Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4)
At Columbia University
The Advanced Consortium on Cooperation,
Conflict, and Complexity
Fellowship Materials (These three forms must be completed by all fellowship applicants. Please send completed forms to jjs2160@columbia.edu)
AC4 Fellowship Application
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AC4 Faculty Sponsor Form
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AC4 Projected Budget
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The Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity
2009-2010 Overview, Objectives, and Activities
August 30, 2009
Based on the increasing complexity and volatility associated with contemporary forms of geopolitical conflict and violence, and on Columbia University’s rich tradition of research and development in conflict resolution theory and practice, the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4) has been established at Columbia University. AC4 supports innovative, inter-disciplinary, scholar-practitioner activities that address difficult, unresolved issues in the areas of violence prevention, conflict resolution, and sustainable development and peace.
Situated at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, AC4 was created in collaboration with several Columbia conflict resolution entities such as the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR) at Teachers College, the Center for International Conflict Resolution (CICR) and the United Nations Studies Program at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School, and the MS Program on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia’s School of Continuing Education. Today, AC4 is primed for interdisciplinary collaboration with leading scholars, practitioners and policy-makers in the US and abroad. AC4’s activities are funded through a profit-sharing agreement with the MS Program on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia’s School of Continuing Education and through external grants and donations.
To be clear, AC4 is a new consortium of existing programs, centers, institutes, and faculty at Columbia, not a new center. The rationale for this is that although there is excellent work being conducted on conflict, violence, development and peace at the University from various disciplinary perspectives, there is very little interdisciplinary work being conducted at Columbia in these areas.
Furthermore, issues of critical resource scarcity, territory, environmental degradation, and development, particularly when they are framed in zero-sum terms, are central to many of the more violent and protracted conflicts around the globe today. Some of these conflicts escalate and result in genocide and other mass atrocities. The study of these perplexing problems, and the roles played by scarcity and development today, requires an approach to research that moves beyond the traditionally siloed disciplines of economics, political science, climate studies and psychology, and that brings them together in a manner that reflects the complexity of the problems we seek to understand and rectify. This is the primary objective of AC4.
AC4’s mission is dedicated to fostering a unique community of learning, experimentation and development for scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers working together across relevant disciplines to generate leading-edge ideas, practices and technologies for fostering violence prevention, conflict resolution, and sustainable development and peace.
AC4’s Main Objectives:
• To assemble and communicate the resources already present within the Columbia University community to study sustainable peace, conflict, and violence.
• To stimulate and support leading-edge research and practice on sustainable peace, conflict and violence by graduate students from different schools and departments at Columbia.
• To enhance the capacity to communicate and build partnerships from science to policy/practice and from policy/practice to science.
• To establish the conditions for interdisciplinary research and practice and technology development on sustainable peace, conflict and violence at Columbia, in a manner that also strengthens the disciplinary work of all AC4 affiliates.
• To study the necessary and sufficient conditions for working collaboratively and effectively across a variety of disciplines to address sustainable peace, conflict, and violence prevention through multiple perspectives and complementary approaches.
AC4’s 2009-2010 Activities:
Formally established in July, 2009, our initial activities will include:
• AC4 Graduate Fellowship Program: This year, AC4 will provide up to $2500 in funding in scholarships or travel grants for 10 Columbia University graduate students to support research in areas addressing violence prevention, conflict resolution, and sustainable development and peace (doctoral student’s dissertation research or master’s student’s thesis research or capstone projects). Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Proposals must be submitted by Columbia University faculty who agree to: 1) advise and support their student through the completion of his or her project and 2) to attend one Fall informational meeting and 3) one Spring term gathering for the AC4 Fellows, where they will present their research during a mini-conference poster session. Deadline for proposals is September 15, 2009.
• AC4 Interdisciplinary Faculty Research Awards: This year, AC4 will provide up to $5000 in seed money to 5 Columbia University Faculty interested in spear-heading new interdisciplinary research projects related to violence prevention, conflict resolution, and sustainable development and peace. Special consideration will be given to projects that address conflict and peace in relation to environmental issues, scarce resources, and climate change. Proposals must be submitted by Columbia University faculty by December 15, 2009. Award recipients will be expected to present the results of their projects at upcoming AC4 Colloquia.
• AC4 Website and Clearinghouse for Information on Columbia University Peace, Conflict, and Violence-Related Courses and Events: Each term, AC4 will gather and compile information on all CU graduate courses and CU events/activities related to peace, conflict, and violence, and post this information (organized by theme, discipline and school) on the website. AC4 will also sponsor 1-2 faculty-student gatherings throughout the year.
• Interdisciplinary Practice-Theory Project on Sustainable Development and Peace: In contrast with research on conflict and violence, there are few scholars conducting basic research on the fundamental (necessary and sufficient) conditions and processes for sustainable peace today, including the role development plays in fostering such conditions. However, it is critical that the applied frameworks which inform peacebuilding be based on sound, empirically-tested theoretical models in order to increase our knowledge base and foster sustainable peace most effectively. We currently have a small grant from the Berghof Foundation to begin this work by convening a 3-day session with 4 groups involved in “success stories”; accounts of effective development and peace processes that resulted in sustainable peace. We will bring them together with a group of multi-disciplinary scholars to attempt to identify the basic underlying dynamics they share. Also, in collaboration with Jeff Sachs of the Earth Institute and the Under Secretaries General of UNDP and UNDPKO at the United Nations, we are developing a pilot field project to explore the utility of multi-disciplinary, scholar-practitioner teams in helping to develop policy recommendations for sustainable development and peace in Haiti.
• Interdisciplinary Theory-Practice Project on Engaging Governments in Genocide Prevention (EGGP): For the past 4 years, faculty at Columbia University have been involved in the design and implementation of an institute on genocide prevention, under the leadership of Andrea Bartoli, formally of SIPA, and Peter T. Coleman of Teachers College. This is an advanced education and training program on the prevention of genocide for mid-level government career personnel from the 192 United Nations member states who have exhibited extraordinary leadership potential. The program aims to inspire dedicated government leaders from around the world and equip them with the knowledge and skills to be effective agents for the prevention of genocide. The first of its kind, the program brings together diverse young leaders—diplomats, intelligence, military, and human rights officers—for intensive, participatory training through week-long intensive workshops in New York City, followed by confidential interactive sessions. AC4 plans to support continued interdisciplinary, pedagogical and technological development of the program. One central project will be the on-going development of a simulation on mass violence, developed by Mark Whitlock (CICR), and Tucker Herding (Center for New Media, Teaching and Learning).
• Interdisciplinary Project on Modeling the Fundamental Dynamics of Intractable Conflict: For the past 3 years, Peter Coleman has been leading an international team of scholar-practitioners, with funding from the James S. McDonnell Foundation, to develop a theory of enduring conflicts from the perspective of complex systems. The project applies the principles and methods of dynamical systems theory to what is arguably the most complex and dynamic of all social phenomena: intractable social conflict. Such conflicts are rare, but when they do occur they undermine the security and well being of societies worldwide. The project is currently being conducted by a multidisciplinary research team consisting of 1) a specialist in the study of intractable conflict (Peter T. Coleman); 2) two social psychologists with expertise in the application of dynamical systems to cognitive, interpersonal, group, and societal phenomena (Andrzej Nowak and Robin Vallacher); 3) a physicist with expertise in formal descriptions and the modeling of system dynamics (Larry Liebovitch); and 4) a social anthropologist (and practitioner) who specializes in international conflict and genocide prevention (Andrea Bartoli).
• Project on Interdisciplinary Scholarship and Practice in Peace, Conflict & Violence: Two of AC4’s main objectives are to help establish the conditions for effective interdisciplinary research and practice and to study the necessary and sufficient conditions for working collaboratively and effectively across a variety of disciplines to address sustainable peace, conflict, and violence prevention through multiple perspectives and complementary approaches. In service of these goals, AC4 will work with the Ed Lab at Teachers College and fund a research project on effective interdisciplinary scholar-practice.
• Project on Establishing Effective Virtual Networks in Peace, Conflict & Violence: A central component of all of the interdisciplinary projects listed above is the capacity to get and stay connected with project colleagues and relevant others through communications and virtual technology, ideally through a shared network. This year, AC4 will support the design and development of one such project, the EGGGP, as a prototype for Peace, Conflict, & Violence network development.
• AC4 Research Assistant: One part-time PhD level graduate student will be funded for Year 1 of AC4 to help establish the consortium, including networking with and providing information to interested students and faculty, gathering information on relevant courses and AC4-related activities, designing a new website, supporting the AC4 Fellows and events, and supporting the AC4 Faculty Advisory Committee.
AC4 Advisory Committee:
• Chair: ICCCR-TC Director: Professor Peter T. Coleman, (212) 678-3112; pc84@columbia.edu
• MS Program in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution: Dr. Beth Fisher-Yoshida, (212) 678-8106; bf2017@columbia.edu
• Mediation Clinic- Law School: Professor Carol Liebman, (212) 854-8557; cliebman@law.columbia.edu
• CICR-SIPA Director: Mr. Aldo Civico, (212) 854 4449, ac1115@columbia.edu
• Elisabeth Lindenmayer – UN Studies Program, SIPA, ELindenmayer2@aol.com
• Senior Advisor: Professor Andrea Bartoli, 917-583-3993 (cell); ab203@columbia.edu (or abartoli@gmu.edu)
