The Programme

This internationally renowned programme is offered by the School of English, History and Politics in collaboration with the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE). Leading academics based at INCORE teach the module on Peacebuilding in Divided Societies in Semester Two. The Programme is based on the Magee Campus in the city of Derry/Londonderry on the shores of Lough Foyle in the north west of Northern Ireland.

This collaboration between the School of English, History and Politics and INCORE ensures that enrolled students have access to leading academics and practitioners working to address the causes and consequences of conflict both locally and internationally, and promotes better peacemaking and peacebuilding strategies. In addition, the Tip O’Neill Professor of Peace Studies, the Nobel Laureate John Hume, is based at INCORE. Professor Hume’s tenure has been notable for an array of high-profile Peace Lectures given by prominent global policymakers involved in peace and conflict issues. These include President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former EU Commission President Romano Prodi and the Irish President Mary McAleese.

Course Structure

All students enter the Diploma stage of the programme, which consists of the four taught modules listed below. Upon successful completion of the Diploma, students are entitled to enter the MA stage, which is normally completed in three to six months and which consists of a 12-15,000 word dissertation. The formal teaching is supplemented by an informal programme of lectures, seminars and study visits and the students have access to a range of events organised by the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE).

The programme is offered in full-time and part-time mode.

The structure and content for full-time students is:

• Semester One: Peace and Conflict Research The Northern Ireland Conflict
• Semester Two: Peacebuilding in Divided Societies The Politics of Divided Societies
• Semester Three/Four: MA Dissertation

The structure and content for part-time students is:

• Semester One: Peace and Conflict Research
• Semester Two: The Politics of Divided Societies
• Semester Four: The Northern Ireland Conflict
• Semester Five: Peacebuilding in Divided Societies
• Semester Six/Seven: MA Dissertation

Module Content

• Peace and Conflict Research
  This module offers an advanced introduction to peace and conflict research and examines topics such as definitions of peace and violence, peace traditions, non-violent action and conflict resolution/transformation strategies.
• The Northern Ireland Conflict
  This module places the Northern Ireland conflict in comparative context and examines. It places the conflict in its endogenous and exogenous context and examines it as a case study in the life cycle of an intractable conflict. It places particular emphasis on the nature of political violence; and it examines the role of different agencies in their approach to controlling and/or resolving conflict.
• Peacebuilding in Divided Societies
  This module examines the theory and practice of peacebuilding in an international context. It will promote understanding of the complex myriad of activities that comprises peacebuilding and the role of the range of actors involved, including governments, IGO’s, NGO’s and civil society.
• Divided Societies in the Modern World
  This module will promote understanding of the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict in the post-Cold War era and of the various international mechanisms used to prevent, manage and transform conflict. Particular emphasis will be placed on the following: education and minority rights; problems associated with societies in transition; issues of ethnic prejudice and political violence; the role of the international community and international law; and mediation and reconciliation efforts in conflict transformation. In short, while many studies on ethnicity concentrate on conflict our approach will be to look at ways in which societies come out of conflict.

Current Lecturers on the PgDip/MA in Peace and Conflict Studies and their research interests:

Prof. Paul Arthur: Professor of Politics. Ethnic conflict and the politics of divided societies including Northern Ireland, Anglo-Irish relations, political violence

Dr. Kenneth Bush: Research Coordinator, INCORE. ethnicized conflict; methodology and evaluation; the commodification of peacebuilding or the conflict-generating impacts of "peacebuilding" initiatives; diaspora; and the role of local government in peacebuilding.

Professor Emeritus T.G. Fraser: Honorary Professor of Conflict Research, The Arab-Israeli conflict, partition as a conflict resolution mechanism survivors and commemoration in Northern Ireland since 1998.

Prof. Brandon Hamber: Director of INCORE. Political transition, peacebuilding, reconciliation and conflict transformation, transitional justice and dealing with the past, memorialisation and reparations, psychosocial support for victims of violence and victim empowerment, trauma, its critiques and methodologies, ex-combatants and political transition, masculinity and transition.

Ms. Grainne Kelly: Policy/Practice Coordinator INCORE. Reconciliation; Institutional development following conflict; Peace and Conflict-related Philanthropy; community cohesion; Storytelling and testimony work as mechanism for dealing with the past.

Dr. Leonie Murray: Lecturer in International Politics. The peacekeeping pantheon, humanitarian intervention, genocide, African/Western relations, contemporary American foreign policy, post-September 11th international relations and security issues.

Prof. Gillian Robinson: Director of ARK. Research methodology, social attitudes, gender and security.

Dr. Stephen Ryan: Senior Lecturer, Peace and Conflict Studies. The dynamics and transformation of violent intercommunal conflict, the UN and international politics.

Background and Achievements

The MA in Peace and Conflict Studies started in 1987 on a part-time basis. The target cohort was opinion formers in Northern Ireland - educators, clergy, business, community activists - indeed anyone who might have a role in helping to control conflict.

Substantial overseas interest arose after the ceasefires in 1994. Initially this came from the US, Japan and Scandinavia. Since then, participants have enrolled from Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria, among others. Further information for international applicants can be found at: http://international.ulster.ac.uk/

The diversity of intake has been matched by quality: Rotary, Chevening (British Council) and Mitchell Scholars have all graduated from the MA in Peace and Conflict Studies in recent years.

Many graduates have been involved in community activity in Ireland and the United Kingdom.Graduates have gone on to work for NGOs in Kosovo, the DRC (Congo) and Colombia. Others have gone on to complete PhDs and a number of these have entered academic life.

How to Apply

For additional information on the PGDip/MA in Peace and Conflict Studies and to apply on-line, see http://prospectus.ulster.ac.uk/course/?id=6795.

For more information on the PgDip/MA in Peace and Conflict Studies and to answer any queries on enrolment for the 2010/11 Academic year, contact the Course Director, Dr. Stephen Ryan (s.ryan@ulster.ac.uk) in the School of History and International Affairs, Magee Campus, University of Ulster or telephone on +44 (0)28 71375246