ASTK15371U COURSE: Approaches to International Conflicts: International Relations, Diplomacy and Conflict Studies

The course enables students to comprehend sophisticated theories of interna-tional relations, diplomacy and conflict and use them actively in the analyses of contemporary international conflicts and diplomacy.

Conflict and violence are complex phenomena involving situational dynamics, mi-cro-level tensions, broader discourses of violence, identity negotiations and dy-namics that can be analyzed at multiple levels. Previously wars and conflicts have been conceptualized as geopolitical battles between two states competing over land or other resources. Today, wars and international conflicts are often also characterized by being de-territorialized and protracted intrastate conflicts with asymmetric power relations - internationalized or transnationalized to varying de-grees. In other words, conflicts and wars involve not just competing states, but al-so global networks of trade, diasporas, activism, new media, NGOs, lobby groups SIDE 6 AF 20

and citizen diplomacy. These are developments that IR theories, diplomacy and conflict theories struggle to make sense of.

The core course provides an overview of current approaches to international con-flicts. It builds on the sophisticated theoretical tradition within the Department and combines it with new theories of international conflicts and diplomacy. The main perspectives within international diplomacy and conflict resolution are thus introduced together with relevant international relations theories. The course fur-ther advances students’ competences with regards to applying these theories analytically in concrete and focused analysis of international conflicts. The course is taught by a team of Faculty members. It will be taught in a combination of lec-tures, group work, written assignments and student presentations with an em-phasis on active learning.

Exam: written free assignment with grades.