REU Site: Civil Conflict Management and Peace Science

该项目由SBE理事会的本科生研究经验(REU)站点计划资助。因此，它兼具科学和社会效益，并将研究和教育融为一体。该项目是北得克萨斯大学(UNT)的一个更新REU站点。UNT政治学系开设了这一独特的项目，为30名本科生(从全国各地招聘)提供机会，在高级教员指导下进行冲突管理与和平科学方面的研究生水平的研究，为期八周，暑期研究体验将国内冲突管理培训与地理信息系统(GIS)和地理空间分析以及研究伦理培训相结合。在这个项目中，学生参与者开发理论命题，并使用地理编码数据进行经验测试，并在全国专业政治学会议上报告他们的发现。作为该计划的一部分，还有关于研究道德的培训。活动包括关于理论发展和研究方法、地理信息系统和研究生院申请程序的讲习班。还有一些旨在学生、教职员工和研究生导师之间建立研究共同体意识的活动。重要的是将冲突管理培训扩大到所有学生，尤其是在高等教育中历来代表性不足的人群(这一群体在本科生人口中所占的比例正在增长)。该项目旨在满足在冲突管理与和平科学方面发展更多专业知识的需要，为那些本来不会有这样的研究机会的学生提供从事高级实证研究的机会。UNT在体制和地理上都处于有利地位，能够提供这种通道。为此，PI-Team正在与德克萨斯州的一所历史悠久的黑人学院/大学(HBCU)、Prairie View A&amp；M大学、美国政治科学协会和北卡罗来纳大学的Ronald E.McNair计划合作，以帮助扩大该项目的申请者池，尽管所有对该领域感兴趣的学生都被鼓励申请该项目。随着世界上国内冲突日益频繁，以及这些冲突给美国带来的安全担忧，开发有能力应对这些挑战的人力资本对国家安全至关重要。该方案的智力重点是国内冲突管理和加强和平。事实上，自1945年以来，国内冲突--内战、革命、分离主义战争以及种族和宗派暴力--已取代州际战争，成为世界上最频繁和最致命的武装冲突形式。该计划寻求通过检查各州的数据来重点了解国内冲突发生(或再次发生)的原因。特别是，目标是培养学生的理论建设和实证分析技能，这将促进创新思维和解决问题的能力。发展地理空间分析技能为本科生课程参与者提供了了解冲突原因的尖端工具，从而更好地为他们设计关于国内冲突管理的创新解决方案做好准备。

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. As such, it has both scientific and societal benefits, and it integrates research and education. This project is a renewal REU Site at the University of North Texas (UNT). The Department of Political Science at the UNT runs this unique program to provide 30 undergraduate students (recruited from across the country) the opportunity to engage in graduate-level research in conflict management and peace science, in a senior faculty-mentored, in-residence, eight- week, Summer Research Experience that integrates training in civil conflict management with training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial analysis, and research ethics. In this program, student participants develop theoretical propositions that are tested empirically using geocoded data and report their findings in a national professional political science conference. There is also training on research ethics incorporated as part of the program. Activities include workshops on theory development and research methodology, GIS, and the graduate school application process. There are also activities designed to build a sense of research community among students, faculty and graduate student mentors. It is important to extend training in conflict management to all students, but particularly to populations historically underrepresented in higher education (which are growing as a proportion of the undergraduate student population). This program seeks to address the need to develop further expertise in conflict management and peace science by providing opportunities to engage in advanced empirical research to students who would not otherwise have such research opportunities. UNT is well positioned, both institutionally and geographically, to provide such access. To that end, the PI-team is cooperating with a Historically Black College/ Universities (HBCU) in Texas, Prairie View A&M University, the American Political Science Association, and the Ronald E. McNair Program at UNT to assist in broadening the pool of applicants to the program, although all students with an interest in this field are encouraged to apply to the program. The growing frequency of civil conflicts in the world and the security concerns these conflicts pose for the United States, the development of human capital that is equipped to deal with these challenges is critical for the national security of the country. The intellectual focus of the program is on civil conflict management and the enhancement of peace. Indeed since 1945 civil conflicts-civil war, revolution, secessionist war, and ethnic and sectarian violence-has replaced interstate war as the most frequent and deadly form of armed conflict in the world. The program seeks to focus on understanding the causes of civil conflict occurrence (or reoccurrence) by examining sub-state data. In particular, the goal is to train students in theory building and empirical analytical skills, which will promote innovative thinking and problem solving skills. Developing skills in geospatial analysis provides undergraduate program participants with cutting edge tools to understand the causes of conflict, and hence better prepare them to devise innovative solutions regarding civil conflict management.