Applied Peace and Conflict Studies BA (Hons)

The modules for this course can be found in the latest programme specification.

Year One

Your first year introduces you to Peace and Conflict Studies as an interdisciplinary field of study and gives you a sense of how the analysis of real-world problems can be approached from different conceptual perspectives and approaches to research.

Module titleCore/OptionCredits Global Issues and Challenges Core 60 Histories of the Present Core 20 Studying Peaceful and Unpeaceful Relations Core 40

In Global Issues and Challenges we start exploring how we might tackle the many problems facing the world today: How do we begin to understand the immense problems that face us, in all their complexity, let alone actually tackle them? In this module you will learn how to get started: you will learn some basic tools for beginning to unpick and analyse the pressing problems of our time. You will work to develop your own understanding of key global problems as a basis for beginning to think about how they might be resolved.

Histories of the Present asks critical questions about the historical developments that have shaped present realities, and about the stories we tell about both past and present. We often hear the phrase, "History is written by the winners," used to explain how the powerful get to control the way that historical events are depicted and interpreted. How, and how successfully, do they do this? To what extent does our everyday understanding of the past reflect the interests of the powerful? And how does this affect our responses to problems of the present? In this module, you will explore the relationship between knowledge and power in constructing our understanding of the contemporary world and the role that institutions such as museums and objects such as memorials play in this. Drawing on the University's own archive of documents relating to the peace movement and its special relationship with the Bradford Peace Museum, you will explore sources and documents relating to historical episodes of war and peace and get the opportunity to design and present your own museum exhibit or memorial presenting an alternative history of contemporary problems.

The 40-credit module Studying Peaceful and Unpeaceful Relations introduces a set of concepts and perspectives specific to the BA (Hons) in Applied Peace and Conflict Studies: What does 'peace' mean to you? How would you decide whether to describe a situation as 'peaceful' or 'unpeaceful'? What would it take to cultivate more peaceful relationships and structures? Do you think other people agree on your answers to these questions? Answering these questions is more difficult than it might seem at first. Many of the key concepts that inform Peace and Conflict Studies are contested, with scholars and practitioners taking different approaches to answering them. This module creates opportunities for critical reflection on the deeper assumptions and values that shape ideas about peace and violence. Different conceptions of peace and violence, in turn, influence how we approach research and practice in the peace and conflict field. In this module, you will encounter a range of approaches to the academic study of peace and violence and explore their strengths and weaknesses. As an apprentice social researcher, you will also start to carry out small-scale research tasks related to the themes of the module.

Year Two

Your second year expands and deepens the study of unpeaceful relationships and approaches to transforming these into more peaceful relationships, focusing on three broad thematic strands across the year: Conflict analysis and skills for constructive conflict engagement; political questions regarding power and inequality that form a backdrop for movements for social and political change; and an understanding of social-ecological crises that leads on to exploring concepts and practices focused on place, culture and community.

In semester 1, we will explore unpeaceful relationships from several thematic angles. Semester 2 focuses on a range of attempts to engage with the challenges introduced in semester 1, and to transform unpeaceful into more peaceful conditions and relationships.

Module titleCore/OptionCredits Analysing Contemporary Conflict Core 20 Power, Politics and Inequality Core 20 Understanding Social-Ecological Systems and Crises Core 20 Applied Skills for Conflict Engagement Core 20 Movements for Peace, Justice and Social Change Core 20 Place, Culture and Community Core 20

In Analysing Contemporary Conflict you will learn knowledge and analytic skills needed for a systematic and critical understanding of the causes, dynamics and impacts of conflict in the contemporary world. You will apply key concepts in various research and analysis tasks, exploring contemporary cases of conflict and the validity or limitations of existing academic thinking. As such, the module emphasises an applied and practical approach to conflict analysis, developing your skills in gathering and analysing information about relevant case-studies and contexts of conflict.
 
Power, Politics and Inequality asks some challenging questions about dramatically widening inequality in the world today, within and between nations. Should we equate inequality with injustice, and is there a clear link between inequality and violence? What do we mean by inequality anyway - inequality of wealth? Of income? Of opportunity? In the course of this module you will investigate the concept of inequality, the ways in which it can be measured, and the normative and empirical debates about the relationship between inequality, politics and power.

Understanding Social-Ecological Systems and Crises explores dynamics that are making many of the systems that we rely on in everyday life increasingly unsustainable and fragile. Climate change and other forms of environmental degradation are raising profound and difficult questions for people interested in pursuing peace, equity and justice: How might we respond to current and future crises in ways that strengthen the potential for peaceful and just relationships? What aspects of our ways of life can and should be sustained, and which ones might need to change? How do we engage with dynamics of power and inequality in attempting to respond to these questions? This module introduces different conceptual approaches to social-ecological challenges, including peace ecology, resilience and environmental justice. We will critically explore debates around these ideas and consider how they inform different practical initiatives in a range of contexts and settings relevant to peace and development, both locally and further afield.

In Applied Skills for Conflict Engagement, you will get opportunities to learn in an experiential manner about some of the skills and qualities needed in conflict engagement, in a range of contexts of peace and development practice, including situation analysis, evaluating options for engagement, process planning, and skills for managing and resolving conflict. Different cases and scenarios will allow us to explore interventions at different scales, and in situations of increasing complexity, building understanding of the nature, challenges and value of conflict engagement.
Movements for Peace, Justice and Social Change focuses on activist responses to conflict, injustice and abuses of power: How effective are social movements in changing people and politics, and what possibilities are there for social movements in a globalised and digital age? This module evaluates the techniques, achievements and legacies of social movements, protest campaigns and wider struggles for political change, and for social and environmental justice. It explains theoretical perspectives on social movements and enables you to apply these to case studies drawn from the global north and south. You will explore how movements develop their goals, mobilise supporters, develop protest techniques and help change attitudes and values by confronting those in power.

In Place, Culture and Community, we will explore the relationships between social dynamics and the physical environments in which they take place: How do particular places shape our life experiences and identities? What do we mean by 'community'? What culture(s) do we feel we belong to, and how does this influence our relationships with others? What do place, culture and community mean in contexts of migration, displacement, fragmentation and social-ecological crises? This module explores the intersections between place, culture, community, peace and conflict. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own experiences of place, culture and community, explore critical questions about the meanings of these contested concepts, and consider the potential for engaging place, culture and community in peacebuilding practices. Alongside academic literature, we will explore and reflect on creative and artistic efforts to engage themes of place, culture and community, with a particular emphasis on how these might be used in supporting peacebuilding and social change.

Year Three

Your third year offers choice and flexibility alongside the core curriculum, with options for developing independent research in your dissertation, choice over projects and assignments within modules, and some free module choices. Core modules at this stage focus on further refining your engagement with real-life scenarios and challenges, encouraging you to develop the dispositions and skills needed for reflective practice. The core modules further develop key professional skills and competencies. Option modules allow for further specialisation in relevant areas.

In your third year, you will take two 20-credit core modules, and you will be able to choose an elective in semester 1 and an optional module in semester 2. The elective can be a module offered anywhere within the University

Module TitleCore/OptionCredits Dissertation Core 40 Ethics in Peace and Development Practice Core 20 Pathways into Professional Practice Option 20 Politics and Security in Africa Option 20 Elective Option 20 Politics of International Crisis Response Core 20 Creative Conflict Transformation Option 20 Politics and Security in the Middle East Option 20 Development Challenges Option 20

In Ethics in Peace and Development Practice, we explore some of the moral questions that arise for individuals and organisations involved in humanitarian, development and peacebuilding initiatives. Responses to conflicts, humanitarian crises and development challenges, however well-intentioned, are rarely straightforward in practice. Indeed, interventions by external actors or third parties can cause lasting harm as well as good, whatever the scale or context of intervention. This module helps you identify and evaluate common ethical dilemmas and issues that arise in the field, showing why 'helping' roles are ethically complex. The module will improve your ability to make informed ethical judgements about relevant real-world cases, contributing to your personal and professional development.

Politics of International Crisis Response brings you together with fellow students in politics, security, international relations, and development studies. Working across these neighbouring disciplines, you will develop an understanding of the dynamics that bear on international responses to complex crises, including disasters, humanitarian or development emergencies, gross abuse of human or minority rights, violent conflict or inter-state security crises. Through relevant case studies, this module examines existing international and regional mechanisms for crisis response and identifies lessons from past experiences. A crisis simulation game and other simulation exercises will give you the opportunity to develop skills and experience that will help you to engage with the challenges and practices of relevant international policy and practitioner communities.

The final year Dissertation offers you an exciting opportunity to deepen and extend your learning, and to design and pursue a substantive self-directed project of your choice. This could take different forms: You might decide to pursue your own piece of research, drawing from relevant academic literature and/or collecting and analysing your own data. You could plan and carry out an action research project with direct links to practice, or you could design a reflective practice project to develop your applied skills in an area of work you are interested in. You will work closely with a supervisor and within a supportive peer network to design and carry out your project. The module will culminate in a showcase event that gives you the chance to share your work with others in a format that you choose, look at the work of your fellow students, and celebrate your achievement.