Practical Approaches to Studying Conflict Affected Societies

POLI71102 Practical Approaches to Studying Conflict Affected Societies 15 Semester 2 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Jasmin Ramovic Unit coordinator Politics 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 Brief overview of the syllabus/topicsWeek 1                Introduction to the module & Power relations, positionality, and reflexivity in research Week 2                Introduction to Bosnia and Herzegovina and post-war stalemateWeek 3                Designing a research project & Using data sets in PCS researchWeek 4                InterviewsWeek 5                (Auto)ethnography & Discourse analysisWeek 6                Visual methodsWeek 7                Presentations on research proposal (Individual presentations on topics to be covered in the research visit)Week 8                Practicalities of research visits to post-conflict settingsResearch visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (during the Easter Break) Week 9                Debrief on research visit & Insights from research in other conflict-affected settingsWeek 10              Insights from research in other conflict-affected settings This module builds on the Peace and Conflict Studies MA semester 1 core module. It focuses on the ethics and practicalities of fieldwork and its centre-piece is a working research visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The module will introduce students to key pieces of literature and ideas that help us conduct field research and critically appraise the uses and practices of fieldwork. The aim is to deconstruct how information is collected and collated in the name of peace and conflict studies (PCS) research. We will examine issues of positionality and epistemology and consider the role of power in research and publication. The module is participative – not just through the research visit – and we encourage you to reflect on how you conceptualise the external world and the ways that you seek to intellectually organise it. The research visit is compulsory to pass the module. By the end of this course, students should be able:<ul> <li style="text-align:justify">To interrogate key concepts and theories related to the ethics and practicalities of research on peace and conflict. </li> <li style="text-align:justify">To reflect on your own positionality with regard to research.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">To consider the nature of power and agency in relation to research. </li> <li style="text-align:justify">To engage critically with relevant literature.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">To engage actively in fieldwork. </li> <li>To improve oral (through class discussions and presentations) and written (through the assessed essay) skills.</li></ul> 0 Other 100% Assignment 1: A Presentation  (25%)Assignment 2: A 3000 word essay, (75%)  N A detailed weekly reading schedule is laid out in the handbook. The following are general texts that discuss methodologies commonly used in Peace and Conflict Studies and thus give students a good introduction to the course:<ul> <li style="text-align:justify">Richmond, O., S. Pogodda and J. Ramović, eds. (2016), Palgrave’s Handbook of Disciplinary and Regional Approaches to Peace, Palgrave MacMillan.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Richmond O., and Gezim Visoka, eds., (2020) The Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Peace and Conflict Studies, https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-3-030-11795-5 </li> <li style="text-align:justify">Mac Ginty, R., R. Brett and B. Vogel, eds. (2020), The Companion to Peace and Conflict Fieldwork, Springer International Publishing AG.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Rivas, A., and B. C. Browne (2018), Experiences in Researching Conflict and Violence: Fieldwork Interrupted, Policy Press.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Bliesemann de Guevara, B., and Morten Bøås eds. (2020), Doing Fieldwork in Areas of International Intervention: A Guide to Research in Violent and Closed Contexts, Bristol University Press.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Mac Ginty R., ed. (2013) Handbook on Peacebuilding, Routledge. </li> <li style="text-align:justify">Sriram C. L. et al. eds. (2009) Surviving field research: Working in violent and difficult situations, Routledge.</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Millar, G. (2014) An Ethnographic Approach to Peacebuilding – Understanding Local Experiences in Transitional States, Routledge. </li> <li style="text-align:justify">Cramer, C. et al. eds. (2009), Researching Violence in Africa: Ethical and Methodological Challenges, Brill.</li></ul> Fieldwork 35 Seminars 20 0 95 TimetableThursday 12-2