Frederick C. Cuny Peace & Conflict Summer Program

Named after American humanitarian and disaster relief specialist Frederick C. Cuny, and based at RIT’s Kosovo campus in the heart of Europe's Balkan region, this is a premier international leadership program.

• Participate in a one-week study tour to Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia, where students meet officials and activists and visit historical and recreational areas in the beautiful Balkans.
• Live what you are learning: Kosovo is a  ‘living laboratory' of history in the heart of the Balkans and an ideal location to explore the origin and resolution of armed conflict, reconstruction, and institution building at the end of wars.
• Courses are taught by senior civilian and military officials, NGO activists, and academics with hands-on experience in the Balkans, Middle East, and elsewhere.
• You will meet Kosovo Government senior officials, activists, and officials from diplomatic and international missions. 
• Visit historically significant sites in Kosovo, take part in informal late-afternoon seminars on current issues, and participate in workshops/simulations of peacekeeping operations.

Program Overview:
Explore the history, politics, and economics of conflict situations in an environment that serves as a living example of the subject. You'll learn about the background of the Kosovo conflict of the late 20th century, the dynamic nature of security in the period following the fighting, and continuing challenges to conflict transformation and development. Courses in areas such as war and peace in the Balkans, the role of the international community in conflict resolution, and economic development in post-conflict areas will be taught by renowned experts who have hands-on experience in the crises of the Balkans and elsewhere. Classes include students from around the world sharing one thing in common: an interest in learning about the timeless issues of war and peace in a newly-born country. Your classroom experience will be further enhanced by day trips across the region, highlighting the rich cultural diversity of the Balkans.

The Kosovo summer program offers two summer sessions, each 4 weeks long. Students take two classes (6 credits) per session and can opt to do one session or both. Students may also choose to do an internship (unpaid, no credit) after either session I or II.

Session I - Focus on Human Rights, Transitional Justice, and International Law (May 27-June 21, 2024)
Students choose two classes:

• POLS 330: Human Rights in a Global Perspective
• POLS 325: International Law and Organizations
• ANTH 345: Genocide and Transitional Justice

Regional Study Trip (June 24-29, 2024)

• Students doing session I would go on the study tour at the end of their session. Students doing session II would go on the study tour before their session begins.
• Study tour visits Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Session II - focus on Peacekeeping and Conflict Management (July 1-26, 2024)
Students choose two classes:

• POLS 541: Peacekeeping and Conflict Transformation
• POLS 542: War, Diplomacy and Statebuilding
• POLS 445: Terrorism and Political Violence

Internship (July or August)

• You have the option of doing a short internship after each program session. After session I, your internship would take place in July. After session II, your internship would take place in August.
• RIT Kosovo will help you secure an internship. Internships are at Kosovo think tanks (working groups that focus on economic, political, and social issues of the region), government, or non-profit organizations.
• Internships are unpaid, not for credit, and typically last 2-4 weeks.

No pre-requisites. Program open to all majors. 

Application deadline: April 21, 2024

Program Cost: Student budget worksheets outlining all program costs are below. There are different program costs depending on whether you are doing one summer session, both summer sessions or internships.

• Summer Session I (6 credits)
• Summer Session I + internship (6 credits)
• Summer Session II (6 credits)
• Summer Session II + internship (6 credits)
• Summer Sessions I + II (12 credits)
• Summer Sessions I + II + internship (12 credits)

To Apply:

1) Make an appointment to meet with the study abroad advisor for this program, Myles Chalue - choose date and time
2) Start an application in the RIT Study Abroad Compass