Entry requirements

Fulfilment of the requirements for a Bachelor's degree, from an internationally recognised university. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

After completion, the student is expected to be able to:

• Critically evaluate core arguments for how and why socio-economic development leads to less armed conflict.
• Critically evaluate core arguments for how and why armed conflict lowers socio-economic development.
• Evaluate arguments for how peace and prosperity may have joint explanations.
• Critically evaluate empirical evidence in support of or in opposition to the various arguments covered in the course.
• Independently identify research problems and relevant practical-policy issues in the subject area.
• Critically and correctly present state-of-the-art reviews and overviews of recent research findings in the subject area.
• With good scientific insight and the required methodological skills collect, organise, analyse and draw appropriate, independent conclusions of relevance for the theory and practice in the subject area.
• Independently delimit, design and write a report within the specified time limit.
• Be able to judge/asses the works and efforts/performances of others from a wide theoretical and practical perspective.
• See connections, interactions, influences and interdependence between the dynamics of organised violence and those of broader socio-economic development.
• Communicate in English, in writing and/or orally.

Content

The course will give an introduction to the literature on the relationship between armed conflict - domestic and interstate -- and socio-economic development, widely defined as a mixture of economic productivity, state capacity, and citizens' welfare. It will discuss theoretical arguments where the relationship between war and development is mediated by state capacity, asset specificity or appropriability, economic networks, education, demography, or through democratisation. The course will have a strong focus on empirical documentation but also look at the theoretical arguments explaining the empirical patterns. The course will consider the effect of development on conflict as well as the effect of conflict on development in terms of economic growth, public health, refugee flows, and gender differences in health outcomes. It will also look at arguments that link both conflict and development to deeper causal processes.

Instruction

The course will be given in the form of lectures and seminars. The language of instruction is English.

Assessment

Assessment and final grading is based on

1. A course paper
2. Active participation in lectures and seminars

Grades: Pass with distinction (VG), Pass (G), Fail (U).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

Uppsala University does not accept cheating and plagiarism. Suspected incidents of cheating or plagiarism are reported to the Vice-Chancellor, which may issue a formal warning to the student or suspend the student from studies for a certain period.