Dr DB Subedi
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
Peace and Conflict Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study with a commitment to the non-violent management and resolution of conflict from the local to the international level. To pursue this goal, core political concepts such as power, order, violence and justice are theorized in distinctive ways. This course develops an understanding of key theoretical approaches in peace and conflict studies research, and enables students to understand the relevance of theory to practice in this field. Students will engage in critical dialogue on questions such as how we identify actors in peace and in conflict, and how we can work against differing forms of violence and reconstitute just and participatory social and political order in the wake of violence.
This course begins by examining why and how we study theories in Peace and Conflict Studies. This enables students to understand and critique recent shifts, changes and continuities in the field of peace and conflict studies. We then investigate concepts, patterns and theories which help explaining the changing nature of violent and nonviolent conflicts in the contemporary world, social, economic, and political factors that sustain these conflicts, the types of violence they involve, and the practices, mechanisms and factors that can play a role to end conflicts and build peace.
Students will explore these issues by examining some of the field's big questions, such as, what are the pathways for peace across cultures and contexts? What makes peace durable? What roles gender and other forms of social identities paly in fuelling conflicts but also building peace? How do peace and conflict dynamics shape and are shaped by climate change? How can local infrastructures for peace be built and sustained, and who should build them? And perhaps more importantly, do we need to decolonise the field of peace and conflict studies and if yes, how would that be possible?
Through interactive lectures, tutorials, ‘meet the practitioner’ sessions and several assignments, the course will enable students to engage with a diverse community of academics and practitioners in the field and become adept in interpreting and effectively communicating about how contemporary conflicts affect people in different contexts.
Course requirements
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
POLS1501
Course staff
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Lectures: There will be 12ﾠ two-hour time slots allocated for lecture contact time. Lectures start in Week 1.ﾠ
Tutorials: There will be 8 tutorials starting after the Week 3ﾠ lecture. ﾠSee Section 8 'Learning Activities' for more details.ﾠﾠ
Aims and outcomes
POLS2515 aims to provide students with knowledge and skills to engage with and navigate complex theories, concepts and practices in peace and conflict studies. This course provides students with the conceptual tools necessary to engage in the study of peace and conflict and with which to analyse and make sense of current issues, debates and associated developments in the field.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Knowledge to question and critique how changing global order has shaped peace and conflict issues and debates in the contemporary world.
LO2.
Interpret accurately and communicate effectively about how contemporary conflicts affect people across cultures and societies.
LO3.
Critically engage with diverse communities of scholars and practitioners for advancing peace and positive social change.
LO4.
Rationale and ethical explanations of how theories inform peace practices and vice versa.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/ Student contribution |
Course Participation
|
16% |
10/03/2025 - 19/05/2025 |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Case Analysis | 24% |
3/04/2025 3:00 pm |
| Reflection | Personal Learning Reflection | 15% |
2/05/2025 3:00 pm |
| Essay/ Critique, Presentation |
Research Essay with a Hurdle
|
45% |
28/05/2025 3:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Course Participation
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Oral
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- 16%
- Due date
10/03/2025 - 19/05/2025
Task description
Students will receive two (2) marks for each tutorial attended that is a total of 16 marks for participating in all eight tutorials. The mark will be based on the quality of your participation (not just the attendance). You are required to actively engage with tutorial topics by contributing to discussions and engaging with other students respectfully.
If you are unable to attend a tutorial due to extraordinary circumstances, you will have the opportunity to make up for your lost mark with a review of two essential readings for that week, submitted to your tutor by Monday in the following week. The review should not exceed 300 words. You must obtain permission for this from your tutor, and it must be due to unforeseen events (not ongoing work or study commitments, for example).
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 apply for an extension.
Contact Course Coordinator to discuss your situation if you are unable to attend a tutorial.
Case Analysis
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 24%
- Due date
3/04/2025 3:00 pm
Task description
Select a recent case or scenario from print or electronic media (such as newspaper coverage, TV news, or a short documentary) that depicts dynamics of conflicts. This cab be either a case of a protracted conflict, or a recently ended civil war, or an economy affected by armed conflict.
Begin your paper by briefly explaining how the case is presented in the media (the context and background). In the main body section, select a theory or theoretical concepts relevant to your case and then apply them to systematically analyse the case. Finally, briefly explain how and to what extent the theory/concepts used helped you understand and analyse the case. If relevant, you can also comment on the limitation of the theory or the concepts used. You must provide the web link to the case in a footnote.
While the detailed marking criteria for this assessment are available on Blackboard, as a general guide, you must demonstrate skill and ability to select and apply theory and theoretical concepts in explaining and systematically interpreting a case of contemporary conflict and peace.
This assessment has a word length of 1400 words, excluding references.
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
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Personal Learning Reflection
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
2/05/2025 3:00 pm
Task description
This piece of assessment requires students to write a personal reflection of their learning experience in the course. Through a reflective learning and writing exercise, students must demonstrate what insights, ideas and new knowledge they learned from the course and how this might be useful in their future studies or career.
In no more than 1200 words (excluding references), students must present the reflection paying attention to the following:
- Introduce aims and objectives of your reflective paper.
- Mention and analyse any specific topic, concept or theory of peace and conflict studies that you found particularly interesting or were impactful to you and provide reasons for why they were so.
- Give specific examples of reading, lecture, tutorial or assignment or class discussion that were significantly important to your learning.
- Provide a reflection of how these examples influenced your learning journey.
- Describe challenges, if any, that you faced through your learning journey and what steps you took to overcome such challenges.
- if relevant, demonstrate how your learning relates to big questions, debates or themes in peace and conflict studies.
- Comment on how the course helped you to develop new skill, experience or knowledge, and how or whether they might be useful to your future studies or career.
To complete this assessment successfully, students are encouraged to maintain weekly learning reflection diaries from week 2 onwards and revisit them at the time of writing the reflective 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
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Research Essay with a Hurdle
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique, Presentation
- Weight
- 45%
- Due date
28/05/2025 3:00 pm
Task description
Write a 2500-words essay in which you must address one of the essay questions which will be published on Blackboard early in the semester. Students can also devise their own research question, but this must be done in consultation with the course coordinator at least one month before the essay is due. The word limit does not include references.
This assessment has a hurdle in which students meet with the lecturer/tutor and respond to a question prompt in relation to the essay that is not known in advance, followed by 1-2 follow-up questions.
Students must pass this oral test to pass the course. The meeting will be scheduled after the assessment deadline. The detailed schedule will be published on Blackboard.
If the marker is satisfied that the essay demonstrates the skills and learning outcomes linked to the essay to a tolerable standard, students will pass the test and the original essay grade stands.
If the marker is not satisfied, then the student receives a fail for the task and an overall 3 (marginal fail or ‘S’ = Supplementary) for the course.
The student can apply for a supplementary assessment (see Assessment Procedure – Section 3 Part J).
Students must receive a pass in the ‘oral test’ to pass this course. Students who do not receive a pass on the oral response task can only receive an overall grade of 3 or less for the course. Students who receive an overall score of 3 in the Course are eligible to apply for a supplementary assessment (my.uq Supplementary 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.
Hurdle requirements
The hurdle includes an oral response to the questions regarding the essay, followed by 1-2 follow-up questions. If the marker is satisfied that the essay demonstrates the skills and learning outcomes linked to the essay to a tolerable standard, students will pass the test and the original essay grade stands. If the marker is not satisfied, then the student receives a fail for the task and an overall 3 (marginal fail or ‘S’ = Supplementary) for the course. The student can apply for a supplementary assessment (see Assessment Procedure – Section 3 Part J).Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document (to make sure that you have chosen the correct file), you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again, then email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
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 notﾠaddress the essay question/assessment task descriptions, 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 studentﾠaddresses the essay question/assessment task description poorly and showsﾠvery 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 an argument for the essay and to respond to the task descriptions for other assessment tasks. They employ some research which is connected with their arguments or analysis. The student makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flowﾠappears throughout the assignment. The studentﾠaddresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However,ﾠfalls 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 andﾠemploys an adequate research base to support the argument in the essay. The student responds to the task descriptions for the other assessment tasls. They achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay and other assessment tasks. The studentﾠanswers the question/responds to the task descriptions 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 studentﾠprovides suitable evidence to support an argument andﾠemploys 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 studentﾠanswers the essay question/assessment task description 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 studentﾠdemonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic and provides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys 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 studentﾠanswers the question/responds to the task description 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 studentﾠdemonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic andﾠsucceeds in addressing the question/task description by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument andﾠachieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question/responds to the task description 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.ﾠFailﾠ 1 - 19%
2. Failﾠ 20 - 44%
3. Failﾠ 45 - 49%
4. Passﾠ 50 - 64 %
5. Creditﾠ 65 - 74 %
6. Distinctionﾠ 75 - 84 %
7. High Distinctionﾠ 85 - 100 %
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Should a class be cancelled (as in the case of authorized industrial action or where a teacher falls ill) a 'no disadvantage' rule applies: all students will be given credit for attendance.
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.
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
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Lecture |
Introduction: Theory in the study of peace and conflict |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Lecture |
Why are some conflicts intractable? |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Lecture |
How do economies shape peace and conflict dynamics? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 1: Economic dimension of peace and conflict |
|
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Lecture |
How do civil wars end? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 2: Civil wars termination |
|
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Lecture |
What are the ‘pathways for peace’ in the age of polycrisis? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 3 - Essay planning |
|
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Lecture |
How do authoritarian and illiberal states deal with thier domestic conflicts? |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Lecture |
Does gender equality build peace? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 4: Gender, conflict and peace |
|
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Lecture |
What makes peace durable? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 5: Promises and problems of durable peace |
|
Mid-sem break (21 Apr - 27 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
MID-SEMESTER BREAK |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
General contact hours |
Independent study week |
Week 10 (05 May - 11 May) |
Lecture |
Does climate change impact upon conflict and peace? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 6: Climate change, conflict and peace |
|
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Lecture |
Does the concept of ‘infrastructures for peace’ (I4P) have a future? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 7 - The concept of infrasture for peace (I4P) in conflict prevention and peacebuilding |
|
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Lecture |
Why is the voice for decolonising peace and conflict studies growing? |
Tutorial |
Tutorial 8 - Prospects and challenges of decolonising peace and conflict studies |
|
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Lecture |
Course reflection and conclusion |
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:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.