Admission requirements
Admission to this course is restricted to students enrolled on the MA IR Global Conflict specialisation; and the MA European Politics and Society.
Description
In this course, students will be introduced to and examine international intervention(s) in response to armed conflict, humanitarian crisis, abuses of human rights and state failure. Students will spend time identifying and defining the key concepts that underpin such interventions, drawing on their knowledge of International Relations theory acquired in other courses in their programme of study. This theoretical emphasis will be accompanied by an extensive focus on relevant case studies from the Cold War and post-Cold War periods, during which students will be encouraged to look for evidence of continuities and/or change and to deliver comparative analyses of interventions with a view to understanding the related causes, imperatives, motivations, forms and consequences of those interventions.
Course objectives
To introduce students to the underpinning concepts and competing understandings of intervention in academic literature and relations among relevant actors;
To extend students’ knowledge and understanding of a range of case studies relevant to the study and critical analysis of international intervention;
To develop students’ ability to deliver a critical analysis of those factors that shape international intervention in situations of conflict, state collapse, humanitarian and human rights emergencies, with a particular regard for the impact on those societies acted upon by others;
To refine students’ ability to reflect upon and apply theory to practice and deliver conclusions about the fit between the two, based on extensive engagement with appropriate primary and secondary sources;
To develop students’ reflective capacities in relation to the subject specific material as well as the research, communication and writing skills central to successful completion of the course;
To develop students’ ability to work collaboratively to deliver a project appropriate to the level and subject of study, based upon authoritative primary and secondary research;
To present orally information drawn from authoritative primary and secondary sources in relation to a specific case study and deliver a well-structured and engaging mini lecture and seminar about it, including answering peers’ questions, making effective use of verbal and non-verbal communication methods;
Through a case study, to evaluate what constitutes the most appropriate research design and data selection for answering a research question
To manage time effectively in relation to individual and team work;
To understand how to break down the components of a task and develop the skills needed to ensure effective collaborative work.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Discursive lectures / seminars / flipped classrooms
Assessment method
Assessment
Active participation in class discussions;
Flipped classroom – case study mini lecture & seminar
Portfolio to contain 2 elements:
o 1,500 word review of book relevant to the study of international intervention;
o Content OR discourse analysis of (student-selected) UN Security Council meeting transcripts.
Weighting
Active participation (20%);
Flipped classroom (30%);
Portfolio (25% + 25% = 50%):
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
- Portfolio to contain 2 elements (50%):
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
There is no textbook for this course. The full reading list, comprising peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters and primary sources will be made available through the course handbook in the weeks prior to the running of the course.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga
Remarks
Not applicable.