Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

The aim of this course is to introduce the students to basic concepts, facts, arguments, and causal theories about the relationship between development and armed conflict. The purpose is also to study and discuss the role of aid, globally and in Sweden, with regard to armed conflict. A part of the course focuses on and departs from recent research on reconciliation and transitional justice in countries emerging from armed conflict.

Content

The course has four themes: Introduction, resource scarcity and the so-called resource curse, reconciliation and transitional justice, and the role of development cooperation in the context of armed conflict. The Miniatlas of Human Security gives a survey of political violence in the world, and of the relationship between armed conflict, poverty and different types of political institutions. The widely known and discussed World Bank research report Breaking the Conflict Trap provides an overview of findings on how poverty breeds armed conflict, and how armed conflict in turn causes poverty, so that poor countries may end up being caught in a conflict trap. The link between armed conflict and scarce natural resources (e.g., conflict between herders and farmers over dwindling water resources), and between armed conflict and a relative abundance of certain types of resources (e.g., oil, diamonds) is dealt with in several recent articles from academic journals. Reconciliation processes are believed to be important preconditions for peace and development in societies emerging from armed conflict, as is the issue of transitional justice – or the balance between truth telling and justice in post-conflict countries – and these issues are discussed on the basis of recent research (scientific articles and book chapters). Two manuals from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development respectively serve as the point of departure for discussions and exercises on conflict sensitive development cooperation and the role of aid in peacebuilding.

Instruction

The teaching consists of lecture and seminars. This course is taught in English.

Assessment

Students are examined in two steps: through 1) active participation in three mandatory seminars and 2) a final written exam. If absent from a seminar, the student must hand in a 2 page PM, in which the seminar question is discussed on the basis of the assigned literature. A PM can be handed in for one seminar, if further seminars are missed the student may participate in that seminar the next time the course is offered. Each seminar will contribute to 15% of the course grade (so 45% in total), the written exam will make up 55% of the course grade.

Grades are awarded according to the scale "failed", "pass" or "pass with distinction". Additional information is given in the form of a seven-point grading scale (ECTS).

Course level in relation to degree requirements

The course aims to give students knowledge and understanding about the field and a practice in independent evaluation, critical treatment and discussions of this knowledge.