Political Science: War and Peace in a World in Transition

This course is offered as an elective course in the Master of Science Programme in Political Science and as a single subject course. The language of instruction is English.

The course focuses on how war as an institution is transformed and the consequences this transformation has on warfare, security, and peace support operations in different parts of the world. Particular emphasis is placed on the interplay between normative assumptions about war and peace and how these ideas affect issues such as legitimacy, justice, and security.

The course also addresses peace in practice through empirical analyses of specific peace-building models and peace-making strategies in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans.

Course literature

The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.

Theoretical and empirical orientation:

The course provides a theoretical and empirical orientation of different explanations and analyses of contemporary wars and attempts to achieve a more peaceful world. It highlights how war as an institution is transformed and the consequences this has on warfare, security, and peace support operations.

Normative assumptions and their impact:

Particular emphasis is placed on the interplay between normative assumptions about war and peace and how these ideas affect issues such as legitimacy, justice, and security.

Peace in practice:

The course addresses peace in practice through empirical analyses of specific peace-building models and peacemaking strategies in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Through case studies, students will be able to generate knowledge and insights about specific circumstances of war and the possibilities as well as the restraints that exist in peacemaking efforts.

After completing the course, you will have deepened your knowledge and skills in political science with a focus on war and peace. This opens up career opportunities in research, international organizations, diplomacy, and security studies. The course also provides a solid foundation for further studies at an advanced level.

Prerequisites

150 credits in fully completed courses of which 90 credits including a Bachelor's degree essay is in Political Science or Peace and Conflict Studies.

Selection criteria

Seats are allocated according to: ECTS (HPAV): 100 %.

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

• The European Union (EU)
• The European Economic Area (EEA) and
• Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 31,250
First payment: SEK 31,250

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Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.