Power, Conflict and Justice

F2025

Global and Development Studies

Course

English

Read about the Master Programme and find the Study Regulations at ruc.dk

You register for activities through stads selvbetjening during the announced registration period, which you can see on the Study administration homepage.

When registering for courses, please be aware of the potential conflicts and overlaps between course and exam time and dates. The planning of course activities at Roskilde University is based on the recommended study programmes, which should not overlap. However, if you choose optional courses and/or study plans that goes beyond the recommended study programmes, an overlap of lectures or exam dates may occur depending on which courses you choose.

5

Line Engbo Gissel (lgissel@ruc.dk)

Markus-Michael Müller (muellerm@ruc.dk)

ISE Registration & Exams (ise-exams@ruc.dk)

U60119

This course studies the power relations that structure and challenge order from the local to the global levels; the conflicts, including their interconnections, that these relationships create, reproduce and resolve; as well as questions of justice and rights inherent in power relations and conflict dynamics. Students learn theoretical approaches to power, conflict and justice, and study how their assumptions lead to different analyses and conclusions.

The course will typically have three parts. The first part will outline the relevant theoretical / conceptual approaches to power, conflict and justice, and their historical background. The second part will present real-world cases of conflict and justice problems and solutions, and facilitate students’ ability to apply theories, either through group work, class presentations, class discussions, or other means. Actors from the public and private sectors can be invited in to shed light on cases and general problems. The third part facilitates critical reflection based on theory and case work and summarizes the course.

Course material is available on Moodle.

The course is worth 5 ECTS, so students need to adjust the workload accordingly. You are expected to attend class and prepare by reading 2-3 compulsory texts every week plus doing the required presentation activities related to the cases. You are also expected to regularly check the course´s Moodle site and keep yourselves up to date with information.

The course norm is 5 ECTS. This means that the course is set for 135 hours, which is divided in the following way:

• 15 hrs to participate in 10 classes

• 40 hrs for reading course material (10 classes)

• 40 hrs for preparing presentations / discussions

• 40 hrs for exam including preparation

Students are expected to spend 6.5 hrs preparing for each class including readings, links on moodle, cases, and presentations.

If, this semester, the activity is a part of the study board's evaluation rotation (not all activities offered are evaluated - only the ones chosen by the study board), the students will be asked to evaluate mid-term and by the end of the activity according to the evaluation practice of the study board.

Global and Development Studies: Power Conflict and Justice S2024

Session 1. Conflict as Productive and Destructive; and Outline of the Course (Course Convenor, Lars Buur)

Session 2. Power and Conflict (Laust Schouenborg)

Session 3. Power and Justice (Line Gissel)

Session 4. Conflict Solutions (Laust Schouenborg)

Session 5. Justice Solutions (Line E. Gissel)

Session 6. Political Violence (Lars Buur)

Session 7. The Arms Race (Laust Schouenborg)

Session 8. Post-Conflict Divisions (Line Gissel)

Session 9. Investment Conflicts (Lars Buur)

Session 10. (Lars Buur, Line Gissel and Laust Schouenborg)

• Students acquire skills to critically analyse and compare different types of power relations and how they produce and prevent conflict, and to evaluate and question different positions and meanings of justice and rights, including human rights.

• They acquire specialised knowledge and skills regarding the role of power relations in shaping conflict dynamics, patterns conflict resolution, human rights, and justice at different levels (local, national, international, global).

• They acquire an advanced understanding of different theoretical debates related to these subjects and develop skills in selecting and critically applying relevant theories and methods, including in choosing relevant approaches in order to investigate a problem area. They also develop skills in communicating and discussing theories and empirical results.

Individual portfolio exam.

The character limit of the portfolio is maximum 28,800 characters, including spaces. Examples of written products are exercise responses, talking points for presentations, written feedback, reflections, written assignments. The preparation of the products may be subject to time limits.
The character limits include the cover, table of contents, bibliography, figures and other illustrations, but exclude any appendices.

The portfolio is written completely or partially during the course.

The entire portfolio must be handed in at the same time (uploaded to eksamen.ruc.dk). Handing in the portfolio or parts of the portfolio to the supervisor for feedback, cannot replace the upload to eksamen.ruc.dk.

Assessment: 7-point grading scale.

Samme som ordinær eksamen / same form as ordinary exam

• Explain and evaluate, using relevant terminology, the advantages and disadvantages of various theories within the aspect of a subject area that is dealt with in the specialisation course

• Confidently and independently, select and apply relevant theories in relation to a specific issue

• Analyse and reflect critically on the course material

• Discuss in a creative and solution-oriented manner conflict scenarios from the course

• Communicate knowledge in language that is technically precise, well-structured and well-argued.