Course Description:
Would you like to know more about the cultural aspects of violent conflict and peaceful coexistence? Are you interested in finding answers to questions like:
- What does it mean when we talk about a culture of peace or a culture of violence?
- How do artists use theatre, poetry or visual arts in their struggles for social justice?
- Why do opposition groups use religious rituals to delegitimize authoritarian leaders?
In this research course we explore the importance of language, history, memory, beliefs and creative expressions for political dynamics and contestations.
Culture, Conflict and Politics is a course where we explore both the application and the theoretical foundations of interpretive research, the science of understanding, non-essentialist approaches to culture, and cocreational research practices.
The course is organized partly as an interactive seminar and partly as a research design workshop. We introduce and discuss a variety of interrelated topics, such as the use of culture in politics and violent conflict; religion, beliefs and political contestations; and cultural and geopolitical aspects of soft power politics.
Culture, Conflict and Politics is a PhD level research course. Preference will be given to applicants who are currently registered for a PhD or have concrete plans for pursuing a PhD.
The course forms part of the NORHED II project Partnership for Peace: Better Higher Education for Resilient Societies, which enables PRIO to host interested students from a range of partner universities in the Global South.
The course requires attendance in person.
Deadlines:
Application deadline: 31 May 2024
Requirements:
Participants must be familiar with the course readings and participate actively in the lectures.
Upon full participation and the satisfactory completion of a course essay (4-5000 words), the course is valued to the equivalence of 5 ECTS.
The participants who plan to submit the course essay, must submit a one-page essay outline by the end of day one.
Submission of course essay outline: 27 October 2024
Submission of course essay: 29 November 2024
All participants will receive a diploma from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) proving that they have taken the course, but in order to have the course recommended as equivalent to a 5 ECTS the essay must be evaluated as passed.