| Unit name | Conflict, Security and Development |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLIM1007 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Tucker |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit provides an introduction to key theoretical, historical and policy issues linking conflict, security and development. This includes the role of colonial legacies in conflict and conflict interventions, the gendered nature and impacts of violent conflict, the principles that guide peacekeeping and other forms of international intervention, and the ways in which societies, governments and international actors promote peacebuilding and reconciliation. The unit combines engagement with theoretical debates and a range of empirical cases, helping you to analyse and evaluate the links between the two. It thus provides an overview of ‘conflict, security and development’ as it has been analysed and debated, and practised in a range of cases, over the past thirty years.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is a core unit for MSc Development and Security and MSc International Development that provides students on the programmes with foundational knowledge and competencies in the analysis of key theoretical, historical and policy issues linking conflict, security and development.
An overview of content
The unit begins by considering the relationship between violent conflict, security and development, and the historical context in which this relationship has emerged. It then charts the development of conflict, security and development as an interconnected field of policy practice and academic debate over the past three decades. Combining theoretical debates and empirical cases, it covers issues such as the rise of peacekeeping at the end of the Cold War, the role of private actors in conflict, security and development interventions and the significance of gender in violent conflict and its resolution.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
The principal aim of the unit is to equip you to critically examine the connections between conflict, security and development, and the assumptions that underpin conflict, security and development interventions. The unit will therefore develop your interest in, and knowledge of, the linkages between development, security and violent conflict, and the ways in which security and development have been promoted or compromised through dominant policy responses to violent conflict around the world.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the unit, you will be able to:
The unit is taught through a mixture of online mini-lectures, structured learning activities, in-person seminars and optional extension activities. Together, the learning activities help you prepare effectively for seminar discussions, develop and consolidate your learning each week, and develop the research and analytical skills that are required to complete the formative and summative assessments for the unit.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
10-minute presentation delivered to your seminar group.
Feedback on your presentation is delivered in person, with an emphasis on the knowledge and skills that need to be demonstrated in the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
3,000 word essay (100%) [ILO 1, 2, 3, 4]
The 3,000 word essay requires you to critically reflect on the theoretical and policy issues covered in the unit, and demonstrate learning gained across the different weeks of the course. Feedback on the essay is provided in writing, with an emphasis on the knowledge and skills that need to be carried forward to TB2 units in the programme.
When assessment does not go to plan
You will normally complete the reassessment in the same format as outlined above. Students are expected to select a different essay question from the original list.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLIM1007).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
