“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace” (Mahatma Gandhi)
“Every period of human development has had its own particular type of human conflict” (Isaac Asimov)
What do you think when you hear the words ‘power’ and ‘conflict’? Learn how the terms are used in different ways, and how the practice of power and conflict shapes the world we live in.
The influence of power and the risk of conflict are evident in all forms of human interaction. They influence the choices and actions of people, institutions, governments and organisations. The terms ‘power’ and ‘conflict’ might refer to different practices, phenomena or patterns, depending on if you are studying business, economics, social sciences or the humanities. And these may operate at different scales, from the global to the local, between institutions and individuals. What unites these scholarly approaches is a desire to locate where power is held, understand how it is maintained, and analyse how struggles over power may result in inequalities, injustices, and conflict – or alternatively greater equality, justice seeking and peace building.
Depending on your interest area, you can pick from a wide range of modules from around the University, perhaps finding modules in schools and faculties that surprise you. You can build your knowledge of the Theme in one particular discipline throughout your study, or you can mix and match to understand how different disciplines grapple with similar issues in different ways.
For general guidance relating to discovery modules, contact your parent school. For information relating to a specific discovery module, contact the teaching school for the module concerned.
Whatever your programme of study, whether based in the arts, sciences, social sciences or humanities, if you want to understand historical conflicts or how states regulate power, if you have an interest in global configurations of wealth, or how society is structured in ways that systematically marginalise social groups, if would like to learn about theories of power, or if you are interested in responses to power, who resists, and how social movements ‘speak truth to power’, we hope there is something here for everyone.
Ultimately, by studying this Theme you will gain a better understanding of privilege and power, and learn about conflict, peace and power struggles.
If you want to branch out into other Themes, Ethics, Religion and Law offers modules which cover many of the same subjects from different perspectives. Alternatively, learn about the relationship between conflict and the media by taking modules from the Media, Culture and Creativity Theme.
An exciting new blended learning module will be open to students registering in September 2017. In this module, experts from across the University will provide you with insights on how they apply the concepts of power and conflict in their research.
This module looks at how relations, processes and structures of power and conflict shape the world we live in. If you enjoy case study based learning, thinking about the world from different perspectives, using audio visual as well as academic sources, PIED 1551 Power and Conflict – An Introduction is for you.
This unique module comprises of five varied sections, which will provide you with a taster of other courses you can study in the future, helping you to make the most of your learning experience. Please watch the video above for more information on the module.
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