Ethnopolitical warfare (EPW) is a global tragedy. To encourage psychologists toward research on understanding and ameliorating EPW, the American and Canadian Psychological Associations have together initiated an Institute for the Study of Ethnopolitical Warfare. In a parallel initiative, the Psychology Department of the University of Pennsylvania has organized the Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Warfare; the immediate goal of the Penn Center is to develop a curriculum and training program that will prepare psychologists and other professionals and academics to work on problems of mental health associated with EPW. The present proposal seeks support for implementing the first cycle of the new curriculum, including design and implementation of an intensive 10-week summer course at the University of Pennsylvania. The course will provide an overview of social and clinical psychology relevant to EPW, as well as perspectives from history, political science, sociology and anthropology. Course instructors will include researchers from Penn and neighboring institutions, as well as from other American and Canadian institutions, and experts in EPW (researchers, professionals from governmental and non-governmental organizations) from around the world. The course will include contact with actual participants in ethnopolitical warfare, and instruction in practical and ethnographic skills requisite to productive research and effective intervention. Course participants will include postdoctoral students and senior graduate students from clinical and social psychology and from related disciplines, as well as NGO professionals. The medium term goal of this program is the establishment of an NIMH-sponsored training program. The long term goal is the creation of a new specialization in psychology, a profession of scholar-practicioners focused on problems of EPW.
