The study of Contemporary Conflicts
Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies
Teaching language: English
EKA: B380010102
Censorship: Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master
Course ID: B380010101
ECTS value: 10
Date of Approval: 13-03-2018
Duration: 1 semester
Course ID
Course Title
Teaching language
ECTS value
Responsible study board
Date of Approval
Course Responsible
Offered in
Level
Offered in
Duration
Mandatory prerequisites
Recommended prerequisites
Ability to connect theory with empirics. Ability to gather and analyze empirical evidence on contemporary conflicts. The class will teach current research developments on conflict analysis with a focus on the methodological skills and give plenty of opportunities for students to ask question about the craft of research, therefore participation is expected.
Aim and purpose
This course will provide students with the necessary methodological and epistemological knowledge to embark on a research project on contemporary conflicts. Researching contemporary conflicts is fraught with specific empirical difficulties, notably when it comes to access to relevant data in and about a conflict environment. The class will teach students how to face those difficulties through presentations and discussions of contemporary research related to contemporary conflicts. It will give them the relevant skills to produce high-quality independent analysis in a research and/or policy environment. The skills acquired will be helpful first for the master thesis, and throughout their entire career whenever they will need to use analytical skills. By systematically illustrating the methodological discussions with examples of research on contemporary conflicts, students will simultaneously acquire in depth knowledge on the specific examples and understand the connections between data, methods, and analysis.
Content
The course relates to the literature in international relations (in particular security studies), epistemology and methodology
Learning goals
With this course, students will learn to:
- Understand the notions of causality and context
- Understand the connection between theory development and empirical strategy
- Adjudicate knowledge claims based on an understanding of the fundamentals of epistemology
- Design a research project
- Select and apply research methods necessary to generate analytical insigt
- Collect and analyze relevant data on contemporary conflicts
- Organize and present their results in a written and an oral form
- Assess the methodological quality of existing research and commentaries about contemporary conflicts
Literature
At least one handbook will be used in this class:
Christopher Lamont, Research Methods in International Relations, Sage Publishers (2015).
This course might also use another handbook (to be determined, pending its publication) and will certainly also use journal articles and book chapters. The syllabus will be made available at the start of semester. The mandatory readings will amount to approximately 1.200 pages.
Teaching Method
Workload
Ten sessions of 3 hours.
This course grants 10 ECTS. As per university regulations, a 10 ECTS course entails a workload of 270 hours. These are divided between lectures, blended lessons, exam and exam preparation. The following time distribution is an estimate for the average student:
Face-to-face lectures: 30 hours
Preparation for lectures: 110 hours
Add-on (to be specified): 7 hours
Seminar paper: 123 hours
Total: 270 hours
Examination regulations
Exam
Name
Exam
Timing
Ordinary examination in January and re-exam in February.
Rules
-3 is not allowed, 00 is not allowed
Tests
Seminar paper
Name
Seminar paper
Form of examination
Project report
Censorship
Second examiner: None
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Date of birth
Language
Danish, English
Duration
Length
The following limitations are required: The paper must be maximum 15 pages in English or Danish (each with 2,400 strokes. Spacing, appendix and notes included, but table of content and bibliography excluded.). Assignments failing to report the numbers of strokes and assignments exceeding the maximum number of strokes will be dismissed.
Examination aids
All exam aids allowed.
Assignment handover
The course page in Blackboard
Assignment handin
The paper must be handed- in in digital form and submitted via "SDU assignment" on the course page in Blackboard
ECTS value
10
Additional information
-
EKA
B380010102
External comment
NOTE - This course is identical with the former course 97017401, The study of Contemporary Conflicts / The study of Contemporary Conflicts
Used examination attempts in the former identical course will be transferred.
Courses that are identical with former courses that are passed according to applied rules cannot be retaken.
The student is automatically registered for the first examination attempt when the student is registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal of registration is not possible, and students who fail to participate in an examination have used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
If a student does not meet the established university prerequisites for taking the exam, he or she has used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
Courses offered
| Offer period | Offer type | Profile | Education | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2015 | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2018 | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2018 | Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2017 | Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i statskundskab gældende for studerende optaget efter 1/9-15 | Master of Science (MSc) in Political Science | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2018 | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS: | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Master of Social Sciences in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies valid from September 2016 | Comparative Public and Welfare Studies | Master of Science (MSc) in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies | Odense |