Published on January 29, 2021
ContentThe World's First Master of Science in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention |
Note from the Co-Directors
As we start 2021, we have exciting news to share. I-GMAP is pleased to announce that our proposal to host the world鈥檚 first ever Master of Science in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention has received final approval, and that we will shortly be accepting applications for the first entering class for Fall 2021. We are excited to add this degree option to programs in Genocide and Holocaust Studies, Conflict Resolution, and related fields already being offered by our respected colleagues at other universities.
The events of January 6, 2021 in the U.S. Capitol have deepened and reinforced our conviction of the importance and timeliness of this new degree program. The MS in GMAP will graduate individuals who understand the importance of breaking down traditional barriers between academic disciplines, between the worlds of academia, civil society and government, and between stereotypical distinctions between the Global North and Global South, all in the service of more effective atrocity prevention. Similarly, our two-part webinar series for January focusing on the prospects for Atrocity Prevention in the Biden-Harris administration reflects these fundamental elements of the I-GMAP model. We look at both international and domestic atrocities, we engage scholars and practitioners from diverse backgrounds, and we keep the focus on prospects for prevention.
- Nadia Rubaii & Max Pensky
The World's First Master of Science in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention
The New York State Department of Education approved 绿帽社's Master of Science in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and we intend to welcome the first cohort of M.S. students in Fall 2021.
The Master of Science in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (GMAP) prepares graduates to analyze risk factors, formulate strategies, and implement policies and practices to reduce the occurrence, severity, and potential for reoccurrence of genocides and other mass atrocities around the world. With a focus on the application of an atrocity prevention lens, the program educates students to recognize opportunities to engage in upstream (before conflict), midstream (during conflict) and downstream (post-conflict) prevention measures. Through an interdisciplinary approach integrating classroom learning, applied research, engagement with practitioners, and an intensive field placement, the program prepares graduates to be prevention actors at the micro (individual), meso (organizational), and macro (societal) levels. The program is university-wide and overseen by the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention which reports to the Provost.
This first-of-its-kind professional master's degree program will include funded field placements of 4-6 months after one year of coursework. If your organization may be interested in hosting one of our graduate students, please be in contact with I-GMAP Assistant Director, Dr. Stephen Capobianco at scapobia@binghamton.edu.
Upcoming Events
Save the Date: Spring 2021 Webinars
Date |
Time |
Topic |
Registration Link |
| Thursday, February 11, 2021 | 10:00 am to noon EST | Prioritizing Children in Atrocity Prevention: Prevention Approaches in the Recruitment and Use of Children in Armed Conflict | |
| Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 10:00 am - 11:30 am EST | A Conversation with Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the new Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide at the United Nations | Forthcoming |
| April (date tba) | tba | Indigenous Priorities and Perspectives in Atrocity Prevention | Forthcoming |
Prioritizing Children in Atrocity Prevention: Prevention Approaches in the Recruitment and Use of Children in Armed Conflict
In Collaboration with the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security
Thursday February 11, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (EST)
English-Spanish Simultaneous Interpretation Provided
Preventing the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups, criminal networks and gangs, and reintegrating former child soldiers in the aftermath of armed conflict, are profound atrocity prevention challenges. In conflicts around the globe, children are used in a variety of roles from combatants, in support functions, as sexual slaves, or as intelligence gatherers and as a result face a devastating range of physical, psychological, and social vulnerabilities. Successful reintegration of children after such experiences is challenging and exacerbated by the instability of post-conflict and economic insecurity. This significantly contributes, in turn, to a heightened risk of further cycles of violence and the recurrence of atrocity crimes. Finding better ways to protect children from recruitment and use and to reintegrate those who have previously been recruited should be prioritized for achieving more peaceful societies.
What prevention approaches hold most promise for reducing the recruitment and use of children as soldiers? What do these prevention efforts in the context of armed forces and armed groups have in common with parallel efforts in the context of criminal networks and gangs? How can lessons learned from interstate or intrastate armed conflict inform efforts to reduce recruitment into organized criminal networks, and vice versa?
In this webinar, we are joined by our colleagues from the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security, as well as experts in the recruitment prevention and child protection fields both in the context of armed conflict and for criminal networks and gangs. Join us for a conversation on what they have learned through their experiences and their work.
Panelists:
- is an investigative journalist, policy analyst and author. He is co-founder and co-director of , a think tank focused on organized crime in the Americas. He is the author of (2019).
- is a civil society peacebuilding activist with special expertise in youth issues. He is National Coordinator of Local Youth Corner Cameroon.
- Cesar Rincon is a Colombian lawyer with 30 years of experience in criminal investigation, focusing on criminal organizations, human rights violations and government corruption. His experience includes 11 years as team coordinator at the United Nations International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).
- is the executive director of the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security (Canada).
Recent News
Two Webinars on What a Biden-Harris Administration Means for Atrocity Prevention
In this two-part online event, we ask our guests to help us understand what we may expect, and what we could hope for, as the Biden-Harris administration responds to increased atrocity risks, and damaged relationships, both globally and domestically.
Part I: The United States and Global Atrocity Prevention in the Biden-Harris Administration: What to Expect, What to Hope For?
In Part I of our conversation held on January 13, we looked at the global challenges facing the new administration, and ways forward in reconstructing the country's global atrocity prevention mechanisms.
The panelists included:
- Beth Van Schaack, . Former Deputy to the Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice of the U.S. State Department;
- Lawrence Woocher, Research Director for the at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum;
- Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director and Head of Research and Policy at in the United Kingdom; and
- Jeffrey Sizemore, former Atrocity Prevention Lead at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the United States Department of State.
You can .
Part II: Prospects for a Domestic Atrocity Prevention Agenda in the Biden-Harris Administration: What can we expect? What can we hope for?
In Part II, we focused on prospects for effective responses to the legacies of mass
atrocities within the United States itself, with particular attention to the ongoing
violence experienced by Black and Indigenous peoples due to structural factors as
well as the rise of white supremacist violence.
The panelists included:
- Mark Charles is a dynamic and thought-provoking public speaker, writer, and consultant. The son of an American woman (of Dutch heritage) and a Navajo man, he teaches with insight into the complexities of American history regarding race, culture, and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and conciliation for the nation. He is one of the leading authorities on the 15th-century鈥檚 Doctrine of Discovery and its influence on US history and its intersection with modern-day society. Mark co-authored, along with Soong-Chan Rah, the new book entitled . Mark ran as an independent candidate for the US Presidency in the 2020 election.
- Charles L. Chavis, Jr is assistant professor of Conflict Resolution and History and Director for the John Mitchell, Jr. Program for History, Justice, and Race at George Mason University鈥檚 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and National Co-Chair for the United States Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Movement. He is a scholar-activist who specializes in the legacy of racial violence, interracial activism, and social justice in the United States and is the co-editor of (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) and author of the forthcoming book Maryland, My Maryland: The Murder of Matthew Williams and the Politics of Racism in the Free State (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021).
- Shannon Foley Martinez is a former violent white supremacist with over two decades of experience working to de-radicalize people who are still in the movement and to build resiliency at the individual and community level. She has worked for school systems, nonprofits, and community organizations, and participated in programs with organizations such as the UN Office of Counter Terrorism, the National Counterterrorism Center, Hedayah, The Center for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence, UN Women, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Her story has been featured globally and she has been a commentator on such news outlets as HLN, CNN, Canada One and BBC radio. Foley Martinez has also assisted in training law enforcement officers, building programs for educators, and collaborating with tech companies like Google and Twitter.
Moderator: Nadia Rubaii, professor of Public Administration and co-director, I-GMAP
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Virtual Global Allyship Summit Invites Professor Whigham to Speak
Assistant Professor Kerry Whigham spent the weekend of January 16-18 at the Virtual Global Allyship Summit, where he was invited to speak by the the , an international network of Holocaust, genocide, and human rights institutions.
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