Course structure

Duration:

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time. Students who start in January, finish at the end of the Spring Term in the following academic year.

Full-time students who start in September complete the MA in International Conflict Analysis over 12 months. Study is divided between taught modules, which last for one term each, and dissertation work. Those who start their programme in January take their modules in the Spring Term and Autumn Term of the subsequent academic year consecutively, and write their dissertation over their second Spring Term.

The MA can be taken on a part-time basis, typically over two years.

The programme is also offered as a Postgraduate Diploma – comprising six taught modules only – worth 120 Kent credits (60 ECTS) which can also be taken on a part-time basis.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

Compulsory modules currently include

POLI8280 - Theories of Conflict and Violence (20 credits)

The module provides an overview and framework for considering the evolving field of international conflict resolution. This module examines how conflict research has evolved within the field of political science through an in depth analysis of nationalism and community identities. It will initially investigate different levels of conflict and violence from the intrapersonal to the communal and, finally, to the state and international level. Then, the module will examine competing theories on conflict and violence. The theoretical reflections will focus on different aspects of conflict, ranging from inter-state to intra-state conflict as well as rationalists, institutional and psychological approaches in preventing conflict. In each instance, various and contested concepts are discussed and analysed through close study of social and political theories. Specific case studies and new security concerns will be reviewed.

Find out more about POLI8280

POLI8320 - Conflict Resolution in World Politics (20 credits)

The module aims to introduce current thinking and practice in the field on conflict resolution, conflict management and conflict transformation, including conflict prevention and peace-building. Can protracted violent conflicts be prevented, and how are they brought to an end? Is it possible to deal with the root causes of conflict? How do the wider conflicts in the international system impact on local and regional conflicts, and under what circumstances are conflicts transformed? We will explore these questions with reference to theories of conflict resolution, comparative studies and case studies. The module will focus mainly on international and intra-state conflict. There will be opportunities to discuss conflicts at other levels, such as the role of diasporas and the media in conflict and its transformation. You are encouraged to draw on your own personal knowledge of conflict situations.

Find out more about POLI8320

POLI9640 - Research Methods Training I (20 credits)

This module introduces the research design and methods used in the study of Politics and International Relations. The aim of the module is twofold: (1) to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to understand, compare and evaluate the design of, and methods used in, research in the field of politics and IR, and (2) to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to design your own research project and to make informed choices with regards to the methods of research.

The module focuses on the logic behind various types of research design and the key features of different methods used in research in the field of politics and IR. It gives you the necessary tools, methods and approaches in order to succeed in your essays and your dissertation. It covers the key steps you need in order to write successful postgraduate essays and a successful MA dissertation. The lectures and workshops provide you with the tools to do so, and you will, in the parallel seminars, address a series of topics which are necessary to help you write your first term papers.

The topics which are covered include description and explanation, concept analysis and typologies, the role of theories and theoretical frameworks, delineating a topic and formulating a research question, formulating an argument, the comparative method, case studies and case selection, and historical and ethnographic research.

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POLI9990 - Research Methods 2 (4 credits)

This module provides students with an understanding of academic research and an ability to identify and utilise appropriate strategies and techniques for the purpose of individual investigation, research and practice within a subject specific area of their course route. This module will prepare students to undertake the dissertation module in Stage 2 of their course.

Find out more about POLI9990

Optional modules may include

POLI8109 - Middle Eastern Politics and Society (20 credits)

The module is designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of politics in the Middle East. The module covers various social (e.g. identities), economic (e.g. role of natural resources) and religious (e.g. role of Islam) themes, and thus provides students with a wide-ranging perspective from which to analyse the political life of the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the nature and causes of conflict and political violence, and on the role of the state. The module also focuses on the historical development of the region as a way of helping students to understand the nature and causes of its contemporary political situation.

Find out more about POLI8109

POLI8114 - Governance and War in Cyberspace (20 credits)

This module provides an overview of the degree to which cyberspace continues to revolutionise the operations of both state and non-state actors, and the challenges of governing this 'fifth sphere' of power projection. Whilst this module is not entrenched in International Relations or Security Studies theory, students will have the opportunity to apply both traditional and non-traditional approaches to the politics of cyberspace. Key themes include: 21st century technology, cyber warfare, espionage, surveillance, deterrence theory, cyberterrorism, and representation of threatening cyber-entities. Students will develop a toolkit to critique the existing state and NGO-based governance regime for cyberspace, and will convey arguments both for and against a ‘Geneva Convention’ for cyberspace.

Find out more about POLI8114

POLI8240 - Analysing World Politics (20 credits)

Whenever we make a statement about international affairs, and world politics we rely on certain (often implicit) theoretical assumptions: about power, interests, identities, norms and how they relate to the behaviour of international actors. Whether we like it or not, we are 'doomed' to rely on theories. The starting-point of this module is not that theories are the only possible and all-encompassing approach to the study of international affairs, but that they are helpful to understand, compare and critically evaluate interpretations of international issues: if we all use theoretical assumptions, we better make them explicit and understood, to make sure what exactly we are claiming.

International Relations theories are not approached as strict categories with clear boundaries, but rather as a continuously evolving debate. The module does not attempt to give an encyclopaedic overview of all theories of International Relations, but rather to confront different views. The main objective is to understand the core differences between different theoretical approaches.

Find out more about POLI8240

POLI8280 - Theories of Conflict and Violence (20 credits)

The module provides an overview and framework for considering the evolving field of international conflict resolution. This module examines how conflict research has evolved within the field of political science through an in depth analysis of nationalism and community identities. It will initially investigate different levels of conflict and violence from the intrapersonal to the communal and, finally, to the state and international level. Then, the module will examine competing theories on conflict and violence. The theoretical reflections will focus on different aspects of conflict, ranging from inter-state to intra-state conflict as well as rationalists, institutional and psychological approaches in preventing conflict. In each instance, various and contested concepts are discussed and analysed through close study of social and political theories. Specific case studies and new security concerns will be reviewed.

Find out more about POLI8280

POLI8320 - Conflict Resolution in World Politics (20 credits)

The module aims to introduce current thinking and practice in the field on conflict resolution, conflict management and conflict transformation, including conflict prevention and peace-building. Can protracted violent conflicts be prevented, and how are they brought to an end? Is it possible to deal with the root causes of conflict? How do the wider conflicts in the international system impact on local and regional conflicts, and under what circumstances are conflicts transformed? We will explore these questions with reference to theories of conflict resolution, comparative studies and case studies. The module will focus mainly on international and intra-state conflict. There will be opportunities to discuss conflicts at other levels, such as the role of diasporas and the media in conflict and its transformation. You are encouraged to draw on your own personal knowledge of conflict situations.

Find out more about POLI8320

POLI8480 - Negotiation and Mediation (20 credits)

The course provides an overview and a framework for considering the field of international conflict resolution. The students have the opportunity to explore conflict resolution methods such as mediation, negotiation, collaborative problem solving, and alternative dispute resolution. The approach is interdisciplinary and juxtaposes traditional approaches in conflict management with the scientific study of conflict and cooperation. Across the term students will be exposed to a range of different theories and approaches to conflict management and be required to practically apply the course content in a number of simulations.

Find out more about POLI8480

POLI8681 - The Politics of Global Environmental Change (20 credits)

What determines pro-environmental outcomes and what are the obstacles to achieving such outcomes? This module looks at the politics of global environmental change at the international, national and individual level. Whether it is global environmental governance, national environmental policy making, or individual attitudes and behaviour, we need to understand what motivates actors and how a combination of motivations and structure translate into environmental outcomes in various contexts and societies.

This module provides you with the tools to explain the politics of global environmental change and environmental outcomes at the international, national and individual level. It equips you to develop political strategies to improve environmental outcomes. We do this by considering for example the design of international environmental institutions, the role of leadership, mobilisation, and climate communication. The module also equips you to provide political advice based on the latest available (political) science related to global environmental issues. We consider among other issues global environmental governance, international leadership, the role of civil society and lobbies in policy making, public support for environmental policy making, individual environmental attitudes and behaviour, and environmental conflicts.

Find out more about POLI8681

POLI9160 - Security In A Changing World (20 credits)

This module focuses on the evolution of security studies as a discipline and its implications for practice. We examine a variety of theoretical and empirical materials that provide students with the basis for analysing pressing questions related to issues of war, security and peace in the world today. This module thus provides a good grounding for understanding contemporary security challenges (such as the environmental degradation, conflict, gender-based insecurity, terrorism, mass surveillance and arms proliferation among others) and our responses to them. It will engage with debates around the 'broadening' and ‘deepening’ agenda of security studies, which has extended the scope of security studies beyond the nation-state, and the role of new security actors.

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POLI9170 - Terrorism and Crimes of the State (20 credits)

The purpose of the module is to develop an understanding of the complex relationships between terrorism, counter-terrorism efforts, and human rights, both at home and abroad. Central to the module is the role of the state in responding to terrorism, in attempting to prevent terrorism, and in itself using and sponsoring terrorism. In this regard students are encouraged to re-evaluate assumptions about the state and its place in domestic and international politics, focusing particularly on crimes by the state. Students will be introduced to competing approaches to the study of terrorism, many of which are grounded in wider theories and approaches common to International Relations and Security Studies.

One of the challenges of the module is to think critically about the implications and consequences of those various approaches. The module will begin by looking at the various methodological, theoretical, and definitional challenges associated with the study of terrorism. Building on this grounding, students will then begin analysing terrorism, counter-terrorism and the role of the state through a number of case studies drawn from the 20th and early 21st Centuries. They will be encouraged to relate each of the case studies to the broader methodological and theoretical debates explored in the first few weeks of the module.

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POLI9510 - States, Nations and Democracy (20 credits)

The module draws from comparative politics, international relations, and political thought to analyse the past, present, and future of the democratic national state, the dominant form of political system in today's world. It addresses questions such as: Why are some states federal and others unitary? What explains the resilience of nationalism? Does economic integration leads to political disintegration? Why has regional integration gone much further in Europe than elsewhere? Is multi-national democracy possible? The module first charts the emergence of the modern state and its transformation into a national and democratic form of political system. Subsequently, it explores some key aspects of the formation, structuring, restructuring, and termination of states such as the unitary/federal dichotomy, processes of devolution, the challenge of secession, the question of the connections between the economic environment and the number and size of states, the phenomenon of supra-state regional integration, and the connections between nationality and democracy. It concludes by assessing the challenges facing the democratic national state in the 21st century and their likely trajectory in the foreseeable future.

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POLI9560 - Public Opinion: Nature and Measurement (20 credits)

This module provides students with a detailed introduction to the nature and study of public opinion. Opinion and attitudes are central to the choices that citizens make and to the way they behave, which in turn are core outcomes in politics. Yet the nature and formation of those attitudes are complex, and shaped by a range of individual and contextual factors, which are central subjects within psychology. This module therefore brings together perspectives from both political science and psychology, in helping students to understand how citizens form attitudes and opinions, the processes and considerations that underpin attitude formation, the factors and actors that influence these formative processes and the effect that citizens' attitudes have on their behaviour. The module will also consider the principal ways in which we identify and measure public opinion, notably through surveys. Underpinning the module will be the central question of whether the nature of citizens' opinions are consistent with the assumptions and demands of modern democratic states.

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POLI9610 - Politics and Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa (20 credits)

This module explores topics and themes in post-colonial sub-Saharan African politics, with a particular focus on conflict and peacebuilding. We will look at colonial legacies, processes of state formation, and the nature and dynamics of political development at the national and local levels. We will also critically reflect on theories and concepts developed in the fields of comparative politics, peace and conflict research, and international relations and apply them to the study of Africa. In this module, we aim at offering solid foundations to the understanding of politics and conflict in Africa, which include colonial legacies, societal characteristics and economic challenges that shape the politics of sub-Saharan African states until today.

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Compulsory modules currently include

POLI9650 - MA Thesis (60 credits)

This module builds on and applies the skills and learning outcomes attained in Stage 1 of all PGT courses, and in particular Research Methods 1 & 2. It does so through the assessment of individual MA thesis projects, including via oral presentation and a final thesis document. This dissertation forms a major assessed element of the Masters course and is on a topic that falls within the scope of your MA. The overall goal is to help you move through the components of the dissertation, including the actual research as well as presenting and writing up your findings.

Find out more about POLI9650

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Teaching

Teaching and assessment

Assessment is by coursework plus the dissertation.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

provide a programme that will attract, and meet the needs of both those seeking to prepare for careers in fields concerned with international conflicts and those with a general intellectual interest in international conflict analysis

provide you with a research-active teaching environment which gives you a good grounding in the study of study of international conflict and war, co-operation and peace

examine how state, non-state and supra-national actors behave and interact in conflict situations

ensure that you acquire a solid knowledge of the theories of the causes and dynamics of different kinds of conflict and the means to overcome them

ensure that students who specialise in regional conflicts acquire an advanced understanding of the historical, cultural, social and institutional context of the area to be studied

prepare students for various careers in jobs related to international conflict analysis as well as for career changes in the spirit of lifelong learning

develop your general research skills and personal skills (transferable skills).

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

key historical and theoretical issues in international conflict and the study of war and peace, together with familiarity with appropriate bibliographical sources

how to apply general theoretical and conceptual frameworks to the analysis of specific conflicts

the nature and distribution of power in the international systems, problems of political order and the social, economic, historical and cultural context within which actors operate

the different kinds of actors on the international scene, their respective interests and influence in conflict situations

key theoretical problems of war and peace

current political challenges to international peace and security and possible strategies to address them

the changing role of the state in the context of globalisation and regional integration and the implications for international peace and security

how to design and conduct a research project demonstrating awareness of epistemological and methodological principles

how to carry

International Conflict Analysis - PDip, MA drafted draft

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