GV4K7 Half Unit
Conflict and Cooperation: Key Debates
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Dr Omar Mcdoom
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Political Science (Conflict Studies and Comparative Politics), MSc in Political Science (Global Politics), MSc in Political Science (Political Behaviour), MSc in Political Science (Political Science and Political Economy), MSc in Political Sociology and MSc in Political Theory. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: to apply for a place on this course, please write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit your academic/career goals. Priority will first be given to students on the MSc in Political Science (all streams) and MSc in Political Theory programmes, and then students on the other programmes listed in the 'availability' section of the course guide. You should check that you meet any pre-requisites in the course guide before applying (where applicable). Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.
Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 26 September 2025. You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 29 September 2025. Any places remaining after this date will be allocated based on priority and written statement - up until course selection closes.
For queries contact: gov.msc@lse.ac.uk
This course is controlled access (it is capped) and demand is usually very high. Priority will first be given to students enrolled on the programmes listed above in the Department of Government, then the programmes listed above in other Departments, and finally other master's programmes by other Departments. This may mean that you’re not able to get a place on this course.
Course content
This course is structured around a series of distinct debates that broadly relate to the theme of conflict and cooperation. The debates may be normative or empirical in nature and the course scope is purposely broad to allow the choice of debates to evolve over time and to reflect the evolution in the scholarly literature of salient issues relating to conflict and cooperation.
Debates envisaged for the course may be considered either foundational (more likely to persist over time) and topical (more likely to change over time).
Foundational debates may include:
- Should governments be permitted to restrict civil liberties in the name of security?
- What role, if any, does inequality play in the onset of political violence?
- Should multiculturalism be preserved and promoted in plural societies?
- How may we distinguish between terrorist organizations and liberation movements?
Topical debates may include:
- How effective has non-violent resistance been in achieving political change?
- What are the forces driving the resurgence of nationalism and populism in the world today?
- What role can Big Data play in preventing and predicting violent conflict?
- What institutional solutions have worked to keep the peace in post-conflict societies?
- When is it permissible to kill civilians for a political cause?
- What is the relationship between ethnic diversity and social cohesion in plural societies?
Teaching
20 hours of seminars in the Autumn Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.
Formative assessment
Essay plan (1000 words)
Students will be expected to produce 1 piece of coursework in the AT.
Formative assessment involves an essay plan (of 1,000 words) which will be used for the summative long essay.
Indicative reading
- Conor Gearty: Liberty and Security
- Chandran Kukatahas: Are There Any Cultural Rights?
- Al Qaeda: A statement from Al Qaeda regarding the mandates of the heroes and the legality of the operations in New York and Washington
- Robert Putnam: E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century
- Robert Pape: Dying to win: the strategic logic of suicide terrorism
- Joseph Carens: Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders
- Donald Horowitz: Ethnic groups in conflict, Chapter 4
- Daniel Byman: Why Drones Work: The Case for Washington's Weapon of Choice
- Roland Paris: The ‘Responsibility to Protect’ and the Structural Problems of Preventive Humanitarian Intervention
Assessment
Course participation (20%)
Essay (80%, 3000 words) in Spring Term Week 2
The summative long essay will address one of the course debates. The question will be set by the instructor. The class participation mark is based on attendance and the quantity and quality of oral contributions in the classroom.
Key facts
Department: Government
Course Study Period: Autumn Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Keywords: Conflict Studies, Political Science
Total students 2024/25: 34
Average class size 2024/25: 17
Controlled access 2024/25: NoCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Application of information skills
- Communication