Course Structure

Students may enrol on a full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) basis. Students must complete two core modules (40 CATS points), four optional modules (80 CATS points) and a research dissertation (60 CATS points).

The MA is awarded to students who successfully complete six taught modules (120 CATS points) and a research dissertation (60 CATS points).

Exit qualifications are available: students may exit with a Postgraduate Diploma by successfully completing 120 CATS points from taught modules.

Course Details

Students will study and critically examine the key conceptual, moral, legal, political and cultural issues that relate to conflict, conflict transformation and social justice. This may relate to the fields of politics, law, sociology, history, anthropology, English, drama and psychology.

Students are required to take the following TWO CORE modules in Autumn:

CSJ7001 Global Concepts and Practice of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice
HAP7001 – Approaches to Research Design

AND ONE further OPTIONAL module from below:

CSJ7006 Bridging Community Divisions in Irish Drama and the Novel
LAW7810 Theoretical Criminology
LAW7811 Transitional Justice
LAW7812 International Human Rights Law
LAW7813 Human Rights in Practice
PAI7022 The Politics of the Republic of Ireland
SCA7002 Cultural Policy: Its Relationship to Arts Management

Students are required to take THREE modules from below:

ANT7003 Anthropology of Business
ANT7013 Anthropology of Music
ANT7023 Anthropology of Conflict: Ireland and Beyond
PAI7058 From Cold War to Cold Peace. The Transformation of the International Order. (1979-1999)
CSJ7005 Religion and Peacebuilding
LAW7815 Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights
LAW7816 Comparative Human Rights
LAW7841 Issues in Policing and Crime Prevention
PAI7007 Global Terrorism
PAI7021 The Politics and Institutions of Northern Ireland
PAI7027 Conflict Intervention
PAI7030 International Political Economy
PAI7032 Gender and Politics: Thinking Globally
PAI7052 Institutions and Politics of the EU
PAI7100 Engaging Citizens in Democratic Institutions
PHL7057 Social Injustice
SOC9062 Conflict and Change: New Sociological Research (10 Credits only)
SOC9058 Inequality and Emotions (10 Credits only)
SOC9071 Exploring Algorithms in Contemporary Society (10 Credits only)

N.B. If choosing to take SOC modules, Students must take BOTH in order to ensure they gain sufficient credits.

If you wish to take the programme on a part time basis, you will be required to complete 3 taught modules each year (one in first semester and two in second semester or vice versa). It is advised you should complete the core modules in your first year. Please note, all modules run at the same time for full time and part time students. Please contact the programme convenor for further information.

Teaching Times

Teaching takes place at a variety of times from 9-8pm Monday – Friday.

Learning and Teaching

Learning opportunities associated with this course are outlined below:

• -

  You will be part of a community of learners within the Institute who are dedicated to understanding conflict and its transformation. Class time includes plenty of opportunities for discussion. You will have annual masterclasses with world-leading experts and be able to attend the numerous public lectures organised by the Institute. You will also meet your lecturers and classmates at monthly brown-bag lunches and other informal events.
  
  Some students may avail of the opportunity to participate in voluntary, non-assessed placements with local peacebuilding organisations.

• Personal Development

  Our MA can help you gain the skills and knowledge that can lead to meaningful work in range of fields, all over the world.
  
  Our MA can also be useful as an aspect of continuing professional development for those already working in careers in social and community work, politics and policy making, teaching, policing, religious ministry, the victims sector, and journalism.

Assessment

Assessments associated with the course are outlined below:

• Examination
• Written feedback is provided on all assessed work. Students also receive oral feedback in the classroom and in one-to-one meetings with lecturers.
• Continuous assessment

Modules

• Year 1

  Core Modules

  APPROACHES TO RESEARCH DESIGN (20 credits)

  ×

  APPROACHES TO RESEARCH DESIGN

  Overview

  This module aims to introduce key approaches to research design, while also introducing some of the contemporary debates in research in the social sciences and humanities. It will also provide students with an introduction to some of the key practical research skills they will find of use when designing and conducting their academic research. These skills are also those which students will find necessary as they continue their academic and research career.
  
  Students will have a high degree of choice across workshops, enabling them to tailor the module content to their pathway of student and personal research goals. The workshops will address five key areas: Fundamentals of Research; Debates; Philosophy of Science/Epistemology; Qualitative Methods; and Quantitative Methods.
  
  The broad aims of the module are to:
  • Introduce students to the diversity of research approaches and debates;
  • Heighten awareness of methodological issues facing researchers in the social sciences and humanities;
  • Develop an awareness of interdisciplinarity and its potentials and challenges in research;
  • Encourage students to develop their research skills through the selective use of this reading guide and their own search for appropriate literature on research design topics that are of interest to them.

  Learning Outcomes

  On successful completion of this module, students will have:
  • obtained a clear understanding of some central issues and methodological debates that are basic to social science and humanities research;
  • been introduced to interdisciplinarity in research, and developed an understanding of how it relates to their own work;
  • communicated this understanding in an analytically rigorous manner through assessed written work;
  • demonstrated the kind of methodological awareness that will allow them to pursue their own research or coursework in an analytically rigorous and self-critical manner.
  • been equipped with the intellectual capacity to defend a particular approach to their own research;
  • started to make preparations for a research dissertation.

  Skills

  Intellectual skills
  • Managing & Prioritizing Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; manage such information in an independent manner
  • Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments
  • Critical & Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field
  
  Professional and career development skills
  • Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing
  • Diversity: ability to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment
  • Self-Reflexivity: ability to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon ones own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development
  • Time Management: ability to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; cope with stress; and achieve a work / life balance
  
  Technical and practical skills
  • Information Technology: demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT
  
  Organizational skills
  • Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines
  • Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information
  • Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way
  • Enterprising thinking: Demonstrate ability to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, to display originality of thought and argument and the ability to clearly support arguments in innovative ways

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  HAP7001

  Teaching Period

  Autumn

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Core

  Dissertation (60 credits)

  ×

  Dissertation

  Overview

  This triple-weighted module comprises independent research on a topic that relates to taught modular coursework.

  Learning Outcomes

  Subject-specific skills
  
  1. Ability to identify relevant and subject-specific and inter-disciplinary knowledge, sources and data;
  
  2. Ability to manage, explain and develop subject-specific knowledge through independent study;
  
  3. Ability to identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant theoretical, subject-specific and methodological arguments;
  
  4. Ability to develop and construct independent thinking around key approaches to conflict transformation and social justice;
  
  5. Ability to develop and design conflict transformation and social justice practices;
  
  6. Ability to organise and also synthesis extensive amounts of complex scholarship, information and data and in so doing be able to explain, verify and critique such information and knowledge;
  
  7. Ability to use evidence to develop a clear and logical argument and use information effectively in a direct and appropriate way.

  Skills

  See learning outcomes

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  60

  Module Code

  CSJ7002

  Teaching Period

  Summer

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Core

  Optional Modules

  The Politics and Political Economy of Energy and Low Carbon Energy Transitions (20 credits)

  ×

  The Politics and Political Economy of Energy and Low Carbon Energy Transitions

  Overview

  This module will take as it’s starting the concept of ‘Carbon Literacy’, its definition, measurement and development. Students will study policy making, governance and institutional structures at International, national, regional and local levels through the selection of relevant case studies. They will gain an understanding of the spectrum of carbon literacy and the challenges of identifying knowledge and capacity building needs for stakeholders, policy and decision makers at all levels, from global to local and individual.

  Learning Outcomes

  On successful completion of this module each student should have gained knowledge of:
  • The emergence of carbon literacy and its role in the creation of a low carbon society;
  • The conceptual and interdisciplinary dimensions of carbon literacy as a communication and policy language and tool;
  • The scientific and normative components of carbon literacy in theory and practice;
  • The positive and negative dimensions of carbon literacy in relation to communication and policy relevance; and
  • The relationship between carbon literacy and existing frameworks for understanding and devising policies for the green economy.

  Skills

  The module provides students with opportunities to develop the following skills:
  Intellectual skills
  • Managing & Prioritizing Knowledge: to identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; to manage such information in an independent manner;
  • Analytical Thinking: to identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; to construct independent arguments;
  • Critical & Independent Thinking: to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field
  Professional and career development skills
  • Communication Skills: to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing;
  • Diversity: to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment;
  • Self-Reflexivity: to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon one’s own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development;
  • Time Management: to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; to cope with stress; and to achieve a work / life balance.
  Technical and practical skills
  • Information Technology: to demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT.
  Organizational skills
  • Efficient and effective work practice: to demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines;
  • Clear organisation of information: to show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information;
  • Organisation and communication: to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; to show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way;
  • Enterprising thinking: to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, display originality of thought and argument.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7036

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Social Injustice (20 credits)

  ×

  Social Injustice

  Overview

  This module examines the problem of social injustice in contemporary, plural societies. The first half of the module explores some of the main philosophical assessments of social injustice. Students will first be introduced to key critiques of liberal theory as a response to the structural disadvantages associated with difference (including race, gender, sexual-orientation, religion, and class, among others). Here, liberal policy approaches to difference (including toleration, uniform treatment, and non-discrimination), will be critiqued alongside liberal modes of justification for their failure to deal appropriately with the disadvantages suffered by affected groups.
  
  The second half of the module discusses the practical implications of both social injustice and its potential solutions. Precise topics vary year-on-year, but may include discussion of some of the following questions: Is unfettered freedom of speech a necessary feature of or a hindrance in the fight for social equality? What role does historical injustice play in the ongoing oppression of marginalised groups? Is the recognition of difference the appropriate response to cultural domination? How has social media changed the shape of social justice movements? Is civil disobedience a legitimate response to injustice, and must it always be ‘civil’ in nature?

  Learning Outcomes

  On completion of this module students:
  • Should demonstrate a critical understanding of key debates about social injustice.
  • Should be able to explain some of the central critiques of liberal theory as a way of dealing with structural oppression.
  • Should be familiar with debates surrounding the role of historical injustice as it pertains to ongoing marginalisation.
  • Should have a critical understanding of the changing nature of social justice movements.

  Skills

  Intellectual skills
  
  • Managing & Prioritizing Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; manage such information in an independent manner.
  • Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments.
  • Critical & Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field.
  
  
  Professional and career development skills
  
  • Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing.
  • Teamwork: ability to work with others in a team, negotiate conflicts and recognize different ways of learning.
  • Diversity: ability to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment.
  • Self-Reflexivity: ability to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon one’s own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development.
  • Time Management: ability to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; cope with stress; and achieve a work / life balance.
  
  
  Organizational skills
  
  • Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines.
  • Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information.
  • Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way.
  • Enterprising thinking: Demonstrate ability to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, to display originality of thought and argument and the ability to clearly support arguments in innovative ways.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PHL7057

  Teaching Period

  Autumn

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  The Politics and Institutions of Northern Ireland (20 credits)

  ×

  The Politics and Institutions of Northern Ireland

  Overview

  The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement put an end to armed conflict in Northern Ireland and set up institutions designed to govern a society and polity divided along unionist and nationalist lines. As the experience of Northern Ireland shows, governing in such a context is not easy. Stability and cross-community agreement can be hard to reach, which has occasionally led to the suspension of Northern Ireland’s institutions. Yet these institutions have endured despite repeated crises and are heralded by some as examples of post-conflict governance.
  
  The module explores contemporary developments in Northern Irish politics and discusses institutional design and politics in a changing Northern Ireland. It addresses topics such as the development of Northern Ireland’s consociational model of government, how institutions like the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive perform their functions, how parties and identity shape politics and voting behaviour, North-South relations after Brexit, and Northern Ireland’s place in Europe.

  Learning Outcomes

  Upon completion of this module, students
  - Should be able to understand how Northern Ireland institutions work and how they compare to other devolved institutions
  - Should demonstrate a critical understanding of the debates about consociationalism and the role it plays in the stability of Northern Ireland’s institutions and of its community divisions
  - Should understand party competition and voting in Northern Ireland
  - Should demonstrate an ability to write well, concisely

  Skills

  This module will assist in developing students’ skills in a number of important areas. These include:
  
  Intellectual skills
  • Managing & Prioritizing Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; manage such information in an independent manner
  • Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments
  • Critical & Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field
  
  Professional and career development skills
  • Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing
  • Teamwork: ability to work with others in a team, negotiate conflicts and recognize different ways of learning
  • Diversity: ability to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment
  • Self-Reflexivity: ability to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon one’s own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development
  • Time Management: ability to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; cope with stress; and achieve a work / life balance
  
  Technical and practical skills
  • Information Technology: demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT
  
  Organizational skills
  • Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines
  • Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information
  • Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way
  • Enterprising thinking: Demonstrate ability to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, to display originality of thought and argument and the ability to clearly support arguments in innovative ways

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7021

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Conflict Mediation and Transformation (20 credits)

  ×

  Conflict Mediation and Transformation

  Overview

  This module is a second semester elective module, taught jointly by the Mitchell and Clinton Institutes and will address the theory and practice of conflict mediation. It will address mediation in inter-personal relationships and in relationships in society after conflict. Its focus on post-violence mediation will concentrate on such groups as mediation between groups of ex-combatants, between groups of victims, and in victim-perpetrator dialogue. Students will be introduced to the relevant theories and principles that undergird and support conflict mediation and to the issues and skills around its practice. They will practically explore the practice of mediation through experiential leaning and relevant case studies. The course will provide students with the opportunity of engaging with professional conflict mediators, such as NGOs like Mediators Beyond Borders international and the UN Mediation Support Unit and draw on the expertise of the Mitchell Institute’s World Leading Researcher, Professor Pumla Gobodo Madikizela, who specialises in victim-perpetrator dialogue, and who visits the Mitchell Institute every April. It will offer the opportunity to focus in depth on one conflict zone and to address generic issues in conflict mediation.

  Learning Outcomes

  By the end of this course, students will have:
  Engaged in up-to date debates about the issues involved in conflict mediation in inter-personal relations and in society after violent conflict;
  Be aware of the variety and diversity of inter-disciplinary approaches to conflict mediation;
  Be aware of the variety of skills and principles involved in the practice of conflict mediation;
  Have an overview of the strength and limitations of a variety of policies and practices for undertaking conflict mediation;
  Have a conceptual understanding of the specific opportunities, challenges, and problems around the practice of conflict mediation;
  Explored a case study that examines the strengths and weaknesses, potential and threats, around conflict mediation in one conflict zone (case study report);
  Developed a methodological and theoretical argument about conflict mediation as an assignment project (final essay).

  Skills

  By the end of this course, students will have acquired the capacity to:
  Understand and evaluate the use of different approaches to conflict mediation;
  Understand the complexity of conflict mediation from an inter-disciplinary perspective;
  Critically appraise policies and practices in conflict mediation;
  Understand the specific ethical and practical challenges inherent conflict mediation;
  Apply critical judgement to the difficulties on practising conflict mediation with ex-combatants, victims, and in victim-perpetrator dialogue;
  Keep abreast of literature on conflict mediation;
  Develop oral and written communication skills in developing arguments and in relaying evidence with respect to conflict mediation;
  Apply communication skills in order to disseminate research results effectively;
  Design and write up an essays on some aspects of conflict mediation.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  CSJ7008

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  The Politics of the Republic of Ireland (20 credits)

  ×

  The Politics of the Republic of Ireland

  Overview

  This module explores and analyses the political development of the Irish Free State/Republic of Ireland in historical context. It combines an historical and thematic approach to provide students with an understanding of the politics of the Irish Free State, later the Republic. It introduces students to key debates on the Irish Revolution and its background, on Irish historical revisionism, on the foundations of statehood, and the institutions and political culture of the new state. Particular themes include partition , the pursuit of stability and order, negotiations of identity, problems of modernisation, Ireland’s shifting place in European and world politics, changing attitudes towards partition and ‘the Troubles’, the impact of social change on self-representation in a post-Tiger context.

  Learning Outcomes

  To enrich understanding of key debates and themes in modern Irish politics.

  Skills

  To enrich understanding of key debates and themes in modern Irish politics.

  Coursework

  40%

  Examination

  60%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7022

  Teaching Period

  Autumn

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Comparative Human Rights (20 credits)

  ×

  Comparative Human Rights

  Overview

  The course involves a study of human rights issues drawing on material primarily from Europe, North America, and the Commonwealth. The course considers the meaning of particular human rights and their significance in theory and in practice, and the efficacy of the legal institutions designed to protect them. Several specific substantive issues (right to life, freedom of speech, conscience, and equality) will be studied in depth to illustrate the complex interplay between theory, legal concepts and procedure, and between legal and non-legal sources of protection. It will draw on international human rights law, but will not be confined to it. The course as a whole will aim to provide the opportunity for in-depth comparative study, during which the appropriateness and utility of comparative legal techniques will be considered.

  Learning Outcomes

  This module offers students the opportunity to:
  • Explore how human rights have emerged as a comparative issue.
  • Enhance their understanding of the limitations to comparison in human rights law.
  • Develop key transferrable skills, including presentation skills, data gathering and essay-writing.
  • Develop an understanding of legal research methodologies.

  Skills

  • Identify the relevant primary and secondary legal and non-legal materials relating to comparative human rights law and theories.
  • Synthesise and critically analyse these materials.
  • Organise and conduct effective comparative research on human rights.
  • Develop coherence and clarity in written presentations that allow them to articulate to others a critical evaluation of the knowledge they have acquired.
  • Thoroughly understand the skills required to do effective comparative human rights research – such as collecting sources, referencing and how to write critically.
  • Understand and apply legal research methodology.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  LAW7816

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Anthropology of Business (20 credits)

  ×

  Anthropology of Business

  Overview

  This course will familiarise students with a range of theoretical debates that have shaped business anthropology with a particular emphasis on new innovations in design and tech industries. In the undergraduate business anthropology course, there is a strong foregrounding on consumer behaviour, advertising and marketing, as well as entrepreneurship and new labour forms. This course, building on these thematics, will develop a strong focus on how anthropologists of business are playing significant roles in design and technology spaces. The course will present itself as both a scholarly interpretation of what is happening in these spaces and also an applied learning of how to work in these spaces, providing students with a strong skill set for work in business, design and tech sectors.

  Learning Outcomes

  This module will introduce students to the history and the key theoretical debates within the field of business anthropology. On completion of this module students will have:
  
  An understanding of the history of business anthropology;
  An overview of new innovations in business, design and tech and the role of anthropologists in them
  An awareness of the distinctions between an anthropology of business and an anthropology for business
  An advanced understanding of research methodologies necessary for work as an applied business anthropologist
  An awareness of how differently research and writing takes place in applied and scholarly settings with respect to an anthropology of/for business

  Skills

  The course is designed to develop both subject-specific and transferable skills. These include:
  
  Advanced skills in understanding, evaluating and expressing anthropological arguments, especially concerning the relationship between theory and ethnography;
  Enhanced skills in group work (through seminars), in note taking, in presentation and in written argument;
  Library research skills;
  Critical reading;
  Advanced writing and oral presentation skills.

  Coursework

  80%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  20%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Algorithms and Society (10 credits)

  ×

  Algorithms and Society

  Overview

  Our societies have become increasingly technological: the use of Internet, the pervasiveness of social media. In many institutional and non-institutional contexts, algorithms are relied upon to capture and regulate much of our life, indicating the need to think critically about transformations in our social world. What sort of social relations emerge as a result of the use of these new tools? What sort of ordering do they produce? This module aims to provide students with a critical understanding of how some of these new developments operate in the social world. Technologies, however, should not be studied just as structures producing specific material consequences. They should also be viewed from a sociological perspective to understand the ways they are shaped by the specific contexts within which they are designed; we should look at the various cultural assumptions implicated in these designs, as well as the world they make us imagine. Each of us is scrutinized by countless algorithms every day without realizing it. What role do they play in making us knowable? With what effects? Algorithms as new technologies affect the structure of our social order, shape our sense of self, sense of community, and forms of relationships, constituting new tools to govern society, provide data, and, crucially, to produce knowledge about us. They are continuously deployed in multiple domains as magic bullets to realize efficiency and speed.
  The module will question the role technology such as algorithm plays in various domains and provide some critical and theoretical understanding for students to make sense of the new structures of power and order, their promise of security and the risks they involve. By doing so, the module clearly addresses goal number 9 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and interjects into goal 16 on Peace Justice and Strong Institutions. It aims to critically look at the ways technologies are increasingly deployed as part of and by our institutions in the unfolding of our lives (increasingly so since the global covid-19 pandemic). It considers ways the deployment of technologies may be made more transparent and queries the possible pernicious effects they may have. Thinking critically of how data are collected and used by new technologies will address possible biases, inequalities, and injustices in the deployment of these technologies.

  Learning Outcomes

  The module will cover some core general theories on technology and society to enable critical question on the ways specific technologies- and algorithms in particular- are produced. It will provide an opportunity for students to apply some of these theories to different contexts. The module may consider different technology/contexts/case studies on which to apply some of the social theories on technological development.
  By the end of the module, students will be able to:
  - Understand the role of technology such as the algorithm within Internet, especially social media;
  - Identify technology such as the algorithm as a ‘black box’, understanding the ways social, cultural and political factors influence the ways algorithms are shaped;
  - Understand technology such as the algorithm as a ordering tool to sort people into categories according to race, gender, income, health, etc., thus determining their criminal propensities;
  - Reflect on methodologies to investigate, analyse, and assess the ways technologies and algorithms are constructed and operate, their effects on society, both positive and negative, and the opportunities and difficulties of inter-disciplinarity that this effort may involve.

  Skills

  On completion of the module, students will be able to:
  -Understanding what Artificial Intelligence is – and how it is constructed.
  
  - Consider the role of technology in contemporary world
  
  - Reflect on methodologies to research AI
  
  - Understand the implications of AI within society, and its harms

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  10

  Module Code

  SOC9071

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Global Concepts and Practice of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice (20 credits)

  ×

  Global Concepts and Practice of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice

  Overview

  This module will provide students with an overview of key debates and approaches in the social sciences regarding Conflict Transformation and Social Justice. There is a widespread recognition that CT and SJ are ‘multivalent’ phrases. For example, different disciplines speak of ‘distributive’, ‘procedural’, ‘restorative’, ‘transitional’ and even ‘spatial’ justice, and each of these types has been further subdivided to reflect differences in social philosophy and in common usage. Similarly, Conflict Transformation is a multiply constructed concept referring to a blend of theories and practices that, although interrelated, do not constitute a clearly demarcated and coherently defined whole. Some speak of ‘conflict resolution’ and ‘reconciliation’ while for others the notion of ‘transformation’ implies that conflict is an innate condition of human societies.
  
  Reflecting this diversity of approaches the Global Concepts and Practices of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice core module will focus on constructing a coherent cross-disciplinary approach to the subject area while pointing out elements of conceptual and epistemological disagreement among the disciplines. The module will enable students to: recognise the relationship between different understandings of conflict and justice; to understand the underlying causes of different types of social and political conflicts; to critique different approaches to conflict intervention; and to research processes of post-conflict social and political transformation in their relationship to social justice. In this manner, the module aims to provide students with an essential framework, enabling them to further study and specialise in the subject area through optional disciplinary modules offered by individual Schools.
  
  Specifically, the module will:
  
  • Acquaint students with key disciplinary concepts and theories of conflict and justice; clarify the multiple meanings of terms such as ‘conflict transformation’ and ‘social justice’; and introduce students to the varied and multiple treatment of these terms in academic discourse;
  
  • Present the similarity and dissimilarity between disciplinary approaches to CT and SJ through emphasising the nature and meaning of inter-disciplinary approaches;
  
  • Enhance students’ understanding of conflict transformation as a process which encompasses, but goes beyond, conflict intervention and conflict management;
  
  • Explain the importance of social justice in processes of conflict transformation and assist students in understanding and critically assessing the role of social justice in developing sustainable forms of conflict transformation;
  
  • Develop the capacity of students to understand and critically interrogate different disciplinary terminology, theories of conflict and justice, and approaches to conflict transformation and social justice;
  
  • Enable students to understand the relationship between theoretical conceptualisations of CT and SJ (via an inter-disciplinary frame) and existing in practice approaches to, and models of, conflict intervention and management, conflict transformation and social justice;
  
  • Promote the capacity of students to critically interrogate existing approaches to conflict intervention, understanding their strengths and limitations;
  
  • Through variant approaches present the importance of interdisciplinarity so as to embolden research strength, intellectual fluidity and robust methodological approaches of case studies;
  
  • Provide an overview of more recent perspectives on conflict transformation and social justice – how they respond to (deal with and portray) key contemporary and global challenges (e.g. environmental and spatial change, neoliberal economic development, identity politics, mobilities, the role of young people in conflicts, and intergenerational conflict and justice);
  
  • Introduce students to the complex problematic of ethics in conflict transformation and social justice;
  
  The module facilitates the understanding of conflict transformation and social justice as multiply constructed concepts. It will provide students with an inter-disciplinary ‘road map’ within which they will be able to position and understand the relationship between such theories and concepts in inter-disciplinary studies.

  Learning Outcomes

  By the end of the module participants will have:
  
  • A systematic understanding and knowledge of the principle features of conflict, transformation and social justice within an inter-disciplinary frame;
  
  • A systematic understanding and knowledge of the application of conflict transformation and social justice;
  
  • An efficient understanding and knowledge of various approaches to conflict transformation and social justice within contemporary societies, regions and related global interactions;
  
  • A systematic understanding and knowledge of the skills required in order to study conflict transformation and social justice;
  
  • A systematic understanding and critical awareness of the of influence that theories and models of conflict and justice have on conflict transformation and social justice practices;
  
  • A conceptual understanding and critical awareness of the context (historical, political, policy, sociological, international, legal, human rights etc.) of conflict and its reproduction;
  
  • A conceptual appreciation and critical awareness of the ethics of conflict transformation and social justice delivery;
  
  • An understanding of multiple processes involved in designing and delivering conflict transformation and social justice;
  
  • An understanding of alternative forms of dispute resolution and significance of advocacy and negotiation methods in the administration of social justice and conflict transformation.
  
  Skills Acquired:
  Students will advance their:
  
  • Ability to identify relevant and subject-specific and inter-disciplinary knowledge, sources and data;
  • Ability to manage and develop subject-specific knowledge through independent study;
  • Ability to identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant theoretical, subject-specific and methodological arguments;
  • Ability to develop and construct independent thinking around key approaches to conflict transformation and social justice;
  • Ability to develop and design conflict transformation and social justice practices;
  • Ability to organise and also synthesise extensive amounts of complex scholarship, information and data and in so doing be able to explain, verify and critique such information and knowledge;
  • Ability to use evidence to develop a clear and logical argument and use information effectively in a direct and appropriate way.

  Skills

  The module provides students with the opportunity to acquire and develop generic analytical, reasoning, literacy and communication skills – including the ability to think creatively, self-critically and independently – that will be beneficial in further research, or employment. These skills will include:
  
  • Effective oral communication skills;
  • Advanced written skills;
  • Personal study management skills;
  • Ability to be self-directed and exercise initiative;
  • Ability to effectively and creatively use information and communication technologies;
  • Ability to independently reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon one’s own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development;
  • Ability to manage time and multiple learning commitments;
  • Ability to work efficiently to deadlines;
  • Ability to think and argue creatively, in an advanced manner, to display originality of thought and argument and clearly support arguments in innovative ways;
  • Ability to use feedback effectively;
  • Ability to problem-solve.

  Coursework

  60%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  40%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  CSJ7001

  Teaching Period

  Autumn

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Religion and Peacebuilding (20 credits)

  ×

  Religion and Peacebuilding

  Overview

  The module familiarises students with the field of religious peacebuilding, which is one of the growth areas within conflict transformation studies in the social sciences. The module establishes the nature of religious peacebuilding as it currently conceived and which has moved it intellectually significantly beyond inter-faith dialogue between the world religions. Religious peacebuilding is now integrally tied to the idea of reconciliation, conflict transformation and social justice and is thus a meeting ground for theology, ethics and social science. The course places particular emphasis on three dimensions within religious peacebuilding, the role of religion in truth recovery, transitional justice, and inter-faith dialogue. These processes are subject to critical review and the module assesses the boundaries of unforgivingness after conflict, the burden of memory and the boundaries of forgetting, the problems with ‘truth’ and truth recovery, the limits of shame apologies and reparations, the constraints on inter-faith dialogue and the engagement of religious practitioners in social transformation and social justice after conflict. The module will focus on religious peacebuilding internationally, covering such cases as Northern Ireland, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Israel-Palestine and the Middle East, and South Africa. The module will provide opportunities to engage with practitioners in faith-based NGOs in Northern Ireland about their personal engagement in religious peacebuilding. The module will lay the necessary conceptual, methodological and substantive foundations for students, if they wish, to carry out their own independent researches in religious peacebuilding within the dissertation associated with the MA in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, and in other contexts, including possible future PhD research. The module is seminar based and will use a variety of different pedagogic strategies, ranging from lectures, student seminar presentations, student-led discussions, videos, and discussions with faith-based practitioners from Northern Ireland.

  Learning Outcomes

  Learning Outcomes
  
  The learning outcomes of this module are:
  
  •To give attention to the growth in religious peacebuilding as a means for achieving reconciliation, conflict transformation and social justice after conflict
  
  •To understand the meaning of reconciliation, conflict transformation and social justice after conflict, both in the sense of reconciliation between former enemies and with the past more generally
  
  •To address the range of processes in religious peacebuilding and its expansion beyond questions of inter-faith dialogue
  
  •To critically assess the potential for reconciliation, conflict transformation and social justice by addressing religious peacebuilding in critical perspective by:
  
  Exploring the boundaries of unforgivingness after conflict
  Exploring the burden of memory and the boundaries of forgetting
  Exploring the problem with ‘truth’ and truth recovery
  Exploring the limits of shame apologies and reparations
  Exploring the limits of inter-faith dialogue

  Skills

  Skills are focused on knowledge and understanding, intellectual skills, and study skills, as follows
  
  Knowledge and understanding
  
  At the end of the course students should be aware of the issues involved in successful religious peacebuilding. In particular:
  • the sociological features of religious peacebuilding
  • the limits of religious peacebuilding
  • the role of religion in managing legacy issues arising from conflict
  • the role of religion in assisting reconciliation
  
  Intellectual skills
  
  The course aims to extend and develop the students’ sociological perspective and its application to understanding key public issues in the contemporary world. It will demonstrate how a rigorous social scientific approach can illuminate a fascinating and timely topic; raise very general issues about the nature of social scientific explanation and the status of evidence in the social sciences; and show the value of comparative analysis.
  
  Study skills
  
  Improvement in students’ ability to:
  • obtain and evaluate relevant information
  • to write concise and clear analytical essays
  • communicate orally via the presentation of structured and reasoned arguments in small group settings
  • to work under the constraint of time pressures
  • to reflect critically on the quality of your own work
  • to direct their own learning

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  CSJ7005

  Teaching Period

  Autumn

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Institutions and Politics of the European Union (20 credits)

  ×

  Institutions and Politics of the European Union

  Overview

  The module explores the structure and institutions of the European Union (EU) as well as selected theoretical approaches to the study of European integration. It examines in detail the nature and roles of the EU’s main institutions (i.e. Commission, European Parliament, Council, European Council, European Central Bank, and Court of Justice), and provides a critical assessment of selected EU policies and political challenges facing the EU. In doing so the module explores the decision- and policy-making dynamics within the EU as well as some of the most pressing themes in European governance.

  Learning Outcomes

  On successful completion of this module, students will:
  
  • have a detailed knowledge of the institutional structure of the European Union
  • have an appreciation of the explanatory value of selected theoretical approaches to the study of European integration and EU decision- and policy-making
  • be able to critically assess the essential characteristics of the EU’s institutional framework
  • have a familiarity with the EU policy base and policy priorities
  • be able to identify specific, timely and pressing contemporary issues of relevance to the politics of the European Union
  • have detailed knowledge of a selection of salient policy areas
  • be able to pursue intellectual questions in a rigorous and academic manner, employing analytical skills and critical/independent thinking

  Skills

  Intellectual skills
  
  • Managing and Prioritizing Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; manage such information in an independent manner
  • Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments
  • Critical and Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field
  Professional and career development skills
  
  • Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing
  Organizational skills
  
  • Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines
  • Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information
  • Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7052

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Inequality and Emotions (10 credits)

  ×

  Inequality and Emotions

  Overview

  This course aims to examine research on the social logic of emotional life. Emotions are considered not as personal or ‘inner’ psychological phenomena, but as sociological processes. The course focuses on studies which illustrate, in varying ways, how emotions are elicited through, and in turn shape, social relations, as they provide evaluative responses to the operation of power and status. The course will consider a range of classic and contemporary, structuralist and interactional perspectives informing studies of specific emotions, including shame, anger and love.

  Learning Outcomes

  On successful completion of this course students will be equipped to
  • understand of the significance of emotions in contemporary social life;
  • evaluate competing perspectives on the logic of social emotions
  • critically analyse specific emotional orientations and responses.

  Skills

  • reviewing academic literature;
  • devising research problems;
  • analysing, evaluating and interpreting research materials;
  • developing and defending reasoned arguments;
  • developing and demonstrating independent thinking

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  10

  Module Code

  SOC9058

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Anthropology of Conflict: Ireland and Beyond (20 credits)

  ×

  Anthropology of Conflict: Ireland and Beyond

  Overview

  This module will explore the development of anthropological approaches to conflict, examining what social and cultural anthropologists have added to our knowledge of conflict. It will particularly examine issues of group identity and cohesion in relations to conflict. Examining theories of ethnicity and nationalism it will examine power and hegemony of the state. In relation to this there will be a focus upon aspects of remembering and social memory, on the use of rituals and symbols and of the way acts of violence are legitimised or delegitimised. The course will look at examples from Irish case studies but work on a comparative basis.

  Learning Outcomes

  This module will introduce students to the history and the key theoretical debates within the field of ethnomusicology. On completion of this module students will have:
  
  * to develop a broad understanding of theories of group conflict
  * to develop a broad understanding of mechanisms of group cohesion and conflict
  * to explore the use of the concepts of identity, ethnicity, culture, community, border, symbol, ritual and tradition.
  * to apply theories of identity politics to understanding nationalism and ethnicity
  * to examine the legitimacy of violence and critically explore the notion of ‘terrorism’.
  * To examine lessons from the Irish/British context and compare.
  * to increase competency in research and the writing of academic papers

  Skills

  The course is designed to develop both subject-specific and transferable skills. These include:
  
  * Advanced skills in understanding, evaluating and expressing anthropological arguments, especially concerning the relationship between theory and ethnography;
  * Enhanced skills in group work (through seminars), in note taking, in presentation and in written argument;
  * Library research skills;
  * Critical reading;
  * Advanced writing and oral presentation skills.

  Coursework

  80%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  20%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  ANT7023

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  The Anthropology of Music (20 credits)

  ×

  The Anthropology of Music

  Overview

  This module aims to provide an overview of the field of ethnomusicology, outlining the major theoretical orientations and issues being debated within contemporary ethnomusicology. It begins with an introduction to some of the main scholars involved in shaping the discipline as it is currently constituted, and then proceeds by looking at how these ideas have shifted in the modern world. Throughout the semester students participate in an ensemble of non-western music in order to gain a reflexive understanding of the ways in which ethnomusicological knowledge can be obtained through personal musical experience.

  Learning Outcomes

  On completion of this module students will have:
  • An understanding of how the discipline was shaped and how it is currently developing;
  • An overview of contemporary theoretical debates and issues, and of the scholars propelling them;
  • An appreciation of how ethnomusicological understandings are generated and disseminated;
  • Basic knowledge of at least one non-western musical system.

  Skills

  • Library research skills;
  • Critical reading;
  • Communication skills in both written and verbal spheres;
  • Practical performance skills in at least one non-western musical tradition.

  Coursework

  80%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  20%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  ANT7013

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Theoretical Criminology (20 credits)

  ×

  Theoretical Criminology

  Overview

  On completion of this twelve-week module each student should be conversant with the dominant paradigms in western Criminology, and will be able to demonstrate the insights that can be gained from such theories and their application to specific criminal justice problems and to apply such theories to practical situations. Through a critical and evaluative exposition of criminological theory, students will be shown that that concepts such as ‘crime’, ‘criminality’ ‘policing’ and ‘punishment’ do not have any universal or general relevance, but rather can be said to be contingent upon a range of historical, political, social and cultural factors. The module will also demonstrate how an applied use of criminological theory can be used to deconstruct the ‘commonsensical’ and often media-inspired explanations for a range of contemporary social problems, and accounts of criminality.

  Learning Outcomes

  (a) to provide a critical overview of the dominant theories of Western criminology.
  
  (b) to demonstrate the insights that can be gained from such theories, as applied to specific criminal justice problems.
  
  (c) to demonstrate the relationship between theory and practice in the development of an academic criminology that has professional relevance.

  Skills

  Students taking Theoretical Criminology are required and expected to apply a range of theoretical tools to the study of crime and deviance.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  LAW7810

  Teaching Period

  Autumn

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Gender and Politics (20 credits)

  ×

  Gender and Politics

  Overview

  This module analyses the link between gender, politics and democracy in a comparative context. It begins by discussing approaches to research gender in social science, and specifically in political science. The fundamental concept of political representation is adopted as the theoretical prism through which patterns of gender presence and interest representation are explored. Numerical, or ‘descriptive’ representation is taken as a starting point, and develops into discussions on the role of parties, electoral systems, and gender quotas in addressing women’s political under-representation in a global context. The contribution of women’s movements, state feminism and trans-national agencies in fostering gender democracy is also discussed. The module incorporates insights from current research on the subject by well-known scholars and offers an opportunity to students to study the subject in detail and to participate in the activities of the Centre for Advancement of Women in Politics.

  Learning Outcomes

  On successful completion of this module, students will be able to;\n- Provide a multi-dimensional analysis of the connections between gender, politics and modern democratic practices;\n- Understand and evaluate a range of feminist research methods appropriate to the social sciences;\n- Have an understanding of normative thinking on gender and democracy;\n- Understand current analyses of political representation;\n- Offer a comparative analysis of gender balances in parliaments;\n- Address the utility of quota measures as a tool for redressing under-representation;\n- Have an understanding of the gendered nature of parliaments as institutional organisations; \n- Have the capacity to analyse the effectiveness of parliamentarians in addressing gender matters in a range of democracies;\n- Evaluate the importance of gender mainstreaming and state feminism as routes to raising gender concerns in contemporary political systems.

  Skills

  Communicate ideas to others in a clear and concise manner, in oral and written form.\nPursue intellectual questions in a rigorous and academic manner, employing analytical skills and critical thinking.\nDiscuss issues that challenge dominant perspectives in an informed manner.\nEngage in small group activity.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7032

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Conflict Intervention (20 credits)

  ×

  Conflict Intervention

  Overview

  The module will evaluate the changing nature of intervention, from unilateral forceful intervention to multi-lateral intervention, to humanitarian intervention, and third party mediation. Focusing on state, intergovernmental and non-governmental actors’ interventions, it will look at various conflict intervention practices in all phases of conflict from conflict prevention to post-conflict peacebuilding.

  Learning Outcomes

  To acquire an overview, both historical and substantive, of various approaches to analysis of conflicts and of conflict transformation. The content will deal with different theories of conflict origins, conflict process, and conflict transformation, as well as examining the practices of different state and non-state actors after conflicts.

  Skills

  Emphasis will be placed on the development of analytic skills for identifying different types of conflict and alternative modes of intervention. Special attention will be given to questions of language, moral justification and power.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7027

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Cultural Policy: International Perspectives (20 credits)

  ×

  Cultural Policy: International Perspectives

  Overview

  This module introduces students to theoretical perspectives in cultural policy with attention to its influence on arts and cultural industries management. It will explore how various historical, political, social, economic and cultural contexts and objectives shape cultural policies. It will explore how these in turn define and influence arts and cultural industries’ management and practices in different nation states, and at regional and international levels. Through this it will reveal the tensions and values at play within the cultural policy field.
  
  1. Policy-making in relationship to arts and cultural industries management, theories, models and approaches
  2. Political regimes, cultural policy regulations and cultural rights
  3. Cultural values and measurements
  4. Cultural policy levels: local, (sub/supra)national
  5. Intercultural and international policy and diplomacy

  Learning Outcomes

  On completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:
  1. Engage with and critique key theories underpinning cultural policy through academic study
  2. Articulate the ways policy intersects with, and influences arts and cultural industries management and its political, social, economic and artistic role
  3. Engage in clear and informed discussion about the nature of cultural policy and policymaking in a regional, national and international context
  4. Identify and discuss contemporary and global issues and tensions within the cultural policy field

  Skills

  Students will gain greater awareness of the public policy landscape in which the arts and cultural industries operate at regional, national and international levels.
  
  Key transferable skills will be:
  • Personal effectiveness
  • Analysis and research skills
  • Critical reading and writing
  • Critical and reflective thinking
  • Written and spoken communication skills

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  SCA7002

  Teaching Period

  Autumn

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Conflict and Change in Northern Ireland: New Sociological Research (10 credits)

  ×

  Conflict and Change in Northern Ireland: New Sociological Research

  Overview

  This module demonstrates the unique insights to be offered by sociological research on Northern Ireland’s transition from conflict through detailed case studies of ongoing research projects. These will cover topics such as: demographic change, attitudinal change, socio-economic change and inequalities, dealing with the legacy of conflict, and ‘culture wars’. The purpose of the module is to introduce students to the benefits of a sociological approach to the subject and to the challenges of conducting sociological research in a society in transition.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Students will gain knowledge and understanding of sociological approaches to contemporary society in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to its transition out of conflict
  • Students will be able to critique and assess the value of various methods in sociological research
  • Students will be familiar with the core social trends and changes in contemporary society in Northern Ireland, particularly those relating to the process of transition from conflict
  • Knowledgeable of sociological debates around conflict and change in Northern Ireland in particular and divided societies in general.
  • Able to relate different sociological concepts to the empirical research on Northern Ireland.
  • Able to effectively gather, retrieve and synthesise different types of information to evaluate the module’s themes.

  Skills

  Academic skills:
  • An ability to critically read and evaluate sociological literature and non-academic/media material on contemporary Northern Ireland
  • An ability to collect and interpret evidence about contemporary society in Northern Ireland
  • An ability to demonstrate evidence of independent thinking and to compose reasoned opinions based on development of thought and knowledge
  • An ability to relate sociological concepts to the empirical study of Northern Ireland.
  Practical skills:
  • An ability to write in a clear, structured and critical manner using a range of source material
  • An ability to present information in spoken form and to contribute to discussions
  • An ability to retrieve and synthesise primary and secondary, quantitative and qualitative, sources of (print and electronic) information
  • An ability to use information technology to gather, organise and evaluate material

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  10

  Module Code

  SOC9062

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Policing and Crime Prevention (20 credits)

  ×

  Policing and Crime Prevention

  Overview

  The focus of this module will be the exploration of key facets of policing and crime prevention. The module is taught in two interrelated parts: The first part deals with the front-end of the criminal justice system as represented by the state police and focuses on a number of key debates in policing studies such as the historical role of the police, issues around democratic accountability, the ‘doing of policing’ involving questions of race, sexuality, gender and age, as well as the impact of austerity, the burgeoning of the private security sector and the commodification of security more generally. The main emphasis is on state policing in the UK although many of the issues and debates have a resonance in other jurisdictions and contexts. The second part of the module focuses no less importantly on the back-end of the criminal justice system, namely the ways that crime prevention policy and practice has been operationalised in political discourse over the past three decades. This has shifted from viewing crime as something that requires a social response (employment, education and opportunities) to something that is deemed to be entirely voluntaristic, requiring a punitive, carceral response. The module demonstrates that policing and crime prevention are political activities that need to be framed within the broad ambit of social justice.

  Learning Outcomes

  At the end of the learning process each student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of the key facets of state policing and crime prevention policy and practice.
  2. To demonstrate how historical accounts of crime and policing can help illuminate contemporary practice.
  September 2016
  3. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of legal, socio-legal and criminological approaches to exploring the relationships between policing, crime and crime prevention.
  4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how crime and responses to it are the subject of considerable debate within contemporary society.
  5. Use evaluative skills to make an overall assessment of the efficacy and effectiveness of crime control strategies in contemporary society and to identify areas of best practice, both nationally and internationally.
  6. Analyse the effectiveness of state policing and crime prevention strategies in controlling, reducing or managing crime in contemporary society.
  7. Situate debates about policing and crime prevention within a broader political canvas and to view each as an expressly political activity.

  Skills

  At the end of the module each student will be able to:
  1. Engage in critical analysis and evaluation of the inter-relationship between policing and crime prevention and to situate these debates within the broader intellectual contours of criminology more generally.
  2. Apply legal, socio-legal and criminological perspectives to studying policing, crime prevention and community safety.
  3. Synthesise relevant and directed readings with independent research, and present findings both orally and in written format.
  4. Engage in independent study and research and to develop skills around self-directed learning and to exercise initiative in the learning process.
  5. Be in a position to assimilate a range of policy and statistical information regarding policing, crime and crime prevention and to draw conclusions and make assessments on this.
  6. Be in a position to develop effective oral communication skills during class and group presentations.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  LAW7841

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Global Political Economy (20 credits)

  ×

  Global Political Economy

  Overview

  This module provides a themed examination of the changing politics of the world economy, through the lens of the sub/inter-discipline, known as International Political Economy. International Political Economy (IPE) has become the accepted academic term for the analysis of the exercise of economic power and the politics of economic policy and capitalist development placed in a global context. This module introduces students to theories and concepts in International Political Economy related to the exercise of power and authority. It then goes to analyze a number of key topics and issues relating to the power and politics of economic organization and management including: the future of United States supremacy; the politics of money and finance; theories of development; the politics and policy of economic development in developing countries; problems of underdevelopment; the politics of global civil society; the global politics of energy policy and climate change; and the political economy of environmental sustainability.

  Learning Outcomes

  Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:, understand the main theoretical, ideological and normative interpretations of and claims relating to globalisation; understand the ways in which globalisation is reconfiguring political, cultural and economic processes; pursue intellectual questions in a rigorous and academic manner, employing analytical skills and critical thinking; communicate ideas to others in a clear and concise manner, both orally and in written form.

  Skills

  Students will develop key intellectual skills such as critical analysis, creative thinking, problem solving; communication, e.g., oral, listening and written, working with others, improvement of learning and performance, managing information They will also cultivate employability skills such as research and communication skills, independent learning (organising and prioritising ideas), critical/independent thinking, co-operative endeavour (e.g. tutorial based teamwork). Subject specific skills include: listening/analytical/literacy/presentation skills; comparative methods, textual analysis, developing cogent arguments, ability to participate in a tolerant and supportive learning environment

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7030

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Global Terrorism (20 credits)

  ×

  Global Terrorism

  Overview

  This module introduces students to the range of important issues relating to the phenomenon of
  global terrorism and responses in terms of the global war on terrorism.
  
  The key debates that students will engage with will include: the emergence of transnational terrorism structures, transnational terrorism case studies, state and transnational state responses to terrorism including international actors such as the UN, NATO and other regional organisations.
  
  The study of these debates will lead to the investigation of particular groups, state actors, themes and responses which will culminate in a student-led simulation exercise.
  
  Overall the module aims to equip students with an understanding of the key discourse and examples as they pertain to contemporary terrorist challenges and responses at a global level.

  Learning Outcomes

  At the end of the module students should
  - Have acquired a good understanding of the basic concepts underlying the module;
  - Have an in depth knowledge of a variety of manifestations of violence and terrorism and;
  - Be able to critically discuss different responses to terrorism, situated on a spectrum from domestic to international measures.

  Skills

  The module provides students with opportunities to develop the following skills:
  Intellectual skills
  • Managing & Prioritizing Knowledge: to identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge, sources and data; to manage such information in an independent manner;
  • Analytical Thinking: to identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; to construct independent arguments;
  • Critical & Independent Thinking: to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field
  Professional and career development skills
  • Communication Skills: to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing;
  • Diversity: to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment;
  • Self-Reflexivity: to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon one’s own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development;
  • Time Management: to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; to cope with stress; and to achieve a work / life balance.
  Technical and practical skills
  • Information Technology: to demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT.
  Organizational skills
  • Efficient and effective work practice: to demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines;
  • Clear organisation of information: to show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information;
  • Organisation and communication: to use evidence to develop logical and clear arguments; to show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way;
  • Enterprising thinking: to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, display originality of thought and argument.

  Coursework

  100%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  0%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7007

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

  Democratic Innovations (20 credits)

  ×

  Democratic Innovations

  Overview

  This module explores the relationship between citizens and political decision-making in contemporary democracies. Around the world, conventional democratic processes and institutions have come under strain. Decreasing levels of voter turnout, low levels of trust in politicians and political institutions, and declining membership of traditional organisations such as political parties are just some expressions of a growing gap between citizens and decision-makers. This module will critically examine the changing nature of citizen engagement with democratic decision-making before considering ways of supplementing conventional processes and institutions with greater opportunities for citizen participation. We will consider two broad approaches. First, the module will consider contemporary challenges facing democratic political systems through the lens of different models of democracy. Second, using examples from around the world, it will then introduce students to a range of democratic innovations designed to supplement representative forms of decision-making, such as participatory budgeting and deliberative mini-publics. Students will engage in debates about different practical forms of participatory and deliberative processes as well as learn about how these processes are designed and implemented. The objectives are to enable students to engage critically in discussions about citizen participation in modern democracies and to develop their communication skills. Throughout the module there will be an emphasis on connecting academic research with democratic practice: where possible students will hear directly from practitioners and will have the opportunity to attend and observe real-world cases of democratic innovation.

  Learning Outcomes

  On completion of this module students:
  - Will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of contemporary challenges facing democratic political systems, particularly regarding the role and attitudes of citizens;
  - Will understand theoretical and empirical debates surrounding both established forms of citizen participation and democratic innovations;
  - Will be able to draw on relevant criteria and evidence to critically evaluate democratic innovations and their design features;
  - Will be able to communicate key findings from academic research in this field for the benefit of a non-academic audience.

  Skills

  Intellectual skills
  • Managing & Prioritizing Knowledge: identify relevant and subject-specific knowledge; manage such information in an independent manner;
  • Analytical Thinking: identify, understand, interpret and evaluate relevant subject-specific arguments made by others; construct independent arguments;
  • Critical & Independent Thinking: ability to think critically and construct one’s own position in relation to existing and ongoing debates in the field.
  Professional and career development skills
  • Communication Skills: ability to communicate clearly with others, both orally and in writing;
  • Teamwork: ability to work with others in a team, negotiate conflicts and recognize different ways of learning;
  • Diversity: ability to acknowledge and be sensitive to the range of cultural differences present in the learning environment;
  • Self-Reflexivity: ability to reflect on one’s own progress and identify and act upon ones own development needs with respect to life-long learning and career development;
  • Time Management: ability to negotiate diverse and competing pressures; cope with stress; and achieve a work / life balance .
  Technical and practical skills
  • Information Technology: demonstrate the knowledge and ability to use contemporary and relevant ICT.
  Organizational skills
  • Efficient and effective work practice: demonstrate ability to work efficiently to deadlines;
  • Clear organisation of information: show efficiency in the organisation of large amounts of complex information and the ability to identify, describe and analyse the key features of the information;
  • Organisation and communication: demonstrate ability to use evidence to develop logical and clear argument; show aptitude for the effective use of information in a direct and appropriate way;
  • Enterprising thinking: Demonstrate ability to think and argue in novel and enterprising ways, to display originality of thought and argument and the ability to clearly support arguments in innovative ways.

  Coursework

  90%

  Examination

  0%

  Practical

  10%

  Credits

  20

  Module Code

  PAI7100

  Teaching Period

  Spring

  Duration

  12 weeks

  Pre-requisite

  No

  Core/Optional

  Optional

Entrance requirements

Graduate

Normally at least a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in an Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences discipline or another cognate subject area.

Applicants with a 2.2 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University may be admitted if they hold a Master's degree, or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University, or if they have 3 years' relevant working experience in the field of conflict transformation, youth work, social justice or related experience in community engagement or public service delivery.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 16th August 2024 for courses which commence in late September. In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal. Notifications to this effect will appear on the Direct Application Portal against the programme application page.

International Students

Our country/region pages include information on entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships, student profiles, upcoming events and contacts for your country/region. Use the dropdown list below for specific information for your country/region.

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English Language Requirements

Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required (*taken within the last 2 years).

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.

Career Prospects

Introduction

Our MA will equip you with the knowledge and skills to pursue a range of careers in the private, public and voluntary sectors, domestically and internationally, including working in peacebuilding organisations, charities, international development agencies, journalism, social and community work, dispute resolution, counselling, policing, politics and policy development, law, teaching, religious ministry, research, and doctoral study/academia.

Our MA can help you gain the skills and knowledge that can lead to meaningful work in range of fields, all over the world.

Our MA can also be useful as an aspect of continuing professional development for those already working in careers in social and community work, politics and policy making, teaching, policing, religious ministry, the victims sector, and journalism.
http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

Employment after the Course

Our MA can help you gain the skills and knowledge that can lead to meaningful work in a range of fields, all over the world.

You may follow in the footsteps of some of our alumni, who are building careers in restorative justice, equality advocacy, international diplomacy (embassy work), the United Nations, Law school and doctoral programmes, policing, peacebuilding organisations, and organisations working with victims of human trafficking.

Our MA can also be useful as an aspect of continuing professional development for those already working in careers in social and community work, politics and policy making, teaching, policing, religious ministry, the victims sector, and journalism.
http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

Professional Opportunities

The study and employability skills associated with the MA in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice include:
• Group work
• Independent learning
• The collection and analysis of information
• Research skills
• Problem solving
• Communication skills: oral, written and presentation skills
• Working under time constraints and to deadline

Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills

In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.

Tuition Fees

Northern Ireland (NI) 1	£7,300
Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2	£7,300
England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1	£9,250
EU Other 3	£21,500
International	£21,500

¹EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.

² EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.

³ EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.

All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. Tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

More information on postgraduate tuition fees.

Additional course costs

There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.

All Students

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies.

Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £75 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges.

Students undertaking a period of work placement or study abroad, as either a compulsory or optional part of their programme, should be aware that they will have to fund additional travel and living costs.

If a programme includes a major project or dissertation, there may be costs associated with transport, accommodation and/or materials. The amount will depend on the project chosen. There may also be additional costs for printing and binding.

Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen.

There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.

How to Apply

Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.

Apply now

Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study.
Queen's University Belfast Terms and Conditions.

Download a prospectus