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Course syllabus autumn 2015

Title

Civil Society Actors in Local, National and International Contexts

Swedish title

Civil Society Actors in Local, National and International Contexts

Course code

FK201L

Credits

15 credits

Grading scale

UA / Excellent (A), Very Good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Pass (E) or Fail (U)

Language of instruction

English

Decision-making body

Faculty of Culture and Society

Syllabus approval date

2014-04-23

Syllabus valid from

2014-09-01

Entry requirements

Prerequisite courses for this course are: FK101E Peace and Conflict Studies I (passed) and FK102E Peace and Conflict Studies II (passed) or [FK101L Peace and Conflict Studies I (passed) and FK102L Peace and Conflict Studies II (passed)]

Level

Basic level

Main field

No main field.

Progression level

G2F

Progression level in relation to degree requirements

The course can normally be included as a part of a general degree at undergraduate level.

Course objectives

The aim of this course is for students to develop a critical understanding of civilians and civil society actors, their roles, relations and the conditions of war and peace in local, national and international contexts. Likewise, the actions of civil society actors and their consequences are discussed.

Course contents

The course consists of two modules:

1. Civilians in and after war (7.5 hp)

The first 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 civil society actors are analyzed through the consideration of ethnographic research.

2. Civil Society Peace Work: Possibilities, Power, and Resistance (7.5 hp)

The second module covers how civil society actors are limited by, but also influence the political and social contexts in their peacebuilding and conflict management activities, like strategic nonviolence. Furthermore the concrete results of these activities are discussed. The relationships between theory, policy and practice are problematized.

Learning outcomes

The course consists of two modules with the following learning outcomes:

1. Civilians in and after war (7.5 hp)

After completing the module the student will:

1. have an in-depth understanding of the conditions and the contexts in which civilians experience military conflicts;

2. have the capability to critically assess ethnographic research in Peace and Conflict Studies;

3. understand the effects of the war experience and the subsequent peace

2. Civil Society Peace Work: Possibilities, Power, and Resistance (7.5 hp)

After completing the module the student will:

1. have an understanding of methods used by civil society actors, such as social movements, in their efforts against violence and for peace;

2. have knowledge of and a critical approach towards obstacles as well as opportunities facing civil society actors on local, national, and international levels;

3. have a critical understanding of the concept civil society;

4. have the capability to analyze and critically reflect on the work performed by civil society actors in local, national and international contexts.

Learning activities

The course is designed for full-time study. The majority of the student’s workload consists of independent study. The students’ active participation is central to the course.

Students are responsible for keeping up the reading and for coming prepared to each class. Students are expected to take their own initiatives to form reading groups.

The teaching in the modules consists of lectures and seminars.

Assessment

1. Civilians in and after war (7.5 hp)

Learning outcome 1 and 3 are assessed by means of an individual take home exam (5.5 hp). Learning outcome 2 is assessed by means of active participation in seminars (2 hp, pass is the only grade given).

2. Civil Society Peace Work: Possibilities, Power, and Resistance (7.5 hp)

Learning outcome 1-4 are assessed by means of an individual take home exam (5.5 hp). Learning outcome 2 and 4 are also assessed by means of active participation in seminars (2 hp, pass is the only grade given).

In order to achieve a passing grade on the course in its entirety, the grade of Pass is required for each examination. Students who have achieved a passing grade on a course or part of a course may not be offered a further opportunity to achieve a higher grade.

Course literature and other study material

1. Civilians in and after war (7.5 hp)

Bougarel, X. et al. (eds) (2007) The New Bosnian Mosaic, Identities, Memories and Moral Claims in a Post-War Society. London: Ashgate. (selected chapters)
Finnström, S. (2008) Living with Bad Surroundings, War, History, and Everyday Moments in Northern Uganda. Durham: Duke University Press.
Kelly, T. (2008) The Attractions of Accountancy, Living an Ordinary Life During the Second Palestinian Intifada. Ethnography 9(3): 351-376.
Macek, I. (2011) Sarajevo Under Siege, Anthropology in Wartime. Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Nordstrom, C. (2004) Shadows of War, Violence, Power and International Profiteering in the Twenty-First Century. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Povrzanovic Frykman, M. (2008) Staying Behind, Civilians in the Post-Yugoslav Wars 1991-95. In: Nicholas Atkin (ed.) Daily Lives of Civilians in Wartime Twentieth-Century Europe. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 163-193.

Articles may be added to this list.

2. Civil Society Peace Work: Possibilities, Power, and Resistance (7.5 hp)

Adolfo, E. V. (2013) An Appraisal of the Liberal Peacebuilding Exercise in Sierra Leone. In: M. Eriksson, and R. Kostiâc (eds.) Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding, Peace From the Ashes of War. London and New York: Routledge, 133-154.
Autesserre, S. (2009) Hobbes and the Congo: Frames. Local Violence, and International Intervention. International Organization 63(2): 249-280.
Björkdahl, A., Richmond, O. and Kappler, S. (2009) The EU Peacebuilding Framework: Potentials and Pitfalls in the Western Balkans and the Middle East, JAD-PbP Working Paper Series, No. 3, Lund: Lund University.
Chenoweth, E. and Stephan, M. J. (2008) Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. International Security 33(1): 7-44.
Cockburn, C. (2007) From Where We Stand, Women’s Movements Against Militarism and War. London and New York: Zed Books.
or (same content:) Cockburn, C. (2007) From Where We Stand, Women’s Movements Against Militarism and War. London and New York: Zed Books.
Della Porta, D. and Diani, M. (2006) Social Movements, An Introduction (2nd ed.). Malden, MA.: Blackwell Publishing.
Kaldor, M. (2003) Global Civil Society, An Answer to War. Cambridge, UK : Polity Press.
Jarstad, A. K. and L. Olsson (2012) Hybrid Peace Ownership in Afghanistan, International Perspectives of Who Owns What and When. Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 18(1): 105-119.
Lederach, J. P. (2004) Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies, Washington DC.: U.S. Institute of Peace. (excerpts)
Lorentzi, U. and A. Larsson (2010) Actors for Sustainable Peace, Putting UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security into Practice, Stockholm: Operation 1325.
Martin, B. (2012) Backfire Manual: Tactics Against Injustice. Sparsnäs: Irene Publishing (
Reich, H. (2006) Local Ownership” in Conflict Transformation Projects Partnership, Participation or Patronage. Berlin: Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management Berghof Occasional Paper.
Richmond, O. (2011) De-romanticising the Local, De-mystifying the International: Hybridity in Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands. The Pacific Review 24(1): 115–136.
Sharp, G. (2010) From Dictatorship to Democracy, A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, East Boston, MA: The Albert Einstein Institution.
Stubbs, P. (2007) Civil Society or Ubleha? Reflections on Flexible Concepts, Meta-NGOs and New Social Energy in the Post-Yugoslav Space. In: Helena Rill, Tamara Smidling and Ana Bitoljanu (eds.), 20 Pieces of Encouragement for Awakening and Change. Belgrade, Sarajevo: Center for Non-Violent Action. (excerpts)
Thobani, S.. 2007. White Wars: Western Feminisms and the ‘War on Terror’. Feminist Theory, 8(2): 169–185.
United Nations Security Council (2000) Resolution 1325.
Visoka, G. (2011) International Governance and Local Resistance in Kosovo: The Thin Line between Ethical, Emancipatory and Exclusionary Politics. Irish Studies in International Affairs, Vol. 22.

Articles may be added.