EU4A2      Half Unit
Globalisation, Conflict and Post-Conflict Reconstruction

This information is for the 2020/21 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Denisa Kostovicova CBG 7.03

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in Comparative Politics, MSc in Conflict Studies, MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe, MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe (LSE & Sciences Po), MSc in European Studies (Research), MSc in European and International Public Policy, MSc in European and International Public Policy (LSE and Bocconi), MSc in European and International Public Policy (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in Gender, Peace and Security, MSc in Global Politics, MSc in Human Rights, MSc in Human Rights and Politics and MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Priority will be given to students on the MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe, MSc in Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe (LSE and SciencesPo), MSc in European and International Public Policy, MSc in European and International Public Policy (LSE and SciencesPo), MSc in European and International Public Policy & Politics (LSE and Bocconi), MSc in European Studies (Research) and MSc in Conflict Studies. 

This course has limited availability (is capped), and requires that students (regardless of Department or MSc programme) apply for access via the Graduate Course Choice process.

Course content

The course offers a theoretically informed account of the challenges faced by countries transitioning from conflict to peace in the era of globalisation, and examines them empirically in reference to examples from the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East. The regions chosen are those which have experienced particular difficulties with a peaceful transition to democracy, market economy and integration in a multilateral system. The course will start with an introduction to theories of globalisation, a comparative analysis of the legacy of totalitarianism and authoritarianism and an overview of conflict analysis. The course is structured around three issue areas: political ideologies and state breakdown; transition economy and organised crime; post-totalitarian society. It looks at nationalism linked to global diasporas and fundamentalist networks, new wars in the context of international intervention, and international protectorates. Transition economy includes an introduction to transition strategies (privatisation, liberalisation and macro-economic stabilisation) and to perverse effects of illegal economic networks and organised crime stemming both from the totalitarian past and the impact of globalisation. The last block of questions investigates post-conflict reconstruction from the perspective of transitional justice, (un)civil societies and new minorities. While analysing these issues accompanied with relevant regional illustrations particular attention is made to grasp unique aspects of post-totalitarianism triggered by the simultaneity of transition and globalisation. The course concludes by examining the European Union state-building policies in relation to critical approaches to post-conflict reconstruction.

Teaching

This course is delivered through a combination of seminars and lectures totalling a minimum of 27.5 hours across Michaelmas Term. This year, some or all of this teaching will be delivered through a combination of recorded lectures and student presentations, flipped lectures (online discussion of lecture materials), and in-person (or, if a School closure demands it, online) seminars. This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of the Michaelmas Term.

Formative coursework

All students are expected to produce one written essay, plus one short presentation on topics assigned to them.

Indicative reading

  • Mary Kaldor, New and Old Wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era, Polity, 1999;
  • Vesna Bojicic-Dzelilovic, James Ker-Lindsay and Denisa Kostovicova (eds) Civil Society and Transitions in the Westrn Balkans, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013;
  • Miles Kahler and Barbara F. Walter (eds) Territoriality and Conflict in an Era of Globalization, Cambridge University Press, 2009;
  • Anthony Giddens, Runaway World: How Globalisation is Reshaping our Lives, Profile, 2002;
  • Ruti Teitel, Humanity's Law, Oxford University Press, 2011; 
  • Cohen Stanley, States of Denial: Knowing About Atrocities and Suffering, Cambridge, UK, Polity, Malden, MA, Blackwell Publishers, 2001;
  • R Naylor, Wages of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance and the Underworld Economy, Cornell University Press, 2002;
  • Richard Caplan, International Governance of War-Torn Territories: Rule and Reconstruction, Oxford University Press, 2005;
  • Petr Wallensteen, Kopecky & Cas Mudde (eds), Uncivil Society?: Contentious Politics in Post-Communist Europe, Routledge, 2002;
  • David Chandler, International Statebuilding: The Rise of Post-Liberal Governance, Routledge, 2010;
  • Susan L. Woodward, The Ideology of Failed States: Why Intervention Fails, Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Assessment

Essay (100%, 5000 words) in the LT.

Important information in response to COVID-19

Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.

Key facts

Department: European Institute

Total students 2019/20: 35

Average class size 2019/20: 9

Controlled access 2019/20: Yes

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Specialist skills