| Unit name | Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Transition in Latin America |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLI30036 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Roddy Brett |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will present a detailed engagement with the process of conflict transformation and post-conflict reconstruction in Latin America since the Third Wave of democratisation in the region during the 1980s. The approach taken in the unit will be to contrast the theory and practice of conflict transformation and peacebuilding and will include a focus on the role and intervention of the international community, including the United Nations System. Analysis will centre on conventional forms of peace-keeping, peace-making and peacebuilding supported by the United Nations, as well as on more innovative initiatives, in particular in local-level peacebuilding and hybrid politics. The unit will engage with a series of detailed empirical case studies, including Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia. The unit engages with and evaluates key theoretical frameworks relating to conflict transformation and post-war reconstruction, peacebuilding, the State, democratisation and sovereignty and will be relevant to students interested in developing a career in public policy and policy-making in national and international institutions.
• Introduce students to the theoretical frameworks and practices of peace-keeping, peace-making, conflict transformation and peacebuilding.
• Develop students’ understandings of the historical experiences within the region, and of the specificities of country contexts in terms of conflict and peacemaking/peacebuilding.
• Encourage students to think critically about the core aspects of key concepts and theoretical approaches to liberal peacebuilding, hybridity, local level peacebuilding, transitional justice
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Critically engage with and evidence understanding of the application of theoretical frameworks of transition, conflict transformation, and post-war reconstruction, generally and in the specific context of Latin America.
2. Integrate empirical evidence into theoretically and conceptually grounded arguments and comparative assessments of post-conflict transition.
3. Demonstrate familiarity with a range of arguments relating to the causes, nature and transformation of conflict through engagement with the literature leading to an understanding of the theoretical debates.
4. Demonstrate an in-depth and rigorous understanding of the case studies and how they might contribute to critical thinking relating to conflict, peace and security in Latin America and beyond.
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
1500 word essay (25%)
3000 word essay (75%)
Both essays assess all learning outcomes listed above.
• C.J. Arnson (Editor) In the Wake of War: Democratization and Internal Armed Conflict in Latin America. Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Stanford University Press.
• M. Joshi and P. Wallensteen (2018) Understanding Quality Peace: Peacebuilding after Civil War. London: Routledge.
• R. Duthie and P. Seils (Editors) Justice Mosaics. How Context Shapes Transitional Justice in Fractured Societies. New York, ICTJ.
• Ramsbotham, O., T. Woodhouse and H. Miall (2005) Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Polity Press.
• MacGinty, R. (2006) No War, No Peace: The Rejuvenation of Stalled Peace Processes and Peace Accords. Palgrave MacMillan.
