conflict resolution | McCormack Speaks

February 10, 2018
by McCormack Speaks
0 comments

Four Global Governance & Human Security Doctoral Students Chosen for Transdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Program

Selected from a pool of highly competitive candidates, the Office of Graduate Studies has chosen 12 PhD students representing 7 graduate programs across the university to participate in the 2018 UMass Boston Transdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Development Program. Among them include 4 students from the PhD Program in Global Governance and Human Security at the McCormack Graduate School – the largest number from any one doctoral program.With funds provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this proposal development program is a collaboration between the Social Science Research Council and the University of Massachusetts Boston designed to expose doctoral candidates to the possibilities of transdisciplinary research, to develop proposals that are competitive for external funding, and to increase the support networks and retention of students at this critical stage in their careers.These doctoral students will participate in a dissertation seminar this spring led by Professor of Anthropology Rosalyn Negrón to help them prepare to defend their dissertation proposals in the next academic year. Students will develop cogent and fundable research proposals that draw on inter- or transdisciplinary theories, methods, or approaches. In addition to the dissertation seminar, the Office of Graduate Studies will also offer a summer bootcamp on transdisciplinary methods.

Students in this cohort will also earn a small stipend in summer research funds to support their dissertation proposal development.

McCormack Graduate School awardees include:

Anna Dubrova

Dissertation topic: Global governance of chemicals and waste: Assessing the effectiveness of global environmental conventions
Faculty Advisor: Maria Ivanova

Kundan Mishra

Dissertation topic: Distress, determinants, and decisions: A case study of decision making in seasonal migrant households
Faculty Advisor: Stacy VanDeveer

Jean-Pierre Murray
Dissertation topic: The migration security nexus: Exploring the securitization of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic
Faculty Advisor: Margaret Karns

David Sulewski
Dissertation topic: Peacebuilding and nonviolent resistance in post-conflict Colombia: A case study of Colombia’s Pacific coast
Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Pugh

We congratulate these burgeoning scholars.

September 10, 2017
by McCormack Speaks
0 comments

Rio de Janeiro and the Threats of Violence, Poverty, and Drugs

by David Matz, Professor Emeritus of Conflict Resolution

I have just returned from a one-week visit to Rio. The city faces the Atlantic Ocean, has gorgeous beaches, and is surrounded by quickly rising mountains. It is an excellent tourist destination with many great restaurants and upscale malls. I was accompanied (hosted) by my friend Liz Leeds who has spent much of her professional life working there. We spent most of our time talking with Liz’s friends who work, as she has, in public security, police reform, and community organizing.

In addition to the beauty of parts of the city, Rio’s most striking feature is its violence. It is everywhere, it is sharply increasing, and it is naturally on everyone’s mind. In the last year there have been 60,000 homicides in Brazil (population 210,000,000), and 90 murdered policemen in Rio. One ranking lists Brazil as #1 in violence.

Allow me to share a few of my experiences: Continue Reading →

July 10, 2017
by McCormack Speaks
0 comments

VIDEO: McCormack Graduate School Makes Impact on Global Conflicts

Darren Kew, executive director of the Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development and associate professor of conflict resolution, human security, and global governance talks about how conflict resolution work being done in Nigeria is relevant in Boston and other parts of the world.

April 12, 2017
by McCormack Speaks
0 comments

VIDEO: McCormack School Offers Accelerated Master’s Degree Programs

The John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies now offers accelerated master’s degree programs. UMass Boston undergraduates can now earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in just five years in conflict resolution, gerontology, global comparative public administration, international relations, management of aging services, or public administration.

For highly-qualified students in the College of Liberal Arts and Honors College, this unique accelerated program allows students to finish their master’s degree in approximately half the time and at half the cost of a traditional two-year master’s program.

Eligible students will replace undergraduate electives with graduate coursework before matriculating as a graduate student to complete the master’s degree.

Watch this video to learn more.

December 22, 2016
by McCormack Speaks
0 comments

Assessing Cross Cultural Encounters: Rethinking Impact

by Karen Ross, Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance

Whether in the form of joint sports teams or theater troupes, cross cultural study abroad experiences, or intensive weekend dialogue sessions, programs designed to bring together youth across conflict lines offer a unique platform for fostering communication and understanding. But how do you measure the impact of these programs? In contexts of ongoing, sometimes violent conflict, how can you assess whether programs bringing together teenagers barely old enough to vote are able to make a difference in the big picture of the conflict? Continue Reading →