eLearnAfrica
Understanding Enemies
FutureLearn
  • Start Date: 20 Sep, 2021
  • 3 weeks
  • Study Content: Videos


Learn the skills and techniques to view the different perspectives across a conflict zone, including those of the enemy.

Course Fee: Free
Certificate Cost: See Fees and Eligibility
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Course Description

This course is made available through the eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn partnership.

Discover how to use alt-lenses to make sense of the enemy’s motivations


Unless you understand how the ‘other side’ understands the conflict, you’re bound to make costly mistakes, and possibly even worsen the conflict unintentionally.


On this course, Dr Aisha Ahmad will teach you how to look at a conflict through the lens of other groups on the ground, especially the enemy. Through ‘alt-lens’ exercises, you’ll be able to make sense of the actors on the ground, including the most nefarious of them.


Develop your alt-lens and view conflicts from other perspectives


We seek to understand the enemy as real people, not cartoon villains. To do this, we need to begin by looking at how we have perceived ourselves in these environments.


The first week of this course will guide you through how to access your alt-lens in a conflict theatre. This tool will help you develop the ability to see other people’s worldviews, including those that are oppositional to your own.


Explore human behaviour in a conflict environment


The unpredictability of war can lead to some pretty predictable human behaviours. Regardless of cultural or ideological worldview, there are some key patterns of human behaviour and decision-making that repeat during conflict.


You’ll delve into how human behaviour is affected by violent conflict, and how that behaviour can, in turn, lead to conflict escalation.


Use the Malian conflict to apply your new tools to real-world examples


Building on your conflict map from the first course, you’ll connect the tools and techniques from both courses to better analyse the Malian conflict theatre.


By the end of this course, you’ll be able to formulate the stories, histories, and worldviews of different groups on the conflict map and explore who the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ are in their stories.


This course is designed for anyone working or volunteering for an organisation engaged in a conflict-affected environment.


It will also be useful if you’re studying a related subject such as political science, public policy, or international business studies.


Certificate cost may vary. You will be redirected to the host page for cost and payment options.

FutureLearn

This university is part of the partnership between eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn.

This institution is available on eLearnAfrica through partnership with FutureLearn.

You may be able to download course materials after enrolling in this course. If not, all of the necessary course materials provided by the course instructor will be available on the provider's course page.
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By enrolling in a course on or through eLearnAfrica, you are joining a special worldwide community of learners. The aspiration of eLearnAfrica is to provide anyone with an internet connection access to courses from the best universities and institutions in the world and to provide our learners the best educational experience internet technology enables. You are a part of the community that will help eLearnAfrica achieve this goal. eLearnAfrica depends upon your motivation to learn the material and to do so with honesty and academic integrity. In order to participate in eLearnAfrica, you must agree to the Honor Code below and any additional terms specific to a class.

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CHANGING THE HONOR CODE

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Effective Date: September 22, 2016