Comparative consideration of sources, dynamics, and implications of regional conflicts, for example in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Exploration of interactions of local and international politics in regional crises.
This paper considers the origins, evolutions and outcomes of major regional conflicts in a comparative context. The lecturer will concentrate on Middle Eastern cases such as the Syria/Iraq crisis and the conflicts in Libya and Yemen for illustration of more general themes. For your own projects and seminars you will be free to test other cases in other regions. We shall apply comparative politics and international relations theory to these conflicts, while exploring the practical working-out of such concepts as "failed state", "structure and agency" and "proxy war".
| Paper title | Comparative Regional Conflicts |
|---|---|
| Paper code | POLS550 |
| Subject | Politics |
| EFTS | 0.2500 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | First Semester |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $1,646.75 |
| International Tuition Fees (NZD) | $5,250.00 |
- Limited to
- MPols
- Contact
- politics@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
- View more information on the Department of Politics' website
- Teaching staff
- Professor William Harris
- Paper Structure
- Weeks 1-3: Introduction to studying Comparative Regional Conflicts. Investigation
of key themes and theoretical approaches:
- regional security complexes and regional conflict formations
- proxy wars
- structure and agencyrelationship between ethnic/sectarian conflict and international security; application of International Relations theories
- Week 4: Discussion of students' literature reviews
- Week 5: Overview of conflict in the Middle East
- Weeks 6-7: Presentations on Middle East conflicts
- Weeks 8-9: Overview and presentations on conflicts in the Caucasus
- Weeks 10-11: Overview and presentations on conflicts in the Balkans
- Week 12: Overview and presentations on conflict in Ukraine
- Week 13: Conclusions
- Weeks 1-3: Introduction to studying Comparative Regional Conflicts. Investigation
of key themes and theoretical approaches:
- Textbooks
- No required textbook or course reader.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Communication, Critical thinking,
Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- On successful completion of the paper, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical and conceptual approaches to studying Comparative Regional Conflicts;
- Show knowledge of issues and themes in contemporary regional conflicts;
- Identify relevant sources for analysing regional conflicts;
- Apply their understanding and knowledge in written analysis and through oral presentation.
