Course profile

Introduction to Peace & Conflict Analysis (POLS1501)

Study period
Sem 1 2025
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
Study level
Undergraduate
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Politic Sc & Internat Studies

This course provides the foundation for future study in Peace and Conflict Studies. Students will gain an understanding of the key concepts, theories, and contemporary issues in the field of peace and conflict studies. This will enable students to fathom and negotiate solutions to global conflict, to reconstruct war-torn societies and to manage peace. The course focuses on the causes of war and violence, ethnic conflict and genocide. It furthermore engages with mechanisms to manage and resolve protracted conflict and human suffering, non-violent resistance, peace operations, and the role of today's global media in conflict and peace. Each major theme of the course is taught through extensive case studies including the Rwandan genocide, ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, non-violent movements, humanitarian organisations, peacekeeping operations, and emergency responses to humanitarian disasters.

This course is designed to introduce students to the burgeoning field of peace and conflict studies (PACS).ﾠIt is a compulsory gateway course for any student electing to do the major or double-major in PACS.ﾠIt is also a highly recommended supplement for those pursuing an international relations major.ﾠ Since the subject and course is interdisciplinary in nature, students from disciplines other than political science and international studies may also find that it fits well with their major field of concentration, especially (but not only) in the fields of law, history, sociology, development studies, journalism, criminology, and psychology.

'Introduction to Peace & Conflict Analysis' focuses on the causes of war, ethnic cleansing, and genocide; the relationship between security and development; human security; forced migration; the ethical and legal restraints on war; the politics and practice of humanitarian aid; and the role of international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The course examines particular cases such as the Rwandan Genocide, the Arab Spring, the global refugee crisis, the COVID19 pandemic, the challenges of rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq, and the humanitarian disaster in Darfur, Syria, Jemen, Ghaza, among others.

Course requirements

Assumed background

It is assumed that students will have an active interest in world affairs and recent history.ﾠNo other background knowledge is assumed.ﾠ

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

GT116

Course contact

Course coordinator

Associate Professor Sebastian Kaempf
+61 7 3365 7530

Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm and Thursdays, 10:30-11:30am (starting in Week 3).

Wednesdays office hours take place in Seb's office and via zoom (560, GPN Building 39A). Thursdays office hours take place in the Great Court (exact location will be announced, see Blackboard for more info).


No need to RSVP, you can come to see me in person or zoom in (zoom link details on Blackboard under 'Learning Resources').

Course staff

Lecturer

Tutor

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Please Note:

Lectures: There will be 11 two-hour lectures starting in WEEK 1. These take place on campus.

Tutorials: There will be 9 one-hour tutorial sessions starting in WEEK 3. These will also take place on campus. See section 4: Learning Activities for more information.

Aims and outcomes

Aims and outcomes

The main objective of this course is to introduce students to different theories about the causes of violent conflict and the development of different approaches to restrain and resolve such conflicts and to rebuild societies afterwards.ﾠThis requires the development of methods of analysis of social and political situations, an understanding of the evolution of alternative courses of action and a capacity to incorporate and understand competing values within political analysis. ﾠ Because this is an introductory course you will not be expected to have a deep grasp of the myriad topics explored. Instead, students will be presented with the opportunity to focus on the areas or cases that particularly interest them. An understanding of the fundamental terms, definitions and debates is, however, essential.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Understand the meaning of key terms such as human security, 'responsibility to protect', structural prevention, complex emergencies, just cause, non-violence, 'peacekeeping' etc.

LO2.

Explain the basic international legal and institutional framework in which debates about PACS take place.

LO3.

Discuss techniques and processes involved in the peaceful resolution of violent conflict.

LO4.

Understand the development of alternative paradigms for the resolution of violent conflict.

LO5.

Assess the role of the United Nations and other organisations engaged in preventing, managing, and rebuilding after war.

LO6.

Understand the key dilemmas that confront policy makers and advocates today.

LO7.

Appreciate the complexity of coordinating multifaceted responses to humanitarian emergencies.

LO8.

Reflect ethically on the conduct of war.

Course overview
Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Participation/ Student contribution Quality of Tutorial Participation
  • In-person
 18%
Quiz In-Class Quiz
  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
 32%

1/05/2025

The 1 hour quiz takes place on 1 May 2025, starting at 8am. It will take one full hour.

Examination Final Written Exam
  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
 50%

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Scheduled by UQ (examination period is 7-21 June)

Assessment details

Quality of Tutorial Participation

  • In-person
Mode
Activity/ Performance
Category
Participation/ Student contribution
Weight
18%

Task description

Tutorial Participation. This mark (18 points) includes quality of participation only (for 9 tutorials taking place from Week 3 onwards). Students who do not attend tutorials will be deemed to have not fulfilled this component of the assessment and will be marked accordingly. Students should ensure that they have prepared for each tutorial by completing the required readings and any other preparatory work. Turning up but not participating in the discussions and activities based on the required readings is not an option in this course.

Should a student not be able to attend a tutorial for a legitimate reason - as outlined in the Course Profile (like sickness, loss of family member, etc...) and determined by the course coordinator - a 400-500 word answer to one of the core questions discussed in the tutorial for the week missed can be submitted to the course convener to make up for the marks missed. Students MUST contact the course coordinator PRIOR to the tutorial by email (and details and reasons for absence) and the course coordinator will provide the student the question to write about. Please note, in order to qualify for this, you will need to be able to provide evidence from a doctor or other authorities (here the rules for extensions like for any regular essay applies - please consult these rules in the Course Profile).

In sum, the quality of your tutorial participation, not your attendance, determines your mark here. In each tutorial, you will be able to score a maximum of 2 points for the quality of your participation. Over the course of 9 weeks, you can thereby score 18 points. Half way through the semester, the course coordinator will tell you how you have scored in the first half of tutorials.

Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. 

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

In-Class Quiz

  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Quiz
Weight
32%
Due date

1/05/2025

The 1 hour quiz takes place on 1 May 2025, starting at 8am. It will take one full hour.

Other conditions
Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

This in-class quiz takes place on 1 May at 8am in our normal lecture theatre and is worth 32% of the final mark.

The quiz will take 1 hour overall. In the quiz, you will be given 8 short questions, each question worth 4 points.

The 8 short questions will be on core concepts, definitions, and the required texts we have covered in our course to this point. The answer to each question can range from 2-3 sentences to approximately 300 words per question. A detailed briefing on the in-class quiz will be given at the beginning of the semester and is also available on Blackboard/assessment/video.

The quiz will be in person (bring your student ID), and a closed-book quiz. The best way to prepare is to review the required readings for each of the topics in our course so far.

The marking criteria for the in-class quiz are posted on Blackboard under 'Assessment'.

Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Final Written Exam

  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Examination
Weight
50%
Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Scheduled by UQ (examination period is 7-21 June)

Task description

The end of semester final exam is worth 50% of the final mark.

The exam will take place in person and on campus during the exam period. UQ will schedule the date and time of the written exam during the examination period (7-21 June). You will be required to write two long answers from a choice of five (each question is worth 25 points, i.e. 25 marks each, 50 overall).

Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Exam details

Planning time 10 minutes
Duration 120 minutes
Calculator options

No calculators permitted
Open/closed book Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted
Exam platform Paper based
Invigilation

Invigilated in person

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Description
1 (Low Fail)

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: The student does not address the question, shows no evidence of reading and minimal comprehension of the issues at hand.
2 (Fail)

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: The student addresses the question poorly and shows very little evidence of reading.
3 (Marginal Fail)

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

Course grade description: The student makes an effort to establish a single major argument for the essay and employs some research which is correlated with the argument. Makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flow appears throughout the assignment. The student addresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However, falls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a Pass.
4 (Pass)

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: The student makes a reasonable effort to provide evidence to support a visible argument and employs an adequate research base to support the argument. Achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay. The student answers the question and shows evidence of adequate research and a degree of understanding of the issues at hand.
5 (Credit)

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: The student provides suitable evidence to support an argument and employs a comprehensive research base that directly relates to the topic, though it may not completely support the argument. Achieves decent levels of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, well supported fashion and shows evidence of some wide reading and a reasonable understanding of the issues at hand.
6 (Distinction)

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: The student demonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic and provides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs a reasonably extensive and well-organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves a high level of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct, reasonably sophisticated fashion, employs wide research and shows a sound understanding of the issues at hand.
7 (High Distinction)

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: The student demonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic and succeeds in addressing the question by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The student employs an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The student answers the question in a direct and elegant fashion, employs significant research and shows a deep understanding of the issues at hand.

Additional course grading information

Grades will be awarded on the following basis:

1. Fail 1 - 19%

2. Fail 20 - 44%

3. Fail 45 - 49%

4. Pass 50 - 64 %

5. Credit 65 - 74 %

6. Distinction 75 - 84 %

7. High Distinction 85 - 100 %

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

Word Length Penalty

Unless otherwise indicated, in the case of written submissions with a specified word count, you are given a +10% leeway on the upper word limit. If your written submission is over this leeway limit, it will attract a 10 percentage point penalty. For example, if your essay is 1,500 words, you may write up to 1,650 before attracting a word count penalty. If your essay exceeds the upper word limit, it will attract a 10% word count penalty. Therefore, if your essay is worth 40 marks, you will lose 4 marks from your allotted grade. Unless specified, penalties only apply to exceeding the word length, not for failure to write a sufficient amount.

Students should note:

• The Author-date in-text referencing system will count toward the word length;

• References in the Footnote referencing system will not count toward the word length. If you are using footnotes, any content included in footnotes beyond the specific text reference will count towards the word length.

Aims and outcomes
Learning resources

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Essay Guide

The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.

The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments. 

Essay Writing Assistance

The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.

There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you.

The day and time of these sessions will be finalized at the beginning of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.

Student Services

Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.

Library Resources

UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.

The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.

There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.

Email: librarians@library.uq.edu.au

Book a Librarian Appointment (BEL/HASS faculties)

Assessment
Learning activities

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Week 1

(24 Feb - 02 Mar)
Lecture

Week 1: Introduction - What is War and Peace?

Please see 'Detailed Learning Activities' file on Blackboard for more info on each week's lecture and tutorials.

Week 2

(03 Mar - 09 Mar)
Peer Assisted Study Session

Week 2. Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies

This is a self-learning session for you to work with your peers during the lecture slot on the required readings that will form the basis of our first tutorials in week 3 (See 'Detailed Learning Activities' file on Blackboard for more info.
Week 3

(10 Mar - 16 Mar)
Tutorial

Week 3: Tutorial 1: Introduction War and Peace

Required Readings listed under 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Lecture

Week 3. The Causes of War and Violent Conflict - Part I
Week 4

(17 Mar - 23 Mar)
Tutorial

Week 4: Tutorial 2: The Causes of War & Violent Conflict - Part I

Required Readings, see 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Lecture

Week 4: The Causes of War and Violent Conflict - Part II

For Required Readings, see 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Week 5

(24 Mar - 30 Mar)
Tutorial

Week 5: Tutorial 3: The Causes of War and Violent Conflict - Part II
Lecture

Week 5: Ethnic Conflict & Complex Emergencies

For Required Readings, see 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Week 6

(31 Mar - 06 Apr)
Tutorial

Week 6: Tutorial 4: Ethnic Conflict & Complex Emergencies
Lecture

Week 6: Genocide

For Required Readings, see 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Week 7

(07 Apr - 13 Apr)
Tutorial

Week 7: Tutorial 5: Genocide
Lecture

Week 7: Human Security
Week 8

(14 Apr - 20 Apr)
Tutorial

Week 8: Tutorial 6: Human Security

For Required Readings, see 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Lecture

Week 8: Refugees and Forced Migration
Mid-sem break

(21 Apr - 27 Apr)
No student involvement (Breaks, information)

Mid semester break - no lecture or tutorial

No lecture this week.
Week 9

(28 Apr - 04 May)
Lecture

Week 9: In-Class Quiz

In today's lecture slot, there will be an in-class quiz (worth 32% of your mark). Make sure you bring your student ID. This is a written quiz, in person and no books or notes are allowed.

Week 10

(05 May - 11 May)
Tutorial

Week 10: Tutorial 7: Refugees and Forced Migration

See readings outlined in 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Lecture

Week 10: Non-Violence
Week 11

(12 May - 18 May)
Tutorial

Week 11: Tutorial 8: Non-Violence

For Required Readings, see 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Lecture

Week 11: Ethics and Laws of War
Week 12

(19 May - 25 May)
Tutorial

Week 12: Tutorial 9: Ethics and the Laws of War

For Required Readings, see 'Detailed Learning Activities'
Lecture

Week 12: Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
Week 13

(26 May - 01 Jun)
Lecture

Week 13: Conclusion and Exam Briefing

Additional learning activity information

Please see the file 'Detailed Learning Activities' for a weekly breakdown on our learning activities. This can be downloaded on Blackboard under 'Learning Resources'.

Learning resources
Policies and procedures

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Learning activities