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| Semester | fall semester 2018 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Sara Anna Hellmüller (sara.hellmueller@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the twenty-first century, the armed conflict in Syria is one of the biggest peacebuilding challenges of our times. It has led observers to question the use of existing approaches and tools to respond to conflicts and engendered reflections about their appropriateness in today’s wars. Scholars and policy-makers particularly point to three trends in contemporary armed conflicts: highly fragmented conflict parties, the rise of extremist groups, and increased dynamics of regionalization and internationalization of conflicts. The seminar examines these developments as well as the role of current international peacebuilding in responding to these challenges. It introduces the main theoretical debates on peace processes and reviews theories on conflict causes, ripeness of conflicts, mediation styles and effectiveness, as well as on broader peacebuilding approaches. It uses the Syria case to illustrate these theoretical insights while at the same time critically reflecting on their relevance and thinking about new research avenues that would be needed to better understand contemporary conflicts. |
| Learning objectives | Students are familiar with the main theoretical debates on conflict causes and peace processes and have applied them to the Syria case. They know how to use different analytical tools and theories in peace research to better understand peace processes and at the same time to critically question them and suggest alternative approaches. |
| Bibliography | A comprehensive syllabus including relevant literature will be provided to course participants at the start of the seminar. |
| Weblink | Swisspeace |
| Admission requirements | Open to all social science students (MOnA) |
| Course application | durch Belegen in MOnA |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Ethik des Christentums - materiale Ethik, Ethik der Lebensführung (ST/E 2) (Master's Studies: Theology (Start of studies before 01.08.2018)) Modul Ethik des Christentums - materiale Ethik, Ethik der Lebensführung (ST/E 2) (Master's degree subject: Theology) Modul: Ethik des Christentums – materiale Ethik, Ethik der Lebensführung (ST/E 2) (Master's Studies: Theology) Modul: Methoden der Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Modul: Regionaler Fokus B.A. (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Regionaler Fokus M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Continuous assessment Readings, active participation in class, presentation, discussion pass / fail. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |