COURSE CURRICULUM

The Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding MA is structured to provide students with a thorough understanding of the dynamics of conflict, governance, and post-conflict reconstruction. Core modules focus on global governance, complex emergencies, civil wars, and intrastate conflicts, equipping students with analytical frameworks to examine the causes, consequences, and management of conflict in diverse contexts. The dissertation module allows students to undertake independent research, critically engaging with key debates and contributing original insights into the field. Optional modules provide opportunities to specialise and tailor learning to individual interests, covering topics such as African political and social developments, education in emergencies, gender and globalisation, European defence and security, global security challenges, counterterrorism, terrorism, and the responsibility to protect. Through this combination of compulsory and optional modules, students develop a nuanced understanding of the interplay between security, development, and humanitarian action, exploring how international actors respond to instability and fragile states. The course encourages critical evaluation of policy, practice, and theoretical approaches while fostering practical skills in research, analysis, and problem-solving. Graduates gain the expertise necessary for careers in international development, humanitarian work, peacebuilding, security analysis, and research, as well as for further academic study in conflict and development studies.