SVF-3901 Master's Thesis in Peace and Conflict Transformation - 40 stp

The thesis will complete a student's work towards the master's degree in Peace and Conflict Transformation (MPCT). It will demonstrate a student's ability to reflect and write independently on topics related to peace and conflict, drawing broadly upon the various theoretical and methodological approaches, field activities, seminars and workshops covered in the MPCT programme. The thesis will examine a specific topic in a systematic or social scientific manner and make potential contributions to the understanding of conflicts and diverse efforts to resolve them. In short, it is a student's independent work using primary and/or secondary materials, but written in close consultation with an academic supervisor.

To assist students towards this goal, the course will contain a number of workshops and seminars that offer a practical guide and coherent framework for students to engage with the research process throughout their studies. These seminars and workshops will address the key components of a research design, writing a persuasive and realistic proposal, provide guidance regarding the ethics and safety of their own research, and foster a clear grasp of the theoretical, methodological, practical and analytical issues relevant to their individual research projects. Throughout the course, students will also train to confidently present their research ideas and results in an academic manner.

Students, who have successfully completed the course, should have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge:

• Have an understanding of the aims and practice of social research Analytical understanding
• Have the ability to reflect upon the reading materials underlying a degree programme and apply them to a self-selected research project
• Have the ability to plan and design a practicable and realistic research project.

Skills and competences:

• Capable of applying basic research tools to a master's project that involves data collection
• Capable of organising and analysing field materials, and then write up in a report/thesis/dissertation
• Recognise the opportunities in feedback from fellow students and a supervisor
• Develop the confidence to present aspects of an evolving research report or thesis at seminars and other academic gatherings
• Develop the confidence to explain and defend one's final work before an evaluation committee
• Capable of taking responsibility for one's own learning by working independently towards the realisation of the programme objectives.

The course consists of a mix of workshops and seminars according to a detailed plan, including 3 hours in semester 1, approx. 24 hours in semester 2, 6 hours in semester 3, and about 13 hours in semester 4. It furthermore includes two work requirements: mandatory project proposal (up to 10 pages) in semester 2, and a draft chapter to be discussed in semester 4.

The learning outcomes of this course can only be achieved through active student participation and students are thus expected to prepare and familiarize themselves with each other's research projects before every workshop and/or seminar session.

Semester 1: Two workshops will be held during this semester. The first will get students started thinking about and discussing their initial research ideas and serve as an information meeting to explain the different components of this course. Students will also learn the purpose of a literature review, in an effort to jumpstart their efforts into investigating their initial research ideas. Furthermore, students will be participating in face-to-face interviews with academic staff (approx. 30 min) to assist the search for a suitable supervisor for their project. In a second workshop (at the end of the semester), students will develop their initial research ideas further, and begin formulating research questions and a problem statement.

Semester 2: One workshop will be held during this semester. Students will also receive introductory instruction on the elements of a project proposal.

This workshop will be followed by a seminar series in which the students present and discuss their draft project proposals, before submitting them in mid-April for approval. In order to receive approval to commence data collection, students will also have to participate in the Security Analysis and First Aid course that are offered in this semester.

Semester 3: A fourth workshop will give students the opportunity to share and reflect upon their data collection experiences, and to jointly explore issues and discuss challenges associated with their individual research projects. Students will also discuss and plan their data analysis methods. Towards the end of the semester a fifth workshop will support the students in developing a theoretical framework for their master's thesis projects.

Semester 4: A sixth workshop will support students in structuring the methods section of their thesis and provide space for reflecting on and discussing the methodological implications of their research. In another seminar series, students will present and discuss draft chapters of their evolving master's theses. The final workshop (workshop seven) and a seminar will be dedicated to assisting the students in the analysis of their research data and how to finalize their master thesis projects.

The course will be evaluated at the SSL forum in the spring semester, as well as in an anonymous online evaluation every other spring semester.