SVF-3024 | UiT

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester.

Exchange students: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Type of course

The course is compulsory for Master's degree students in Peace and Conflict Transformation (MPCT).

This course can be taken as a singular course.

Admission requirements

Students, who are not registered for the Master`s Degree Programme in Peace and Conflict Transformation (MPCT), must have a Bachelor`s degree in Humanities or Social Sciences. An average grade equivalent to C or better in the Norwegian grading system is required.

Course content

The course seeks to provide contemporary insights into the inter-linked economic, political and social dimensions of violent conflict and peace-building. It provides theoretical and practical insights into diverse efforts at building peace and restoring confidence in institutions in conflict-affected societies. It draws upon case studies from diverse conflict settings to highlight peace-building and post-conflict recovery strategies, as well as conditions influencing the choice and outcomes of particular strategies. Topics covered range from the ethics of war, humanitarian interventions, political economy of violence, gender, peace education, restorative justice and restorative practices, transitional justice to DDR (disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration).

Objectives of the course

Students who have successfully completed the course should have the following learning outcome:

Knowledge:

- Have an in-depth grasp of the social, political and economic dimensions of violent conflicts and peace work.

- Have an in-depth conceptual understanding of diverse strategies for handling and/or transforming violent conflicts.

Analytical understanding:

- Have the ability to review theories relating to violent conflicts at different levels of society and in different contexts.

- Have understanding of the ethics of war and humanitarian interventions. - Have the ability to explore how non-state actors or rebel groups finance their activities and establish specific forms of economic systems in violent conflict situations, as well as how other social actors (e.g. women and children) affect and are affected by violent conflicts. - Have a grasp of the nature, goals and challenges of peace education. - Have the ability to explore the gender dimensions of violent conflicts and post-war reconstruction.

Skills and competences:

-Capable of identifying the contextual relevance and challenges of diverse peace-building strategies, such as truth commissions and DDR.

-Capable of relating theoretical and methodological frameworks from a variety of disciplines to violent conflicts and peace-building strategies at all levels of human interaction.

-Capable of initiating a research project within the field of peace and conflict studies.

-Capable of taking responsibility for one's own learning by working independently towards the realisation of the course objectives.

Language of instruction and examination

All lectures, readings, assignments, seminars and the final exam will be in English.

Teaching methods

There will be a mix of lectures and seminar discussions.

The course will be evaluated at the SSL forum (Student Staff Liaison) in the spring semester, as well as in an anonymous online evaluation every other spring semester

Assessment

Candidates will write a home examination of max. 8000 words (approx. 20 pages) within two weeks on a set of given topics.

An oral exam will also be conducted to assess the candidates' knowledge of the submitted essays and course readings. The oral exam may adjust the grade for the submitted essays.

Grading is on the scale of A to F, where F=Fail. The course is open for re-sit examination in the following semester.

spring 2018 SVF-3024 Conflict Resolution and Conflict Transformation - 20 ECTS