ObjectivesAs an exciting new taught Masters’ programme, the MA in Post-Conflict Cultures draws upon a range of expertise both within the Department of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies, and in collaboration with other Departments, e.g. Social Policy, Law, Politics and International Relations. Ultimately, it will provide you with an advanced critical theoretical awareness of the significance of conflict in today’s globalised world. As today’s so-called ‘War on Terror’ demonstrates, the relationship between conflict and globalisation is becoming increasingly important. Yet the theoretical analysis of conflicts and of their social and psychological impacts has arguably lagged behind events. The innovative MA in Post-Conflict Cultures is designed to address this lag.
Entry requirementsThe MA is aimed at those interested in the overlapping fields of cultural studies and cultural memory, comparative literature and literary theory, psychoanalysis and gender studies, media and communications, photography and visual studies, international relations and international law, peace studies and human rights. As well as potential doctoral students, it is also relevant for those aspiring to careers in journalism and the media, the NGO sector, and the civil or diplomatic services.
Academic titleMA Post-conflict Cultures
Course descriptionPost-conflict Cultures (MA)
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2-3 years part-time
Course Content
Drawing on an international team of researchers belonging to the Centre for the Study of Post-Conflict Cultures (established at Nottingham in 2004), the course will encourage you to assess the impact of contemporary conflict on notions of identity, citizenship, sovereignty and human rights.
A diversity of approach is made possible by the collaborative nature of the course, with modules offered by the Department of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies, and by the Schools of Politics and International Relations, Law, Sociology and Social Policy.
By looking at specific case-studies of conflicts – such as those in Rwanda, Somalia, The Falklands-Malvinas, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq – the course content will ensure that you are able to examine critically the representation of conflicts in recent and contemporary media as well as in academic discourse.
Core modules on this course may include:
Sovereignty and Conflict
Totalitarian Cultures
Modules offered by the Department and other participating Schools may include:
Globalisation, Citizenship and Identity
Civil Society: The Role of NGOs
Postcolonialisms
International Human Rights Law
Mass Media
Human Rights and Modern Slavery
Photography of Conflict and Post-Conflict
Critiques of War
Please note that all module details are subject to change.
You will be assigned both a personal tutor and dissertation tutor to guide you through your coursework.
Course Structure
You may follow the MA in Post-Conflict Cultures over 1 year, full-time (October to September – the year is divided into two semesters and a summer period) or part-time over 2 to 3 years.
Across the two semesters, you will take two core modules worth 60 credits, plus another 60 credits from the list of core modules or from elective modules administered by the participating Schools.
You will then complete a 60-credit dissertation over the summer period (this is submitted in September).
Part-time students can complete this within 24 or 36 months, depending on their circumstances. Candidates with non-traditional qualifications are welcomed.
Teaching on this programme is primarily in seminar format with the expectation that you will actively contribute to these sessions.
Core modules are assessed by single coursework essays of between 4,000 and 6,000 words in length.
The other forms of assessment you undertake will depend on your choice of optional modules.
The dissertation module is assessed by a piece of written work of between 15,000 and 20,000 words, and is usually submitted in early September
Key facts
This course represents a major collaboration across the Department of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies, and the Schools of Politics and International Relations, Law, Sociology and Social Policy.
It also draws extensively on the work carried out in the Centre for the Study of Post-Conflict Cultures.
As a student on the MA in Post-Conflict Cultures, you will be able to utilize the facilities offered in each of the participating Schools and will become part of a large and exciting postgraduate community, working alongside some of the world’s leading authorities in this field