autumn 2017 SVF-3022 Culture, Conflict and Society - 10 ECTS

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: June 1st for the autumn semester and December 1st for the spring semester. Applicants from outside the Nordic countries: October 1st for the spring semester and April 15th for the autumn semester.

Type of course

The course is compulsory for Master's degree students in Peace and Conflict Transformation, and also open to other Master's degree students as an elective.

Admission requirements

Students, who are not registered for the Master's Degree Programme in Peace and Conflict Transformation (MPCT), must have a Bachelor`s degree in the Humanities or Social Sciences. All other bachelor degree holders may be admitted to the course upon application

Course content

The course enables students to critically analyse and evaluate the relevance of contextual cultural and societal issues in efforts at understanding violent conflicts and peace-building. It applies perspectives from anthropology, religious studies and psychology to conflicts, peace and conflict transformation. It represents an attempt to conceptualise violent conflicts and related issues as inter-subjective experiences with cultural and psychological dimensions.

The topics addressed include: Anthropological perspectives on culture and conflict; Anthropology of difference and images of the other; Ethnicity, nationalism and conflict; Psychology, health, war and peace; and symbolic meanings and cosmologies.


Objectives of the course

Students who have successfully completed the course should have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

  • have an understanding of diverse perspectives from anthropology, religious studies and psychology and how they relate to conflicts, peace and conflict transformation
  • have a conceptual understanding of violent conflicts and related issues as inter-subjective experiences with cultural and psychological dimensions.

Analytical understanding

  • have the ability to explore the cultural and societal issues underlying violent conflicts and peace processes
  • have the ability to determine how different cultural groups conceptualize and respond to violence
  • have the ability to explore the broad issues informing inter-subjective and inter/intra-group experiences in violent conflict situations.

Skills and competences

  • capable of relating perspectives from anthropology, psychology, religious studies and psychology to conflicts and peace processes
  • capable of bringing inter-cultural understandings to bear on violent conflicts and peace-building processes
  • capable of taking responsibility for one's own learning by working independently towards the realisation of the course objectives.

Language of instruction and examination

All lectures, readings, assignments, discussions and the final exam shall be in English.

Teaching methods

There will be a mix of lectures and seminar discussions.

The course is to be evaluated by the SSL forum each semester the course is offered as well as in an anonymous online evaluation every second time the course is offered.


Assessment

Candidates will write a home examination of 4000 words (approx. 10 pages) within a week on a set of given topics.

Grading is on the scale of A to F, where F is Fail.

Towards the end of the course, the students will be divided into pairs to make oral presentations (max 10 minutes) on a topic related to cultural, religious or psychological issues in their home countries or a chosen country/region vis-à-vis practices in other contexts. These presentations shall draw upon the course readings.

A re-sit exam will be arranged for this course.


Recommended reading/syllabus

750 pages.

Available at Fronter or from the student advisor.

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  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: SVF-3022