Conflict Studies
SO4253 Conflict Studies (15 ECTS credits)
Lecturer(s): DrRonit Lentin and DrAndrew Finlay
Module Content/Outline:
Part I (Gender and Race) explores the intersection of gender and race, ethnicity, racism, class and conflict and the consequences of this intersection in relation to key issues in women's and men's lives. The module takes a feminist / race critical theory approach to the debates on the ethnic construction of femininities, masculinities and transgender, sexuality and racism, nationalism and feminism, and the relationship between gender, ethno-national conflicts, wars and genocides.
Part II (Conflict Resolution, 'Governmentality', Ireland) develops an 'anthropology of the state' with an emphasis on the management of diversity and conflict. The module will begin with current techniques of conflict management, focusing on case studies such as the Dayton Accords, the 2005 constitution in Iraq, the Good Friday Agreement in Ireland, and other agreements that draw on a controversial approach to conflict resolution known as consociational theory. It will then seek to comprehend these technologies of conflict management, and the controversies surround them, by drawing on theories of the state, especially Foucault's ideas about 'governmentality'.
Learning Objectives:
On successful completion students should be able to:
- critically analyse the construction of masculinities, femininities and transgender in relation to race, racism and conflict;
- apply feminist theories in relation to nationalism, culture and sexualities;
- use case studies to critically analyse the intersection of race and gender;
- apply constructions of race and gender in relation to wars, ethno-national conflicts, and genocide;
- explore the construction of race and gender in relation to students' own experiences and in their own lives;
- critically assess the knowledge claims about conflict, culture and identity that underpin consociation;
- discuss the practical implications of these knowledge claims for equality legislation, community relations programmes and human rights provisions in 'post-conflict' societies;
- explore the strengths and weaknesses of consociation vis-à-vis other models of conflict management;
- derive, explain and critically assess theories of race and gender and the intersection between them.
Lectures & Tutorials/ Contact hours:
One lecture and one tutorial per week.
Workload:
Lectures: 22 hrs; Tutorials: 22 hrs; Exams/assignments: 22 hrs; Self-study: 284 hrs. Total: 350 hours.
Recommended Texts/ Key Reading:
- Bhavnani, K. (2001) Feminism and 'Race', Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Finlay A. (2010) Governing Ethnic Conflict, Consociation, Identity and the Price of Peace, London: Routledge.
- Yuval-Davis, N. (1997) Gender and Nation, London: Sage.
Assessment
- Penalties for late submission: Without an authorised extension, the mark given will be lowered by one grade
- Part I: Coursework (50%),
- Part II: Exam (50%)
- Part I: written group projects 20th December 2012
- Examination: 1 x 3-hour examination