About this course
The systematic examination of the processes of building peace in divided societies is recent in its development and intellectual debate and analysis at both academic and implementation levels.
This short course aims to develop the analytical skills of peace and conflict students in relation to the approaches, actors, activities and spheres of action of peacebuilding in a range of societies emerging from violent conflict.
In order to understand the various components of peacebuilding in detail, students must first become familiar with the basic theoretical principles of peacebuilding, its various components, and the contemporary discourses about the role and value of approaches to peacebuilding adopted by internal and external actors to the conflict.
This course will enable students:
1. To gain a thorough grounding of the academic field of peacebuilding and the different approaches and interventions employed within it.
2. To critically analyse the various definitions and theoretical understandings of peacebuilding.
3. To develop a broad understanding of the various structural, economic, social and psychological impacts which require attention following violent conflict.
4. To comprehend the diverse approaches, assumptions and interests used by actors to develop and embed peace in societies emerging from conflict.
Linked programmes
PgDip/MSc Applied Peace and Conflict Studies with Early Years,
MSc Peace and Conflict Studies,
PgCertPD Professional Development.
Assessment
Written Assignment (Coursework) [30%]
This assignment is worth 30% of the overall module mark. In this assignment, students are asked to read a peer-reviewed journal article assigned by the Module Coordinator and to present a critical review of this article.
Reviews should be approximately 1,250 words in length (excluding references).
Essay (Coursework) [70%]
Essays should be approximately 2,500 words in length (excluding references) and is worth 70% of the overall module mark. Indicative essay questions might include:
1. Critically assess the conceptual, technical, and political debates around the idea and practice of peacebuilding, drawing on specific readings and cases.
2. Following a peace accord, the most pressing priority for an effective peacebuilding strategy is the construction or strengthening of legitimate governmental institutions and the establishment of a democratic state. To what extend to you agree with this statement? Illustrate your response with key arguments from the literature and relevant international examples.
3. Outline the key challenges facing internal and external actors in ensuring economic recovery and development in a society emerging from violent conflict. Illustrate your answer with contemporary case study examples.
4. Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes are now essential to peacebuilding efforts. What do you see as the strengths and limitations of such programmes, and how can they be improved in order to maximize their peacebuilding potential? Draw on case examples.
Attendance
This course requires on-campus attendance, at our Belfast campus, during Semester 2, in 2025.
* Please note, dates and timetabling are to be confirmed and may be subject to change.
Entry requirements
A second class Honours degree or above in Social Sciences, Humanities, Law or a cognate discipline.
English Language Requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the minimum English entrance requirements of the University and will need to provide recent evidence of this (certified within the last two years).
Most of our courses require a minimum English level of IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, with no band score under 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement.
Additional information on English language requirements for admission at Ulster University, is available at - www.ulster.ac.uk/global/apply/english-language-requirements
Start dates
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
Attendance and Independent Study
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Calculation of the Final Award
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
Academic profile
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
