The Politics of Armed Groups (014IR)
The Politics of Armed Groups: Rebels, State and Society
Module 014IR
Module details for 2023/24.
30 credits
FHEQ Level 6
Module Outline
Why do people take up arms? How do armed groups govern in contexts of fragmented statehood? If wars are so profitable, how can peace come about?
This module takes armed groups as an entry point for understanding contemporary violent conflict and ways to address it. It equips you with analytical tools to understand mobilisation, organisation, governance, and the political economy of armed groups. It also enables you to critically assess policies that seek to end armed conflict, including in a policy brief that develops your employability skills. You will do this by choosing an armed group from around the world.
Module learning outcomes
Systematically understand different theories of armed mobilisation and the behaviour of armed organisations during war
Devise arguments in relation to armed mobilisation and armed organisations based on in-depth knowledge of the state of the art of the relevant fields
Show appreciation of the difficulties of data collection on armed mobilisation and how this affects scholarly analysis and media reporting
Critically evaluate the assumptions underlying common policy interventions addressing armed organisations during and after war
Applying the acquired analytical skills to extend knowledge of armed mobilisation to concrete empirical cases
Communicate knowledge and analysis of both theories and policies related to armed mobilisation to specialist and non-specialist audience
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Essay (3500 words) | Semester 1 Assessment Week 1 Thu 16:00 | 70.00% |
| Coursework | 30.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Essay | T1 Week 6 | 66.67% |
| Group Presentation | T1 Week 11 (10 minutes) | 33.33% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Semester | Seminar | 3 hours | 11111111111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr Melanie Richter-Montpetit
Assess convenor
/profiles/349663
Dr David Brenner
Convenor
/profiles/102996
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