Module SGIA43015: Recovery and Reconstruction: Building Peace, Civil Society and State Building from Below

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA43015: Recovery and Reconstruction: Building Peace, Civil Society and State Building from Below

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• to study, at an advanced level, the complex and inter-related issues of post-war recovery and reconstruction in failed and fragile states.
• to examine post-war reconstruction and recovery through a sustainable peace building analytic lens.
• to explore linkages between state stabilisation, the establishment of good governance through democratic processes, building sustainable peace and security
• to examine contributions from civil society in state building and peace building processes.

Content

• Indicative module content typically includes: the design of power sharing models of governance and post-war constitution building; anti-corruption; election processes and election monitoring; track 2 and track 3 contributions to peacebuilding (including the role of media and education); demobilisation, disarmament and re-integration; the role of business; reconciliation and transitional justice; international criminal courts; law, order and an independent judiciary. Module 4b will also investigate (within the context of fragile states): the evolution of co-operative and inclusive state-society relations; the role of external donors, development, humanitarian and peace building agencies; the building of state legitimacy; the issue of aid conditionality linked to progress in peace building and reconciliation; how external actors can at the least ‘do no harm’ and at the best ‘do some good’ in what is usually a turbulent and changing environment.
• Module 4b will draw from and develop further learning from Modules 1 and 2 and will cross-reference themes from 3b (which will run during the same term).

Learning Outcomes

• an advanced knowledge of theories and concepts of building peace and state building in fragile states, particularly from the perspective of civil society.
• an advanced understanding of the linkages (coherence and complementarity) between the various elements involved in building peace, civil society and state building
• knowledge, at an advanced level and drawing from recent research, of the activities of agencies in the areas of building peace, civil society and state building
• an understanding of the methodologies used to study building peace, civil society and state building, and of the impact of our choice of methodology and conceptual framework on our understanding of conflict and negotiations, and vice versa.

• to relate linkages between state stabilisation, the establishment of good governance through democratic processes, building sustainable peace and security with contributions from government, international organisations and civil society in state building and peace building processes
• to engage in research projects at MA level in the subject of conflict analysis and principled negotiation
• to apply subject related knowledge and advanced theoretical models to the evaluation of current local and global issues, to interpret and analyse empirical data at an advanced level and according to competing explanatory frameworks, and to recognise the impact of a chosen conceptual framework on one’s research findings

• to demonstrate an ability to construct argument critically for both oral and written presentation from different sources of material, including material delivered orally and in an article review, report or policy document.
• to demonstrate an independent approach to learning, critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
• to use sophisticated techniques of information retrieval and management using an array of print and digital resources.
• to demonstrate an ability to work cooperatively and constructively in group exercises and role plays
• to formulate complex arguments in articulate and structured English, within the discursive conventions and genres of academic writing and written to high academic standard
• to demonstrate effective time management.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Students will be taught and learn through self-guided learning, lectures, class discussion, and seminars. Students are taught through one-hour lectures, followed by one-hour seminars. Each lecture will introduce the students to the key theoretical approaches or data relevant to the theme of the lecture. The lectures will be tailored to accommodate the differential knowledge and disciplinary skills of different cohorts and to make sure that students approach subsequent seminars with an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding.
• The lectures will be followed by one-hour seminars during which students are encouraged to explore the lecture content in greater detail and to identify areas in which they require particular guidance, for example on further reading. The seminars will enable students to develop their abilities to conduct research, to communicate, to present theoretical alternatives and data, and to develop their own argumentation skills. Class discussion encourages background reading, contributing to the students’ independent learning. It will further allow students the opportunity to exchange ideas, to explore issues and arguments that interest or concern them in greater depth, and to receive feedback from both the group and the lecturer on their own arguments and understanding. Class discussions and seminar tutor interventions will be the main form of formative feedback students receive on this module, and students will be made aware of this at the start of the module.
• A 3,000 word essay will form the assessed element of the module. Summative assessment by essay formally tests the skills developed throughout the course. The essay, to be submitted at the end of teaching, tests the ability to plan a substantial piece of work, identifying and retrieving sources and selecting and displaying appropriate subject specific knowledge and understanding. It tests the ability to develop an extended discussion which utilises concepts and examines competing interpretation and analysis. It also develops key skills in sustaining effective written communication and information presentation to high scholarly standards. It enables students to demonstrate that they have sufficient subject knowledge to meet the assessment criteria, that they have achieved the subject skills and that they have acquired the module’s key skills. In particular, summative essays test the acquisition of knowledge through independent learning and the ability to apply it in critical argument in relation to a specific question. They furthermore help students to develop time management skills by working to a deadline, as well as the ability to seek out and critically use relevant data sources. The summative assessment will test skills of synthesis, analysis and critical evaluation with reference to material drawn from the module.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment will take the form of continuing feedback in seminars.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University