Section outline

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    Introduction

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    EUPeace is the European University for Peace, Justice, and Inclusive Societies. It is only too obvious that these values are fragile and heavily contested in Europe and all over the world. Our mission is to help future generations of citizens and policy-makers and provide them with the skills, knowledge, and experience to cultivate Peace, Justice, and Inclusive Societies. In order to achieve this, EUPeace focuses on a fruitful societal dialogue, reflecting the third mission of universities to engage with and contribute to society. By offering flexible and elective Soft Skill micro-courses on a wide range of top-ics, from critical thinking and intercultural awareness to problem-solving and mediation, EUPeace in-vests in capacities that transcend disciplinary boundaries. These Soft Skill courses for students, staff, and beyond, are designed to strengthen the competences needed for inclusive, ethical, and peace-oriented community engagement.

    • Welcome Page

      This can be a text, audio or video message in a warm and welcoming tone, briefly outlining course characteristics, learning objectives and target audience. 

    • About the course designer Page

      This can be a text, audio or video message and should briefly introduce the course designer(s). If pre-ferred, it can be kept general, simply referring to the credentials of the designer in a broad sense without using image or name. 

    • Course content and learning pathway Page

      Course content

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      This course examines conflict as a social phenomenon shaped by power relations, inequality and communication practices. Participants learn to recognise conflict dynamics, reflect on positionality and responsibilities, and apply principles of ethical, conflict-sensitive communication. The course strength-ens critical awareness, responsible interaction and inclusive engagement skills relevant to communi-ty-based initiatives and collaborative dialogue.

      Learning pathway

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      The Moodle campus is structured in three main sections—Introduction, Content, and Conclusion—to guide participants through a clear and consistent learning journey. After reviewing the introductory materials (welcome message, course description, and syllabus), you should follow the Learning Pathway by progressing sequentially through the content sections, each of which includes an over-view, core learning materials, interactive activities, and a short conclusion. All core content and ac-tivities within these sections are compulsory and must be completed in the given order to ensure understanding and progression, while any “extra materials” are clearly marked as optional and not required for course completion. Intermediate results, such as quiz scores or activity feedback, are available within each section, allowing you to track your progress continuously. Upon completing all required sections and activities, you can access their final results in the course summary area and download your certificate from the final “Conclusion” section, where guidance on certification and further learning opportunities is also provided.

    • Course description Page
    • Syllabus URL
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    Topic 1: Understanding community challenges

    This topic asks a deceptively simple question: what exactly is the problem? You will examine the relationship between observable conditions, desired conditions and actors’ judgments. You will then distinguish different degrees of problem structure and develop a multidimensional problem profile.

    By the end, you should be able to explain why a situation is considered problematic, identify its public policy relevance, distinguish factual disagreement from disagreement about values, and justify a preliminary classification of the problem.

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    Topic 2: The process of defining public problems

    This topic follows the course notes’ four-stage sequence: structuration - definition - modelation - formulation. It begins with the initial analytical assignment and Dunn’s approach, then develops each stage into a practical task.

    By the end, you should be able to turn a broad assignment into an investigable problem, map alternative perspectives, justify a working definition, design an evidence plan and write a concise formulation for a client. The intended output is a problem analysis, not yet a recommendation for a preferred policy instrument.

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    Topic 3: Methods and heuristics for problem definition

    This topic is a practical companion to Topic 2. It develops the five heuristics in the supplied notes: problem trees, stakeholder analysis, boundary analysis, dimensional analysis and SWOT. You can consult a chapter when its method becomes relevant rather than waiting until the rest of the analysis is finished.

    By the end, you should be able to choose an appropriate tool, produce a transparent preliminary analysis, identify its limitations and explain how the results change your problem definition.

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    Course conclusion

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    In this final section, you are invited to reflect on the key knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course, revisiting the main learning outcomes and how they contribute to effective community engagement. You can consult your performance and progress via the Moodle gradebook, where all results from quizzes and activities are compiled. Once you have successfully completed all compulsory components, you will be able to download your attendance certificate directly from this section. To continue your learning journey, you are encouraged to explore further readings and additional resources provided, as well as to enrol in other courses from the EUPeace soft skills offer. You may also consider engaging with broader EUPeace initiatives, such as the European Track, the Virtual Exchange and Engagement Programmes (VEEPs), or the teacher training courses, with links provided to the relevant sections of the EUPeace website for easy access.