About

About

The Center for Peace and Development builds on OU’s longtime work with communities in northern Uganda. CPD brings together faculty and students from across the University’s varied disciplines to build collaborative partnerships with communities affected by conflict. CPD has several goals:

To advance understanding of and capacity for grassroots peace building and development. CPD sees its collaborative partnerships in northern Uganda as a launching point for enhancing global understanding of how transformative peace building is done at local levels. The Center begins in northern Uganda, but its aim is to collaborate with grass roots organization across the globe that face the challenges of post-conflict environments.
To work alongside local partners in northern Uganda to critically evaluate grassroots peace building and development needs, establish local strategies, and to work with partners to implement those goals. CPD works through community embedded/participatory research that builds long-term relationships with local partners to facilitate critical reflection on local conditions and needs from the perspectives of local partners. CPD, where appropriate, then works with partners to implement those agendas including helping partners source funds, expertise, and to build local capacity.
To support more traditional research in the region that is connected to the Center’s other goals. While CPD is committed to embedded critical research, other, more traditional research, is also important for the region and CPD seeks to support such efforts.
To develop tools and resources useful to other post conflict communities. CPD observes, records, and reflects with partners on their efforts to transform their communities. The Center will work with partners to develop resources for grass roots peace building and development in other contexts.
To offer opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to engage in community embedded research and service. The Center provides community embedded field research opportunities and study abroad. CPD does this by emphasizing cultural humility in a learning-by-listening context. CPD provides in-depth pre-departure training and critical self-reflection technics for all students.
To establish OU as a leader in training students interested in careers in international development through providing unique locally embedded education. CPD seeks to develop a peace and development degree curriculum.
To be a resource to the larger OU community to facilitate critical discussion on global citizenship and decolonization. CPD is a partner in OUs efforts to bring critical discussion of global interests including colloquiums, book discussion, Dream Courses, etc.