The (im)possibilities of peace in a violent world
Summary
How can we achieve peace in a violent and insecure world? Armed conflicts and mass violence today cause death, destruction, insecurity, and mistrust on an alarming scale. At the same time, politicians, military personnel, activists, and ordinary people are working to create peace. But what is peace, really, and how can we achieve it? In this course, you will gain a deeper understanding of the causes of political armed violence and the efforts being made to prevent and stop it.
About
Today’s news cycle is hard to shield yourself from: a bombed-out Gaza, Ukrainians enduring the winter without electricity, and presidential statements about “buying” countries. Even beyond the media spotlight, armed conflicts continue in Sudan, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Global rearmament, drones, AI, and intensifying great-power rivalry can feel overwhelming. Yet despite all this, efforts to create peace are also ongoing. Peace negotiations, mediation, disarmament, and dialogue still have a role to play.
In this course, you will delve into trends in warfare and political violence and explore how the struggle for peace is waged not only on the battlefield but also in other arenas – courts of law, streets and public squares, and on social media. We discuss the definition of peace and different strategies for achieving it. What role do research and theories of conflict resolution and nonviolence play in today’s world? And what do the obstacles and opportunities for achieving peace actually look like?
Teaching
In the course, we combine lectures and discussions. You will read the literature independently, and in our conversations we connect theories and classic texts to the latest developments in war and peace. You will also have the opportunity to explore a specific attempt to create peace in greater depth, as well as learn about other examples in dialogue with your classmates. The course also includes a written in-class exam in which you reflect on what you have learned.
Prerequisites and selection
Entry requirements
Entry to the course requires 20 credits of completed second cycle courses in the field of global studies, social sciences or equivalent.
Selection
Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits.
After graduation
The course provides tools to understand and critically analyze the violent and conflict-ridden world we live in, as well as the possibilities for acting for peace – whether you need this to find your own approach to the world around you, wish to engage in voluntary peace work, or want to work professionally with these issues in, for example, the education sector, civil society, government, municipalities, or private companies.
