An inter-cultural approach to the designand management of non-governmental organizations

For international students and adult professionals

An intensive ten-month credit-bearing program

Includes 400 hours of courseworkand a six-week internship in a French NGO

Implementing SustainableHumanitarian Action

MASTER’S PROGRAM

The American University Center of Provence, with its emphasis oncross-cultural communication and experiential learning, and theInstitut d’Études Politiques of Aix-en-Provence, with the academicexcellence and strategic contacts of a French grande école, jointogether to offer this unique and prestigious Master’s Degree inInternational Affairs with a joint Certificate in NGO Managementand Design.

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Humanitarian Action: Philosophical Origin and EvolutionThis one-semester course will analyse the comparative intellectual, cultural, reli-gious, social, and political origins of humanitarian action and their evolutiontoward “modernity,” defined as the acceptance of the co-existence of a wide rangeof differing ways of life. Students will explore, beyond prejudice and idealisa-tion, the historical and philosophical factors that motivate and inform humani-tarian efforts.

Geopolitics: Local Crises and Global Connectedness This two-semester course analyzes the principal global, continental, and natio-nal repercussions linked to localized conflicts, with particular attention to huma-nitarian and ecological risks. Territorial conflicts (Israel-Palestine, Darfur,Colombia, etc.) will be studied, as well as major transversal issues such as water,food, health, and migration).Action taken by states, international organizations, and NGO’s, as well as thelinks (complementarity/opposition) between these actors will be analyzed andcontextualized.

NGO’s – Design, Finance, Law, and ManagementThis comprehensive two-semester course will call upon a series of experts in thefields of international law, finance, and management for the contextual examina-tion of a series of case studies highlighting the major practical considerationsrelated to the implementation and management of NGO’s.

Anthropology and Humanitarian ActionAn extensive study of societal structures prevalent in the developing world, thiscourse examines gender roles and hierarchies, values and beliefs, fears, supers-titions, and ethnocentric prejudices that provide both the context of crisis and theframework for its solution. Lectures and case studies explore the importance ofdiscerning and operating within existing lines of power and influence, values andbeliefs in the interest of sustainable humanitarian and/or environmental efforts.

Cross-cultural Communication The first semester will include an intensive short course with an internationalexpert in cross-cultural communication with the purpose of heightening aware-ness of the differences of others and the development of communication strate-gies adaptable to diverse cultural contexts.

Intercultural JournalismDuring the first semester, the course will explore the limits of objective repor-ting and call upon the cross-cultural considerations inherent in quality anthro-pological studies for the development of interview and writing techniquesappropriate to intercultural journalism. The second semester will be devoted tothe mastery of narrative reporting and story-telling for the advancement ofinsightful empathic understanding. Participants will complete contextualresearch and prepare their NGO case study for publication.

OfferingsCourse

Organized into two fourteen-week semesters, ISHA Master’s courses are taught in French and/or English by internationalexperts and university professors affiliated with the Institut d’études politques. First semester courses set the stage for thesix-week internship module. Second semester courses build on the practical experience acquired in the field.

MASTER’S PROGRAM

The six-week internship is organized in collaboration with highly recognizedFrench NGO’s devoted to such issues as the alleviation of poverty, the educationand support of women, the protection of the environment, food autonomy oflocal populace, the health care and education of children, and equitable trade.In contrast with emergency relief efforts, which are not the program’s focus, allcollaborating NGO’s strive for lasting improvement in living conditions sustai-nable by the local populations themselves. Mid-way through the first semester, students select their internship site, in Franceor abroad, from a list of participating NGO’s in consultation with the AUCPinternship coordinator.

Acting as trained observers of humanitarian efforts in the field, ISHA internscompile and produce an on-site case study, calling upon the emphatic perspectiveof intercultural journalism. The NGO case study places local issues in a globalcontext while considering:

• NGO mission statement• Implementation strategy• Institutional and individual actors• Available resources• Obstacles and achievements• Experience and perception: humanitarian workers• Experience and perception: local population• Long and short-term mission-related perspectives

Internshipin a French NGO

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ACADEMIC CALENDARFirst semester: September 7 to December 18, 2009 NGO Internship: January 9 to February 19, 2010Second semester: March 1 to June 18, 2010

PREREQUISITE ENTRY LEVELAmerican Bachelor’s degree; French Licence; or international equi-valentProficiency in both English and French, native speaker or

French: A minimum of B2 - Common European Framework ofReference (CEFR), or equivalent

English: A minimum of B2 - Common European Framework ofReference (CEFR), 785 points on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), or equivalent

STUDY SITECourses take place both at the AUCP and the IEP-Aix-en-Provence. Intimate yet cosmopolitan, with a highly educated population, Aix-en-Provence offers countless opportunities for rich culturalexchange.

PROGRAM COSTS 17 600 NCosts include full-year program tuition, internship placement,health and personal liability insurance. Costs do not include books,housing, or travel expenses to the internship site.

HOUSINGStudents make individual arrangements or rely on the AUCP’shousing service which offers limited placement in either carefullyselected local host-families or in shared apartments with otherISHA participants.

APPLICATION DEADLINE April 15, 2009

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The economic, environmental, and demographic challenges of the future willrequire more than funding and goodwill. Problems that span national boundariescall for solutions orchestrated by trained individuals able to see lines of globalconnectedness while working within the culturally specific dynamic of localconcerns.

Designed for those whose calling is to respond to the increasing global need forsustainable humanitarian and environmental action, this innovative interdisci-plinary program offers intervention strategies grounded in the respect and pre-servation of the world’s rich cultural diversity.

Innovation, creativity and excellence in research and edu-cation have been the driving forces of the IEP since itscreation in Paris in 1872.

One of France’s most prestigious grandes écoles, the IEP isthe leading institution for the study of social sciences inFrance. Dedicated to shaping the leaders of tomorrow’s

global society, whether in the public, private, or non-governmental sector, theInstitut d’Études Politiques offers a multidisciplinary academic program and adynamic learning environment. Established in 1956, IEP d’Aix-en-Provence isone of nine such illustrious institutes in France.

Recognized by the French Ministry of Education, theAUCP brings together the best of both the French and theAmerican systems of higher education.

With study sites in both Aix-en-Provence and Marseille,The American University Center of Provence has operatedin partnership with America’s finest universities to offeradvanced immersion French programs to qualified under-graduates since 1994. Setting a standard in both French lan-

guage acquisition and intercultural sensitivity development, the AUCP has attrac-ted nationwide recognition for its innovative program design combining highestlevel classroom instruction with carefully orchestrated cultural integration strate-gies.

The ISHA Master’s Program exemplifies and extends this mission.

CommitmentThe ISHA

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ADMISSIONS OFFICEAmerican University Center of Provence

Graduate Admissions19, cours des Arts-et-Métiers

13100 Aix-en-Provence - France

Tel: (33) 442.38.42.38 Fax:(33) 442.38.95.66

e-mail: info@aucp.org

www.aucp.org

Implementing SustainableHumanitarian Action

MASTER’S PROGRAM

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