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Imagine that you could just reach over and open aÌý'how to' reference guide for making the world a better place. ÌýThat's what Dr.s Guy and Heidi Burgess had in mind when they requested ASSETT Development Award funding for their Make a Difference GuideÌýfor their Peace and Conflict StudiesÌý(PACS) students. ÌýThe BurgessesÌýcreated the Make a Difference Guide asÌýa multi-threaded textbook for students to, "... Understand the bigÌýpicture of the conflict situation and identify areas in which they might be able to make a positive difference." ÌýGuy BurgessÌýexplains that there is no need to "reinvent the wheel," when there has already been research done on topics of conflicts and theories of resolution. ÌýBurgess acknowledges that theÌýeveryday person encounters some kind of conflict that they may wish to resolve: "Conflict is something that everyone's involved in, and these materials [that the Make a Difference Guide references] should be accessible to lots of people."

The Make a Difference Guide links to theÌýÌýdatabaseÌýthat theÌýBurgesses have spent years creating. ÌýWith funding from the Hewlitt Foundation, the Burgesses haveÌýlinked to up to 30,000 scholarly articles regarding peace and conflict studies. ÌýHowever, the Burgesses want to increase access to and awareness aboutÌýthe resources available through Beyond Intractability, and last year, when they obtained the ASSETT Development Award funding, the BurgessesÌýwroteÌýthe content for the Make a Difference Guide, which serves as aÌýnavigation tool for the information that the Beyond Intractability website offers. Ìý"For hundreds of topics, the system then provides access to a range of resources, including encyclopedic articles on each topic, recommended readings and more comprehensive lists of potentially useful resources. ÌýThese resources are arranged on 'virtual bookshelves' ..." the Burgesses said. ÌýVisit the Make a Difference Guide, and click on a topic folder that interests you--conflict assessment, poor government, etc. ÌýYou'll find more specific subgroups of topics, each with icons that link to more specific scholarly articles, current events, and audio interviews about those topics.

The multi-threaded Make a Difference GuideÌýis most useful for students who are enrolled in theÌýPACS Senior Seminar course PACS 4500. ÌýThese students need to access both general information about conflict and resolution, as well as specific research about topics of their choice, in order to write their senior research papers. ÌýStudents may come to the PACS 4500 Senior Seminar course with aÌýwide range of worldwide interests, including Sub Saharan African failed states, how to adapt to climate change, orÌýU.S. domestic policy disputes. ÌýConsequently, theÌýBurgesses saw a need for a common textbook that covers many different types of conflict and resolution. ÌýIndeed, the Make a Difference Guide has seemed to contribute positively to the seniors' final projects: "The quality of the projects improved," Guy BurgessÌýobserved. ÌýThe PACS 4500 senior seminar course and PACSÌý2500 Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies course are togetherÌýa large part of the requirements that areÌýnecessary for students who are interested in earningÌýa PACS certificate in addition to their undergraduate degrees.

Currently, the Burgesses are using funds from other grants to refine and improve the MakeÌýa Difference siteÌýand integrate students' feedback. ÌýGuy Burgess says, "We want to build a computer system that emulates an interview [with a conflict mediation expert] to help think through conflict." ÌýHowever, maintaining the websitesÌýremains an expensive endeavor, especially since the Beyond Intractability site references so much information. ÌýThe Burgesses gladlyÌý

Guy Burgess points out that although we may hear more often about violent conflicts than about peaceful resolutions, that doesn't mean that resolutions are notÌýhappening, as well: "The popular media makes [conflict]Ìýseem hopeless, but it isn't. ÌýThe trick is to make [resolution]Ìývisible."