Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies is a Research-led master's and offers comprehensive comparative study on the causes and consequences of revolution, civil war, conflict regulation and truth and reconciliation in divided societies from the Middle East to South East Asia and beyond. Broad choice of modules. Possible careers include the UN, EU, diplomacy, journalism and the City.
KEY BENEFITS
- Offers the opportunity to study with leading international experts dealing with conflict studies in the Centre for the Study of Divided Societies.
- Provides enhanced skills and qualifications for future employment and research in an increasingly important field.
- Provides a stimulating environment for the study in a world capital.
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
We expect students to go on to research in the Department of Middle East & Mediterranean Studies or another department; others may go into teaching, journalism, or the financial sector, diplomatic service and NGOs.
Programme leader/s
Professor Michael Kerr
Awarding Institution
King's College London
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent)
UK 180/ECTS 90
Duration
One year FT, two years PT. September to September.
Location
Strand Campus.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
School of Arts and Humanities
Middle East and Mediterranean Studies Programme
Closing date
None.
Please note that applicants wishing to apply for funding (e.g. AHRC) must submit their application by the relevant funding deadline, which is usually early in the year. Please see
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources/index.aspx for information on the available funding opportunities and deadlines.
Please contact for details.
Fees
PT Home: £5000 (2013)
PT Overseas: £8375 (2013)
FT Home: £10000 (2013)
FT Overseas: £16750 (2013)
CONTACTS
Contact information
Dr. Stacey Gutkowski:
stacey.gutkowski.@kcl.ac.uk, Postgraduate Officer, Centre for Arts & Sciences Admissions (CASA)
tel: +44 (0) 20 7848 2765 / 2232 / 7232
fax: +44 (0) 20 7848 7200
Dr. Stacey Gutkowski:
stacey.gutkowski.@kcl.ac.uk, Centre for Arts and Sciences Admissions:
artshums-graduateadmissions@kcl.ac.uk PURPOSE
For students interested in developing their knowledge of the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict.
DESCRIPTION
This is a specialist MA which will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the causes and consequences of ethno-national and religious conflicts in the modern world. It allows you to come to an understanding of the theory of conflict regulation in divided societies and in the international relations that shape and determine their political processes.
Specifically the MA will familiarise you with the causes and consequences of revolution, civil war and conflict regulation in divided societies such as Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burma, Cambodia, Cyprus, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Northern Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, Southern Thailand and Turkey.
STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Core programme content
- Compulsory module on Conflict and Coexistence in Divided Societies (40 credits).
- Dissertation (60 credits).
Indicative non-core content
Sample modules:
- Ethnic Conflict Regulation in Divided Societies (20 credits)
- Ideology, Revolution and Civil War in the Middle East (20 credits)
- Truth and Reconciliation in Divided Societies (20 credits)
- Ethnic & Religious Pluralism in the Societies of Southeast Asia (20 credits)
- A History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (20 credits)
- Religion Conflict and Peace Building in the Greater Middle East (20 credits)
- See MA webpages for more options.
FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT
The degree is composed of a compulsory core module, a compulsory dissertation and a choice of modules at credit level 7.
MODULES
More information on typical programme modules.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
Module code: 7AAJM210
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 40
Semester:
Full-year
Teaching pattern:
Assessment:
coursework; presentation/s;
Assessed by 3 x 3,000-word essays
By way of an interdisciplinary approach, and in support of more detailed case study analysis on optional courses available on this MA, this core module introduces the history and theory of ethnic-conflict regulation. It engages with different scholarly debates and methodological approaches, applying them to contemporary practice. It examines how national, religious and ethnic conflicts are viewed and addressed in the contemporary world.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mems/modules/7aajm210.aspx
Module code: 7AAJCR01
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 60
Semester:
summer session 1; summer session 2;
Teaching pattern: Teaching is by supervision with an appropriate member of the faculty.
Assessment:
coursework
Dissertation of up to 15,000-words
For a full module description and further information, please see the module page on the Middle East & Mediterranean Studies website.
Module code: 7AAJM204
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one two-hour class weekly over ten weeks
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
The aim of this module is to provide an in-depth historical analysis of the origin and development of the Arab-Israeli conflict from its onset in the early 20th century to the present day. More specifically, it provides an introduction to the primary literature and the historiographical debate surrounding the creation of the State of Israel, the collapse and dispersal of Palestinian Arab society, and the ongoing conflict between Arabs and Jews over the Holy Land.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mems/modules/7aajm204.aspx
Module code: 7AAJM208
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one one-hour weekly lecture over 10 weeks and one one-hour weekly seminar over 10 weeks.
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
This module examines divided societies in mainland and maritime Southeast Asia, introducing students to the political and religious history off the region, with special attention to Islamisation and subsequent colonial interventions.
It surveys ethnically and religiously divided societies in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Philippines, Singapore, Burma, Cambodia) and provides an analyses of experimentation with 'contextualized' Islam, 'civil' Islam, and 'cosmopolitan' Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia, and 'social engineering' in Singapore
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mems/modules/7aajm208.aspx
Teaching staff: Professor Michael Kerr
Module code: 7AAJM205
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one two-hour class weekly over ten weeks
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
This course examines how national, religious and ethnic conflicts have been viewed and addressed in the contemporary world. A special emphasis will be placed on the historical nation state building failures that are at the heart of many of today’s contested pluri-national disputes, with particular focus on Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lebanon, Iraq and Northern Ireland.
Using comparative analysis, this course enables you to evaluate the impact third party intervention has on civil war and peace processes in these case studies. It will familiarise you with the scholarly theoretical debate over the use of the power-sharing model as a means of ending civil war and regulating political violence in deeply divided societies.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mems/modules/7aajm205.aspx
Module code: 7AAJM206
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Teaching pattern: one two-hour class weekly over ten weeks
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
This module analyses contemporary Islamist revolutionary movements in the Middle East, charting the rise of leading figures in the Egyptian, Saudi and Iraqi Islamist movements. Examining the influence their ideas had on Islamist groups in Algeria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, this course evaluates the challenge militant Islam poses to the Middle East state system and how this challenge has been met.
Using comparative analysis, this course enables you to evaluate the origins of political Islam and its impact on the contemporary Middle East. It will familiarise you with the scholarly theoretical debates over the rise of militant Islam and Western responses to the phenomena of international jihadism.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mems/modules/7aajm206.aspx
Teaching staff: Professor Clemens Sedmak
Module code: 7AAJM209
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
Teaching pattern: ten two-hour classes
Assessment:
coursework
Assessed by 1 x 5,000-word essay
This module examines the concept of reconciliation, the connection between truth and reconciliation and concrete examples and good practices of "Truth and Reconciliation Commissions". By way of case studies in reconciliation processes in South Africa and Germany, it examines the theories of conflict regulation in their relevance to reconciliation issues and familiarises students with the scholarly debates over the use of truth and reconciliation commissions.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mems/modules/7aajm209.aspx
ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree, or overseas equivalent, in an appropriate subject, such as in history, politics, international relations or languages.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Interviews are not compulsory, though potential applicants are encouraged to make contact with a member of the programme's staff before submitting an application, see contact details. Your application will be assessed by the programme's admissions committee. We aim to process all complete applications within four to six weeks, though during February and March, applications may take longer due to the volume we receive at this time.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Please provide a personal statement with your application, and state potential dissertation, if known, within this.
FUNDING
AHRC, Graduate School & School of Arts & Humanities scholarships & bursaries, self-funded.
For further information please see our postgraduate funding page:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/mems/study/funding/index.aspx
Student profiles
Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies MA
I always have been passionate about geopolitics and conflicts. Back in France, I was doing a Master of Research and I had the opportunity to study the historical genesis of current conflicts. After my degree, I felt the need to do something more practical, and also more directly oriented toward conflict analysis and conflict resolution. Few universities in Europe offer this kind of formation, and King’s definitely had the best reputation.
My teachers and my research director in France also advised me to apply to a Master Degree at the King’s as soon as they heard about my plan of carrying on with my studies. The MA in Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies really meets with my expectations. It has the perfect balance between theoretical knowledge, case studies, and application to the current events and conflicts.
The choice of modules is sufficiently wide for everyone to find a class matching his/her own interests, and all the modules are basically divided between lectures and seminars during which all the students are debating, relating the theoretical knowledge to readings or current cases. We are taking case studies of sectarianism, nationalist movements, secessions, civil wars, religious conflicts, genocides, forced mass-population transfers... And we analyse them, to find out what policies have worked in which cases, how to prevent violence, or how it could have been prevented in the first place.
We also have a lot of attractive events going on, such as lectures by well known academics, conversations with diplomats, book launches… The number of societies you can get involve with at King’s is really impressive as well, and the staff are definitely willing to help new students make the most of their year!
Staff profiles
Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies MA
As a specialist in the study of Islam and the Muslim world, I contribute to a number of highly successful taught MA programmes which draw students from across the world thanks to the involvement of internationally renowned academics. My modules on the intellectual history of the contemporary Muslim world and ethnic and religious pluralism in Southeast Asian Societies are filling a niche in the fields of Islamic and area studies programmes not covered by other universities. Moreover, because of its location, students at King’s have access to second-to-none resources.
As an intellectual historian working on contemporary Islam my interests extend beyond the strictly ‘religious’ into the ways present day Muslim engage with globalisation, multiculturalism, secularisation, human rights, and other political, cultural and philosophical questions arising in an increasingly interconnected world. My own research on these topics feed into the taught MA modules, attracting not only students in religions, but also area studies, history, law, political and social sciences. Thanks to the presence of the Middle East and Mediterranean Studies Research Group and the Centres for Religions, Theology & Public Life and for the Study of Divided Societies, we also sustain a vibrant research environment attracting a wide variety of PhD students working on related topics. Our postgraduates pursue careers in academic and applied research (think tanks, NGOs), government-policy making, public diplomacy, business and law.