Entry requirements

Peace and Conflict Studies I (30 credits) and Peace and Conflict
Studies II (at least 22.5 out of 30 credits completed)

Main field

No main field of study

Progression level in relation to degree requirements

The course is not part of a main field of studies.

Course contents

The aim of this course is for students to develop advanced critical knowledge and in-depth understanding of central issues and specialised subject areas in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. To support this, students must have completed one year of studies prior to admission, ensuring they have the foundational academic and theorethical background in PACS necessary to engage meaningfully with the course content. To this end, it focuses on key problems and questions in contemporary PACS research stemming from the core theorethical foundations of the field and benefits from the expertise of current research in the department. The course consists of three 10 credit modules, each of which engages with a specific theme and/or empirical phenomena and its related fields of theory development, analytical conceptualisation and methodologies.

Module subjects include: Radicalisation, causes and counteraction; War and the media; Civilians in and after war; Humanitarianism: Moral, political and material aspects; Everyday violence and resistance; Political Economies of Development and Conflict. The aim of the course is to offer research-embedded knowledge by experts in the field. Hence, the exact content every year will depend on the teaching researchers. The choice of the three modules constituting the course is announced at least two months before the course begins.

Radicalisation, causes and counteraction (10 credits)

This module explores the phenomenon of radicalisation, focusing on the factors that lead individuals and groups to become radicalised, the reasons some individuals remain in radical groups, and the strategies that can be implemented to prevent or promote deradicalisation. It also provides a comparative overview of various forms of radicalisation across different regions of the world.

War and the media (10 credits)

The module deals with the complex connection between media and armed conflict. The module addresses the way in which media represents conflict as well as media’s participation in armed conflict as both a conflict party and as a peace broker. The module focus on both the conventional media and social media.

Civilians in and after war (10 credits)

The module addresses civilians’ experience of organized violence, conflict resolution, and peace processes as well as civilians’ modalities of agency both during as well as after war. The perspectives of local actors are analyzed through the consideration of ethnographic research.

Humanitarianism: Moral, political and material aspects (10 credits)

This module deals with the moral, political and material aspects of humanitarianism. It addresses the ethos and moral imperatives of humanitarian intervention as well as its hierarchies, power relations and unintended local consequences. This is done through a pursuit of humanitarianism’s interaction with the events eliciting intervention and a critical exploration of humanitarian spaces, and the perspectives and experiences of the people organising, providing and receiving aid.

Everyday Violence and Resistance (10 credits)

The module examines different theories of everyday violence and resistance. The module departs from the literature on structural violence to consider how violence is embedded in everyday life, institutions, and social relationships. The module considers how everyday violence can be resisted or transformed via readings of classic and contemporary texts on resistance, anarchism, and radical liberation movements. The module explores case examples from different parts of the world.

Political Economies of Development and Conflict (10 credits)

The module examines different theories and practices of capitalist development and the diverse ways they impact conflict. The module considers these dynamics in both contemporary and historical perspective. Examples of relevant themes explored in the module include theories of modernization and dependency, economies of extraction, and the resource curse.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the student will

1. Acquire comprehensive and theoretically grounded knowledge of central themes, frameworks, and debates within specialised areas of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), with the ability to synthesise diverse perspectives across disciplines.
2. Obtain a well-developed and a critical engagement to be able to apply complex analytical concepts, theories, and methodologies to assess the underlying assumptions, strengths, and limitations of different approaches within each module’s focus area.
3. Be able to identify, interpret, and evaluate the dynamics of key empirical phenomena, drawing on advanced PACS- theory to explore causal relationships, patterns, and context-specific variables relevant to peace and conflict processes.
4. Be able to engage in scholarly dialogue through the critical appraisal of academic literature, articulating independent insights and constructing coherent, evidence-based arguments informed by contemporary research in specialised PACS domains.

Learning activities

The course is designed for full-time study. The learning activities consist of lectures, seminars, and independent studies.

Assessment

Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be assessed by an individual examination, portfolio assignments and oral presentations.

Course literature

Civilians in and After War

• Bougarel, Xavier et al. (eds) (2007) The New Bosnian Mosaic, Identities, Memories and Moral Claims in a Post-War Society. London: Ashgate. (selected chapters)
• Finnström, Sverker (2008) Living with Bad Surroundings, War, History, and Everyday Moments in Northern Uganda. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Maček, Ivana (2011) Sarajevo Under Siege, Anthropology in Wartime. Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Mannergren, Joahanna et al. (2024) Peace and the Politics of Memory: New Approaches to Conflict Analysis. Manchester: Manchester University Press. (E-book, Open Access)
• Moore, Adam (2026) The Difference Place Makes: Peacebuilding and Bosnia’s Arizona Market. Stanford University Press.
• Nordstrom, Carolyn (2004) Shadows of War, Violence, Power and International Profiteering in the Twenty-First Century. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Otruba, Ariel Amber Anya. 2019. The violent geography of borderization. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (selected chapters, https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-jx20-8f46)
• Strömbom, Lisa (2026) Agonistic Memory and Peace: Colombia, Northern Ireland and Israel-Palestine*. *Edinburgh University Press.

Articles and book chapters will be added to this list.

• Ajjoub, O. The Development of the Theological and Political Aspects of Jihadi Salafism. Lund: Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, 2021. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cmes.lu.se/sites/cmes.lu.se/files/2021-02/orwa_ajjoub_rapport_a4_0203_interaktiv.pdf
• Ajjoub, O. “Legitimizing the Prohibited: Interactive Framing Processes in Intra-Jihadi Violence in Syria.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2026.2623891.
• Andersen, J. C., and Sandberg, S. “Islamic State Propaganda: Between Social Movement Framing and Subcultural Provocation.” *Terrorism and Political Violence, *2020. 32(7), 1506–1526. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1484356.
• Benford, R. D., and Snow, D. A. “Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment.” Annual Review of Sociology 2000. 26, 611–639. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225089313_Framing_Processes_and_Social_Movements_An_Overview_and_Assessment
• Borum, R. and Fein, R. ‘The psychology of foreign fighters’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 2017. 40(3), pp. 248–266.
• Coolsaet, R.’Radicalisation’ and ’countering radicalisation’: The emergence and expansion of a contentious concept. In *The Routledge handbook on radicalisation and countering radicalisation. *Busher J.; Malkki, L.; and Marsden, S. (eds). 2024. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY : Routledge.
• Cottee, S. and Hayward, K. Terrorist (e)motives: The existential attractions of terrorism. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 2011. 34(12), pp. 963-986.
• Cottee, S. Jihadism as a subcultural response to social strain: Extending Marc Sageman’s “Bunch of Guys” thesis. Terrorism and Political Violence, 2011. 23(5), pp.730-751.
• Dawson, L.L. and Amarasingam, A. ‘Talking to foreign fighters: Insights into the motivations for hijrah to Syria and Iraq’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 2017. 40(3), pp. 191–210.
• de Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. ‘Radicalisation of “foreign fighters”’, in Coninck, D. et al. (eds) The Routledge Handbook on Radicalisation and Countering Radicalisation, 2023. London: Routledge.
• Günther, Christoph. Entrepreneurs of Identity: The Islamic State’s Symbolic Repertoire, 2022. New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books.
• Hegghammer, T. ‘Should I stay or should I go? Explaining variation in Western jihadists’ choice between domestic and foreign fighting’, American Political Science Review, 2013. 107(1), pp. 1–15.
• Kenyon, J., Baker-Beall, C. and Binder, J. Lone-actor terrorism–a systematic literature review. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 2023. 46(10), pp. 2038-2065.
• Kruglanski, A.W., Gelfand, M.J., Bélanger, J.J., Sheveland, A., Hetiarachchi, M. and Gunaratna, R. ‘The psychology of radicalization and deradicalization: How significance quest impacts violent extremism’, Political Psychology, 2014. 35(S1), pp. 69–93.
• Kruglanski, A.W. Bélanger, J.J., and Gunaratna, R.The Three pillars of radicalization: Needs narratives, and networks, 2019. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Malet, D, Farrell-Molloy, J. and Young, J. ”Foreign Fighter Mobilization: YPG Volunteers in Their Own Words.” Terrorism and Political Violence, 2025. 37(1), pp. 93-110.
• Macklin, G., “Praise the saints”: The cumulative momentum of transnational extreme-right terrorism. In *A Transnational History of Right-Wing Terrorism, *2022. pp. 215-240. Routledge.
• Neumann, P. R. The trouble with radicalization, International Affairs, 2013. 89(4).
• Page, M.; Challita, L., and Harris, A. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: Framing Narratives and Prescription. Terrorism and Political Violence, 2011. 23(2) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546553.2010.526039.
• Ravndal, J. A. From bombs to books, and back again? Mapping strategies of right-wing revolutionary resistance. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 2023. 46(11), pp.2120-2148.
• Sandal, N. A. “Framing Religious Outbidding: Al-Qaida, Islamic State, and Intra-Religious Competition.” *Politics, Religion & Ideology, *2021. 22(3–4), 461–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/21567689.2021.1968841
• Šlerka, J. and Šisler, V. Who Is Shaping Your Agenda? Social Network Analysis of Anti-Islam and Anti-immigration Movement Audiences on Czech Facebook, in Steiner, Kristian, Önnerfors, Andreas (eds.) 2018. Expressions of Radicalization: Global Politics, Processes and Practices. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• VandenBerg, Robert J. “Legitimating Extremism: A Taxonomy of Justifications for Political Violence.” *Terrorism and Political Violence, *2021. 33(6), 1237–1255. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2019.1606800.
• Vergani, M., Iqbal, M., Ilbahar, E. and Barton, G. The three Ps of radicalization: Push, pull and personal. A systematic scoping review of the scientific evidence about radicalization into violent extremism. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 2020. 43(10), pp.854-854.

Additional book chapters and journal articles, maximum 200 pages.

• de Graaf, Beatrice (2025) The Radical Redemption Model Terrorist Beliefs and Narratives. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (360 p.)
• Kruglanski, Arie; Bâelanger, Jocelyn J.; and Gunaratna Rohan (2019) *The three pillars of radicalization: Needs, narratives, and networks. *Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (258 p.)
• The Routledge handbook on radicalisation and countering radicalisation (2024) Joel Busher, Leena Malkki and Sarah Marsden (eds.) Abingdon, Oxon and New York, NY: Routledge. (Selected parts, approx. 300 p.)

Articles and reports will be added to this list.

Political Economies of Development and Conflict

• Bhattacharyya, Gargi. (2018) Rethinking racial capitalism: Questions of reproduction and survival. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. (selected chapters)
• Brenner, Neil, and Nik Theodore. (2002) "Cities and the geographies of “actually existing neoliberalism”." Antipode 34, no. 3: 349-379.
• Duffield, Mark. (2007) Development, security and unending war: governing the world of peoples. Cambridge: Polity. (selected chapters)
• Harvey, David. (2007) A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (selected chapters)
• Livingston, Julie. (2019) Self-devouring growth: A planetary parable as told from Southern Africa. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. (selected chapters)
• Ross, Michael L. (1999) "The political economy of the resource curse." World Politics 51, no. 2: 297-322.
• Rostow, W.W. (1960) The Stages of Economic Growth: A non-Communist manifesto. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (selected chapters)
• Tsing, Anna Lowenhaupt. (2015) The Mushroom at the End of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (selected chapters)
• Wallerstein, Immanuel. (1974) "The rise and future demise of the world capitalist system: concepts for comparative analysis." Comparative Studies in Society and History 16, no. 4: 387-415.

Additional articles, chapters, and/or policy documents to be added.

Course evaluation

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

Interim rules

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

Additional information

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format. The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.