The international context and the politics of peace and development

7.5 credits

The course provides an overview of contemporary global trends and shifts in power, and the major international players / organizations relevant for poor countries and conflict areas future opportunities for a sustainable peaceful development. Theories of peace and development are analysed, as well as important theories of political development, good governance and the democratization processes - and the link between political and economic development, and conflicts in developing countries. Processes for peace and development is analysed as a political process in which conflicts of interest, power, identity, gender, religion and how these politicized can be analysed and managed as part of a multi-level analysis including structures, processes and actors in the peace and development process, at local, national, regional and global levels, including processes of state and nation building, governance, democratization, horizontal and vertical accountability and human rights. The challenges - and opportunities - globalization creates for development from local, to the international level are discussed, as is the issue of global governance. The international development cooperation actors and policy for promoting democracy, political development and human rights are presented and problematized - and how international interventions to promote peace and development can influence the political aspects of peace and development at the local and national level. Through role-plays and exercises the student train practical skills in data collection, analysis, writing and oral presentation.

Växjö – the student city with a living campus

Just south of Växjö’s city centre you will find Linnaeus University’s campus. In Växjö, many students choose to live on campus.

Here you will have five minutes’ walking distance to friends, restaurants, lecture rooms, gym, grocery store, the University Library, nature trails, and student pubs. If you live in another part of Växjö, you can quickly get to the university by bus or bicycle.

With its 90 000 inhabitants, Växjö is one of the fastest growing cities in Sweden. Here you will find the famous Småland entrepreneurship spirit and a lot of companies, for instance within the IT industry – perfect for when you are looking for an internship position or a job. Växjö is also a picturesque city where you are always close to forests and water.

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Students in house M

Build your own degree

Did you know that you can combine single-subject courses to build your own degree? In this way, you can design your own degree based on your interests and the career you are aiming for. This does not apply to all courses so make sure to check with a study counsellor at the faculty. Learn more about how you can build your own degree and become unique on the labour market.