| Unit name | Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Transition in Latin America |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI30036 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Roddy Brett |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will present a detailed engagement with the process of conflict transformation and post-conflict reconstruction in Latin America since the Third Wave of democratisation in the region during the 1980s. The approach taken in the unit will be to contrast the theory and practice of conflict transformation and peacebuilding and will include a focus on the role and intervention of the international community, including the United Nations System. Analysis will centre on conventional forms of peace-keeping, peace-making and peacebuilding supported by the United Nations, as well as on more innovative initiatives, in particular in local-level peacebuilding and hybrid politics. The unit will engage with a series of detailed empirical case studies, including Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia. The unit engages with and evaluates key theoretical frameworks relating to conflict transformation and post-war reconstruction, peacebuilding, the State, democratisation and sovereignty and will be relevant to students interested in developing a career in public policy and policy-making in national and international institutions.
• Introduce students to the theoretical frameworks and practices of peace-keeping, peace-making, conflict transformation and peacebuilding.
• Develop students’ understandings of the historical experiences within the region, and of the specificities of country contexts in terms of conflict and peacemaking/peacebuilding.
• Encourage students to think critically about the core aspects of key concepts and theoretical approaches to liberal peacebuilding, hybridity, local level peacebuilding, transitional justice
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Critically engage with and evidence understanding of the application of theoretical frameworks of transition, conflict transformation, and post-war reconstruction, generally and in the specific context of Latin America.
2. Integrate empirical evidence into theoretically and conceptually grounded arguments and comparative assessments of post-conflict transition.
3. Demonstrate familiarity with a range of arguments relating to the causes, nature and transformation of conflict through engagement with the literature leading to an understanding of the theoretical debates.
4. Demonstrate an in-depth and rigorous understanding of the case studies and how they might contribute to critical thinking relating to conflict, peace and security in Latin America and beyond.
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
1500 word essay (25%)
3000 word essay (75%)
Both essays assess all learning outcomes listed above.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLI30036).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
