REU Site: Civil Conflict Management and Peace Science

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

Abstract

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. As such, it has both scientific and societal benefits, and it integrates research and education. This project is a renewal REU Site at the University of North Texas (UNT). The Department of Political Science at the UNT runs this unique program to provide 30 undergraduate students (recruited from across the country) the opportunity to engage in graduate-level research in conflict management and peace science, in a senior faculty-mentored, in-residence, eight- week, Summer Research Experience that integrates training in civil conflict management with training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial analysis, and research ethics. In this program, student participants develop theoretical propositions that are tested empirically using geocoded data and report their findings in a national professional political science conference. There is also training on research ethics incorporated as part of the program. Activities include workshops on theory development and research methodology, GIS, and the graduate school application process. There are also activities designed to build a sense of research community among students, faculty and graduate student mentors. It is important to extend training in conflict management to all students, but particularly to populations historically underrepresented in higher education (which are growing as a proportion of the undergraduate student population). This program seeks to address the need to develop further expertise in conflict management and peace science by providing opportunities to engage in advanced empirical research to students who would not otherwise have such research opportunities. UNT is well positioned, both institutionally and geographically, to provide such access. To that end, the PI-team is cooperating with a Historically Black College/ Universities (HBCU) in Texas, Prairie View A&M University, the American Political Science Association, and the Ronald E. McNair Program at UNT to assist in broadening the pool of applicants to the program, although all students with an interest in this field are encouraged to apply to the program. The growing frequency of civil conflicts in the world and the security concerns these conflicts pose for the United States, the development of human capital that is equipped to deal with these challenges is critical for the national security of the country. The intellectual focus of the program is on civil conflict management and the enhancement of peace. Indeed since 1945 civil conflicts-civil war, revolution, secessionist war, and ethnic and sectarian violence-has replaced interstate war as the most frequent and deadly form of armed conflict in the world. The program seeks to focus on understanding the causes of civil conflict occurrence (or reoccurrence) by examining sub-state data. In particular, the goal is to train students in theory building and empirical analytical skills, which will promote innovative thinking and problem solving skills. Developing skills in geospatial analysis provides undergraduate program participants with cutting edge tools to understand the causes of conflict, and hence better prepare them to devise innovative solutions regarding civil conflict management.