Course detail
Description
Our MA programme provides you with a critical, indepth and nuanced understanding of international conflict. It aims to combine theory and practice, providing advanced engagement with the theoretical and philosophical aspects of the subject as well as training in the investigation and analysis of specific cases of conflict and insecurity associated with conflict. It enables you to engage critically with the application of social and political theory in developing an understanding of the origins, dynamics and governance of international and transnational conflict and political violence.
You will examine the impact of globalisation on the complexities of present-day conflict; the politics of identity and how it relates to the emergence of violent conflict; the relationship between security, insecurity and the politics of violence at international level; the politics of security and how this relates to human rights and policies surrounding migration; the relationship between language and violent conflict; the place of cultural and gender difference in relation to conflict and peace, as well as the political and ethical implications of the diverse theoretical and methodological approaches in the study of conflict, violence, and security.
This MA is based in the Department of War Studies, one of the only academic departments in the world to focus solely on the complexities of conflict and security. War Studies is an interdisciplinary department and all War Studies students benefit from research-led teaching in such subjects as the history and evolution of war and grand strategy, arms control and non-proliferation, migration, strategic thought, cyber, conflict and the environment, the influence of science and technology on international security, along with regional specialisms covering Africa, Asia (East and South), Russia and elsewhere.
Further literature
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/enquiry-form.aspx
Indicative Readings
Claudia Aradau, Jef Huysmans, Andrew Neal and Nadine Voelker (eds) Critical Security Methods: New frameworks for analysis (London: Routledge, 2014).
Ulrich Beck, World at Risk (Cambridge: Polity, 2009).
Judith Butler, Precarious Life: The Power of Mourning and Violence (London: Verso, 2004).
Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2004).
Vivienne Jabri, War and the Transformation of Global Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave 2007).
Vivienne Jabri, The Postcolonial Subject: Claiming Politics/Governing Others in Late Modernity (London: Routledge, 2013).
Mary Kaldor, New and Old Wars (Cambridge: Polity, 2006)
Course format and assessment
Teaching
The following table will give you an idea of what a typical academic workload might look like as you progress through your studies:
| Module | Lectures, seminars and feedback | Self-study |
|---|
| Per 40-credit module |
Typically 2 hours per week over two 10-week terms. This can be split into 1 lecture + 1 seminar or combinations thereof.
|
360 hours. |
| Dissertation module |
12 hours of training workshops and supervision. |
588 hours for dissertation. |
Assessment
- Most 20 to 40-credit modules are assessed through a combination of essays (3,000-6,000 words), presentation, oral vivas, and/or exams.
- The dissertation module assessment will be based on a 80% dissertation assignment (up to 15,000 words) and a dissertation proposal worth 20%.
Regulating Body
King's College London is regulated by the Office for Students.