genocide and mass atrocities - African Studies Association of the UK

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR AEGIS RWANDA SHORT COURSE: GENOCIDE AND MASS ATROCITIES:
ACTORS, CAUSES AND RESPONSES TO VIOLENCE
20-31 July 2015
Kigali, Rwanda
Aegis Trust’s Research, Policy and Higher Education (RPHE) Department invites academics, teachers,
trainers, policymakers and practitioners to apply for a short course on “Genocide and Mass
Atrocities: Actors, Causes and Responses to Violence”.
The course is convened by Dr Phil Clark, head of the RPHE department and Reader in Comparative
and International Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
The course will be delivered by a combination of Rwandan and non-Rwandan academics.
To apply, please email rpheteam@aegistrust.org.rw and attach your CV and a statement of
motivation no longer than one A4 page, highlighting the benefits of the course for you and your
work. There are a maximum of 45 places on the course. Preference will be given to lecturers,
teachers and trainers but policymakers and practitioners are also encouraged to apply. Rwandans
and east Africans are particularly encouraged to apply, although applicants from elsewhere are also
welcome.
The application deadline is 15th May 2015, and applicants will be informed within three weeks. The
course will require your presence in Kigali, and will primarily take place at Kigali Genocide Memorial.
There is no charge for the course, but participants from outside Kigali must arrange their own travel
and accommodation.
Reading material will be provided, which participants will need to read before the course begins.
Week 1 – Causes of genocide and other mass atrocities
Week 1 introduces conceptual debates about genocide and other forms of mass atrocity; various
causes of conflict; specific political and social processes leading to mass violence; actors of mass
atrocities; and a case study of the Rwanda genocide, culminating in a rural field visit. The overall
theme of the week is the causes and processes of genocide and other mass atrocities.
Week 2 – Responses to mass atrocities: looking back, looking forward
Week 2 addresses memorialisation; conflict prevention; peacebuilding; transitional justice;
reconciliation and social cohesion. Overall the week covers the theory and practice of the
prevention of, and responses, to mass atrocities.