The Politics of Armed Groups (014IRS)
The Politics of Armed Groups: Rebels, State and Society
Module 014IRS
Module details for 2021/22.
30 credits
FHEQ Level 6
Module Outline
This module takes non-state armed groups as an entry point for understanding the dynamics of contemporary violent conflict and ways to address it. Instead of working with grand and often abstract theorisations about ‘wars’ in general, it looks at the main protagonists of violent conflict, the ways they mobilise, organise, fight and govern in situations of protracted armed conflict and fragmented statehood.
Structured in three parts, the module introduces students to (i) theories about the root causes and drivers of contemporary violent conflict; ii) concepts for understanding the politics of non-state armed groups and their multifarious relations to state and society, and iii) a range of policy processes and interventions that aim at ending and transforming violent conflict.
In doing so, the module draws on interdisciplinary debates and case studies from around the world. Importantly, students are encouraged to choose particular armed groups to explore how theories and concepts work out by doing their own empirical research.
See http://www.sussex.ac.uk/global/internal/forstudents/options for more information
Full Module Description
This module takes non-state armed groups as an entry point for understanding the dynamics of contemporary violent conflict and ways to address it. Instead of working with grand and often abstract theorisations about ‘wars’ in general, it looks at the main protagonists of violent conflict, the ways they mobilise, organise, fight and govern in situations of protracted armed conflict and fragmented statehood.
Structured in three parts, the module introduces students to (i) theories about the root causes and drivers of contemporary violent conflict; ii) concepts for understanding the politics of non-state armed groups and their multifarious relations to state and society, and iii) a range of policy processes and interventions that aim at ending and transforming violent conflict.
In doing so, the module draws on interdisciplinary debates and case studies from around the world. Importantly, students are encouraged to choose particular armed groups to explore how theories and concepts work out by doing their own empirical research.
Module learning outcomes
Systematically understand different theories of armed mobilisation and the behaviour of armed organisations during war
Devise arguments in relation to armed mobilisation and armed organisations based on in-depth knowledge of the state of the art of the relevant fields
Show appreciation of the difficulties of data collection on armed mobilisation and how this affects scholarly analysis and media reporting
Critically evaluate the assumptions underlying common policy interventions addressing armed organisations during and after war
Applying the acquired analytical skills to extend knowledge of armed mobilisation to concrete empirical cases
Communicate knowledge and analysis of both theories and policies related to armed mobilisation to specialist and non-specialist audience
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Essay (3500 words) | Semester 2 Assessment Week 1 Mon 16:00 | 70.00% |
| Coursework | 30.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Essay | T2 Week 6 | 66.67% |
| Group Presentation | T2 Week 11 (10 minutes) | 33.33% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Seminar | 3 hours | 11111111111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr Melanie Richter-Montpetit
Assess convenor
/profiles/349663
Dr David Brenner
Assess convenor, Convenor
/profiles/102996
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