Introduction letter to the class of 2018

Dear Student,

We would like to welcome you as one of the students selected to participate in the University of Oslo International Summer School peace research course. We are the course coordinators for this year’s course, and would like to give you some information regarding your participation in this year’s course. We would first like to emphasize that this is a peace research course, and not a practically oriented conflict resolution or peace building workshop. The course begins on Monday, 25 June 2018 and ends on Thursday, 2 August 2018. Lectures are held daily, Monday through Friday, from 09:15am to 12:00pm, either at the University of Oslo or at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

All course readings will be  distributed to students at the beginning of the course; you do not need to purchase any of the reading materials in advance.

Please be advised that there is an overnight excursion at the beginning of the course to a cabin in the forest north of Oslo, between Tuesday 26 June and Thursday 28 June. Attendance is required on this trip. This trip will be a chance to become acquainted with your fellow students in the course and to participate in a workshop on conflict resolution and peace building. You should bring along warm clothing and sturdy walking shoes with you to Oslo, as we will walk approximately 3 hours to reach the cabin, and will stay in dormitory-style, group rooms overnight in the cabin. Please see the additional information sheet we have included with this letter. The students in this year’s course come from countries all over the world, and have varied personal and academic backgrounds and experiences. All of the students share an interest in and a  desire to work with issues of peace and conflict. The age of the students varies, and both men and women will be equally represented in the student cohort. Please contact us or the University of Oslo International Summer School office if you have any
questions about this year’s course. We look forward to meeting and working with you at this year’s summer school.

Sincerely,
Kendra Dupuy & Ida Roland Birkvad
Peace Research Course Coordinators
Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
kendra@prio.no
Phone: (+47) 2254 7700