Entry requirements

90 credits in Political Science (A+B+C) or equivalent and 30 credits in Social Science, or 90 credits in Social Science (A+B+C) and 60 credits in Political Science. Proof of skills in Swedish to a level corresponding to Swedish B in the Swedish secondary school. Proof of skills in English to a level corresponding to English B in the Swedish secondary school. Students within the Master Programme in Politics and International Studies, the Master Programme in Development Studies or the Master Programme in Political Science are required to have obtained at least 15 credits within the programme.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course the students are expected to have acquired knowledge in the following areas:

• Different theoretical perspectives within the nexus of peace, war, democratisation and development.
• The relation between peace, war, development, democracy, and democratisation at different levels of analysis as well as in the interaction between the levels of analysis.
• Conditions for how, when and why democratisation and development increases or decreases the risk of conflict between social actors, such as groups, societies, and states.

In addition, on completion of the course the students are also expected to be able to:

• Independently identify and argue for what can be considered the most central issues in the nexus of peace, war, development and democratisation.
• Identify and formulate research problems that are relevant for society within the nexus of peace, war, development and democratisation.
• Independently gather and systematically treat a complex source material relevant for theory and research problem.
• Independently identify, limit, and carry out a minor research task relevant for existing theory within the field and the chosen research problem.
• Criticise and be able to contextualise others’ texts in a broader theoretical framework.
• Actively and independently in seminar discussions as well as in written assignments argue and contribute to the discussion with constructive, knowledgeable comments.

Content

The aim of this course is to deepen the understanding of the complex relationship between peace, war and democratisation worldwide. In theory, peace and democracy are mutually reinforcing processes of societal change. In reality, however, these processes sometimes clash and instead risk undermining each other. In this course we address this issue from a theoretical as well as a practical policy perspective. The notion of democracy as tool for conflict management is discussed, as well as democratisation as a potential cause of armed conflict. We also look at the challenges of democratisation in weak and war-torn societies where the political parties, the civil society and even the state itself are products of the armed conflict. In addition, we address the challenges of carrying out peace operations after civil wars. The course places a strong emphasis on group discussions and teacher–student interaction. It also aims to bridge the divide between the academic literature and practical policy-making on these issues.

Instruction

Lectures and seminars. Language of Instruction is English.

Assessment

For completion, the course requires the fulfilment of all obligatory parts, including seminar/workshop participation, an oral presentation, and a final paper. The final course grade is based on the students’ performance on the following two areas:

1. The quality of the final course paper.
2. Attendance and active participation at lectures and literature seminars.

The final grade for the course is assessed in the following manner: The individual paper assignment accounts for 60 percent of the grade and the remaining 40 percent is based on an overall evaluation of the student’s active participation in lectures and workshops.

The following grades are used:

Pass with distinction (VG)

Pass (G)

Fail (U)