Hampson, F. O., & Aall, P. (eds.) (2001). Turbulent Peace: The Challenges of Managing International Conflict. United States Institute of Peace Press. | Bellamy, A. J. (2024). “Internationalized Civil War.” In A. Gruszczak & S. Kaempf (eds.), Routledge Handbook of the Future of Warfare, 389–399. Routledge.
