PECOS4000 – Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies
Course description
Course content
This course provides an introduction to central theories and issues associated with conflict, war and peace within a range of academic disciplines. Moreover, the course provides an introduction to the relationship between conflict, war and peace and certain phenomena such as a country’s system of government and nationalism. Both the theoretical premises and the mechanisms that link the explanatory factors to decisions on war and peace will be discussed.
Learning outcome
This course has four main objectives. Firstly, it will familiarise you with central issues and theories associated with conflict, war and peace. Secondly, it will develop your ability to see how different theories and explanatory factors at different levels can be combined in an analysis of conflict and peace. Thirdly, it will develop your ability to formulate researchable issues within your own academic discipline in an independent manner and to address these issues in a scientifically tenable manner. Finally, the course will develop your skills in commenting other students’ written work in a constructive manner.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
It is not possible to sit for this exam as a private candidate. Only students with admission to classes in this course may sit for this exam.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Bachelor/cand.mag degree in Arts or Social Science
Overlapping courses
5 credits overlap with PECOS4010 – Conflict and state building
Teaching
The course will comprise a lecture series of 14 lectures and a one-day workshop on academic writing. The purpose of the workshop is to develop your ability to formulate a researchable issue and to address this issue in a scientifically tenable manner. In addition to this, the workshop will give you training in commenting other students’ written work in a constructive manner. More information on the workshop will be given at the beginning of the semester.
This course will be taught at The University of Oslo, Blindern campus. Other location in Oslo may be used. Fronter will normally be used.
The course is part of the regular course provision at The Faculty of Social Science. Teaching is mainly held during daytime. Detailed course-information is found on the Webpage for the current semester.
Examination
The exam will consist of a written, invigilated exam of 5 hours’ duration and a term paper assignment. The grade for the invigilated exam will count for 40% of the total grade. The grade for t