Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2116: Political Economy of Armed Conflicts

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

The overarching objective of the class is for you to develop interdisciplinary and scientific skills critical for understanding the complexity of the politics and economies of armed conflict.  Through a combination of readings, critical discussions, watching documentaries & media analysis, lectures, analysis of current events, and participatory exercises (e.g. group work and presentations), you will develop a core base of knowledge about war economies and resilience of illicit economies of wars.  

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of economic foundations of wars
2. Appreciate economic foundations of inter-state and intra-state armed conflicts through a wide range of examples of current and historical conflicts
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Appreciate the complexities of the topic and the interlinkages between politics, sociology and economics perspectives aimed at providing a wholistic understanding of economic foundations of armed conflicts.
4. Acquire and display a range of conceptual frameworks and theories from various relevant fields.
Personal and Key Skills5. Demonstrate empathic appreciation of policy decisions.
6. Demonstrate awareness of contingency in decision-making processes.
7. Demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited timeframe, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.
8. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
9. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through tutorial discussions and module assessments
10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation.
11. Demonstrate effective applied writing.