After completing this course students are able to:
- Conduct historical case study analysis, and understand the unique benefits of this research method.
- Conduct comparative analysis between case studies identifying patterns, sequence and differences.
- Understand the causes of conflicts; the factors and mechanisms that drive and sustain conflicts; and how and why conflicts end.
- Demonstrate developed analytic, writing and presentation skills.
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The objective of this course is to give students an introduction into understanding the dynamics of conflicts. It explores the causes of conflicts; what factors drive and sustain conflicts; and ultimately how and why conflicts end.
This course takes an historical approach, using a series of in-depth cases studies as a means to investigate the dynamics of conflicts. The historical case study method allows students to take a complete view across the lifespan of a conflict and to gain in-depth analysis of conflicts; examining the conflicts as they progress overtime and identifying the causal processes driving the violence. It also allows for comparisons between conflicts; to identify patterns, sequences and differences, and also to gain insights from history on how to understand present day conflicts.
The course will examine four case studies:
1) El Salvador’s civil war(1980-1992),
2) Sudanese wars (1955-present)
3) Afghanistan (1978-present),
4) Syria/Iraq.
These case studies have been chosen to highlight specific aspects of and to give different perspectives on the nature of contemporary irregular conflicts.
Themes to be explore:
- Armed Groups: The Modus Operandi and strategy.
- State Responses: Why does state violence end some conflicts and not others? Why do some peace processes work, and others fail?
- Social Cleavages: Religious, ethnic, class and tribal divisions.
- Economic Factors: Including resource exploitation and criminalisation of conflicts.
- Politics and Governance: the role of political competition and weak governance.
- International Relations: the relationship between international politics and ‘local’ conflicts.
This course is five weeks long. The first week will be theoretical and methodological introduction to the study of violent conflict, including examination of the different research approaches in this field and the contribution that historical case study analysis brings. Each of the following four weeks will focus on an individual conflict, using it as a framework to explore key themes in conflict theories.
Designed as a seminar, the course requires the close reading of the prescribed material and class discussion of their contents. In addition the course will contain an interactive element with debates, presentations, practical exercises and audio video content.
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