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About the course
About the course
It is agreed that emergencies, rehabilitation, and peacebuilding programmes need to be embedded in local cultures. Cultural attributes such as gender, identity or decision-making process and local structures are influenced directly by conflict. Their relevance and modifications need to be mainstreamed in culture-sensitive programming. Culture sensitivity requires knowledge, skills, and competencies as well as an attitude towards others. Those issues are even more crucial when working in turbulent and violent environments.
Is violence creating a new culture, modifying perceptions, values and attitudes?
How should we take into account those changes in our programmes?
This module explores core issues related to culture, communication, trust building, and cultural sensitivity when working in turbulent and violent environments. Understanding local culture but also local ways and knowledge to respond to conflicts is essential in project management.
This course is offered for credit or on a non-credit basis and is delivered jointly by Oxford Brookes University's Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
A flexible and user-friendly online learning environment will enable you to learn from your workplace. During the course, you will have support from a team of academic experts, top-ranked practitioners, and field experts. As well as the unique opportunity to interact and learn with peers and expert facilitators across the world.
Your time will be split equally among four main activities:
Staff-led activities, such as webinars, tutorials and discussions
Self-led activities, including readings and independent exercises
Drawing on your past or current professional practice
Preparing your assignments (credit-rated course)
The credit-rated CPD module, equivalent to 20 postgraduate credits, requires learners to complete assessments and can be counted towards the distance-learning PG Cert/ Master's in Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding. The non-credit-rated short course leads to a certificate of attendance.
Dates
Dates
Delivery dates: April - June 2026
This course is primarily self-paced, with a required one-hour weekly webinar. It's designed to be flexible for those with full-time jobs or for those studying from around the world.
Application deadlines: 9 January 2026 (Credit-rated course), 27 March 2026 (Non-credit-rated course)
Non-credit course: 8 weeks comprising of 6 interactive weeks plus 2 reading weeks
Credit-rated course: 11 weeks comprising of 6 interactive weeks, 2 reading weeks plus 3 assessment weeks
Course cost
Course cost
Credit-rated course is £1,145*
Non-credit-rated course: £600*
Course Content
Course Content
The online course is estimated to be 200 hours per module and includes 6 key sessions:
Understanding the cultural dimensions of humanitarian and peacebuilding actions and conflict
Understanding contexts of intervention
Culture of conflict/ Culture of peace and their impacts in humanitarianism
Building trust and communicating with all stakeholders
Building on local knowledge and local humanitarian responses
Culture-sensitive programming in conflict
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
Demonstrate ability to undertake culture-sensitive analyses of humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts and actions, including assessing impacts of programming options on local contexts.
Demonstrate depth and systematic understanding of culture and cultural attributes in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Develop innovative tools to build trust and communicate with the local population and other stakeholders.
Demonstrate independence, self-reflection and an ethical approach to culture-sensitivity.
Who is this module for?
Who is this module for?
This course is suitable for practitioners already working in the humanitarian, conflict transformation and peacebuilding fields and in related areas such as diplomacy and journalism, who wish to continue their professional development, and practitioners working in other fields interested in exploring opportunities in these areas.
Contact us
Contact us
If you have any enquiries about the course, please email us at hst-cpdadmissions@brookes.ac.uk
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*Cancellation policy
*Cancellation policy
If you cancel on or before the application deadline, you will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations made after this date are not eligible for a refund.
If the course is cancelled by Oxford Brookes University, all registered participants will get a full refund.
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