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| Semester | fall semester 2021 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Sibel Yasemin Gürler (sibelyasemin.guerler@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Comprehensive peace agreements and political settlements in conflict-affected countries often recommend a wide range of mechanisms and processes to end the war and establish sustainable peace. Institutional reforms that (re-)define the “rules of the game,” including constitutional reviews, decentralisation reform or electoral system changes, are common to most peace processes. Often with a rationale of “all good things go together,” the international community mobilizes bundles of reforms to redefine the social contract, strengthen legitimate state institutions and good governance. However, experiences show that these processes face many hurdles and do not always produce satisfactory outcomes. This seminar explores the interconnectedness of the different reform processes as well as the opportunities and risks they may pose in highly politicized and contested contexts. Going beyond a purely technical understanding, the course views institutional reform as a deeply political intervention aimed at transforming the socio-economic and political setup of a country. From conceptual trends to policy and practice, the course considers the political economy of reform projects, and investigates questions surrounding legitimacy, timeframes and sequencing, inclusivity and representation. The seminar will draw on comparative insights from different country cases, namely Syria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and South Sudan. |
| Learning objectives | At the end of the seminar, the students: - Understand contemporary policy debates and approaches to peacebuilding and state-building in conflict-affected contexts - Can critically assess and investigate opportunities, risks, and challenges of institutional reform with regard to achieving sustainable peace (focus on constitutional, governance, and electoral arrangements) - Are able to analyse international approaches to promoting decentralised systems in conflict-affected contexts - Will have an understanding of issues linked to state-society relations, legitimacy of authority and institutions as well as political, social, economic, and technical realities of reform. |
| Comments | The number of participants is limited. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. Please take note: The first session of the seminar will be held via zoom on 21 September 2021. This session will serve as an information session for students. Please take not that you will have to decide at the end of this session whether you will continue with the seminar for the rest of the term. Since we have only limited places due to Corona restrictions, we want to make sure that places in the seminar are not blocked by people who will not take part in the long run. |
| Admission requirements | Attention: All Seminars will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. Please take note: The first session of the seminar will be held via zoom on 21 September 2021. This session will serve as an information session for students. Please take not that you will have to decide at the end of this session whether you will continue with the seminar for the rest of the term. Since we have only limited places due to Corona restrictions, we want to make sure that places in the seminar are not blocked by people who will not take part in the long run. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 16.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Modules |
Modul: Regionaler Fokus M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Themen der Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Active participation in class and presentation (Inputreferat) |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |