Bachelor
2024/2025
Conflict and Cooperation in the East
Type:
Elective course (Asian and African Studies)
Area of studies:
Asian and African Studies
Delivered by:
School of Asian Studies
When:
5 year, 3 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors:
Andrey Zeltyn
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
6
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of basic conflict theory, as well as the specifics of the formation and course of conflicts in the Middle East, Far East, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Structuring the course around specific examples in Asia and Africa, examining conflicts, their parties and interests, subjective perceptions of the leaders of the parties, and objective factors together allow students to develop general erudition, develop skills in critical analysis of the situation, and gain a deeper understanding of the causes of major socio-political and economic trends in Africa and Asia. The course meets the requirements and helps to master the competencies stipulated by the educational standards of the training directions "International Relations", "Oriental and African Studies", "Regional Studies", "Political Science", "History", "Philosophy", "Cultural Studies" and "Journalism".
Learning Objectives
- Equip Bachelor degree programme students with theoretical and methodological instruments for conducting theoretical and applied research in the field of Conflicts and Cooperation codes and traditions in the East
- Advance critical and independent thinking
- Evaluate students’ own standpoints on the research problem
- Enhance the students’ competence in recognizing and creating the balanced structure and contents of the thesis in Asian Studies as well as in assessing own research as a holistic work, its place in the field of study and contribution to it, its perspectives and challenges
Expected Learning Outcomes
- to adequately use the instruments of the contemporary social science methodology in analyzing problems within the field of conflicts in Asia
- to characterize the key components, features, stages and types of conflicts and their and consequences
- Learns and demonstrates strategies to conflicts prevention.
- Understand how to manage conflicts and whether they are always bad
- Students should be able to determine and explaine the key historical conflicts in East Asia.
- To be able to perform framing analysis to investigate the media representations of conflicts and wars;
- To evaluate the phenomenon of territorial instability and the growing number of regional conflicts by interpreting the key conclusions of political geography and area studies
- To develop the understanding of the main reasons and potential consequences of regional conflicts
- be able to analyze the U.S. involvement in military conflicts in the Middle East and its response to the threat of international terrorism
- knows major territorial conflicts in Asia
- To develop the understanding of the main reasons and potential consequences of regional conflicts
- To evaluate the phenomenon of territorial instability and the growing number of regional conflicts by interpreting the key conclusions of political geography and area studies
- To be able to translate the basic of a “game” into a wide range of conflicts.
- Know: the main conflicts that arose in the region of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as their causes and consequences for the region.
- Identifies main cases and reasons of ethnic conflicts worldwide, but especially with the focus on the post-communist space
- Learns about the most significant ethnic conflicts in recent years, especially on the post-Soviet space
- Present historic background and chronology of major conflicts in the post-Soviet space with Russian involvement in recent decades;
- Gives examples of international conflicts and its resolution processes.
- Explains the difference between unilateral and multilateral conflicts theories, recognizes common unilateral theories (interest analysis, comparative impairment, better law, etc.), and applies both unilateral and multilateral conflicts theories in analyzing conflict-of-law problems relevant for international commercial transactions
- Gain knowledge on: applicable sources of International Law; the scope of application and content of the main international treaties and customs governing legality of the use of force, rules applicable to the use of force during armed conflicts and peace time, pecularities of the individual criminal responsibility for the violations of International law connected with the use of force.
- Be familiar with development problems such as democratization, inequality, military conflicts, capitalism, globalization, state-formation, etc.
- Students must have gained the skills to identify potential conflicts in treaty negotiations and develop strategies for conflict resolution that ensure progress while respecting the diverse interests of all parties involved;
- learn and discuss causes of conflicts
- defines the basic principles, special features, challenges and key components of the contemporary research in Conflicts and Cooperation (C&C) the East
- identifies main nature of conflicts in the East and create a balanced understanding of the possible future venues in development of conflicts in the regional arena
- define the basic principles, special features, challenges and key components of the contemporary research in Conflicts and Cooperation (C&C) the East
- critically assesses own written works (essays), oral presentations during seminars and explanations as well as research activity and performance of the colleagues, make references of the others’ work,
- recognizes and follow the main ideas and principles of scientific culture, to structure thoughts on the subject of study with the use of suitable scientific language.
- define the basic principles, special features, challenges and key components of the contemporary research in Conflicts and Cooperation (C&C) the East.
- identifies and explains the classical and cutting-edge trends in the field of study and different theoretical approaches to exploring the chosen research subject in (C&C)*
- understand how policy decisions are made, what governs the incentives and constraints of policymakers and how conflicts over these decisions are resolved.
- distinguishs between different types of conflict, to identify and analyze the parties and interests involved
- understands the essencial approaches to the resolution of ethnic conflicts in the 20 and 21 centuries;
- works effectively on the research project (essay) as both an individual researcher and a member of the expert group / team of the researchers.
Course Contents
- Typology of Conflicts
- Contemporary Regional Conflicts.
- Conflicts in the Middle East.
- Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism.
- Terror Networks.
- Territorial Conflicts in Asia Pacific.
- Border Conflicts in SA and FE.
- Ethnic and Religious Conflicts
- Unrecognized and Partially Recognized States
Assessment Elements
- Seminars
- EsssayAt the conclusion of the course an expository essay is submitted by the student, written on one of the subjects suggested by the instructor, or argued as relevant by the student.
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Diminishing conflicts in Asia and the Pacific / edited by Robin Jeffrey, Edward Aspinall, Anthony Regan. (2012). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.354547925
- Hsiang, S. M., Meng, K. C., & Cane, M. A. (2011). Civil conflicts are associated with the global climate. Nature, 476(7361), 438–441. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10311
- Mark Daniel Jaeger. (2018). Coercive Sanctions and International Conflicts : A Sociological Theory. Routledge.
- Miodownik, D., & Barak, O. (Eds.). (2013). Nonstate actors in intrastate conflicts. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
- Peter Hinchcliffe, & Beverley Milton-Edwards. (2008). Conflicts in the Middle East Since 1945: Vol. 3rd ed. Routledge.
- Sampson, S. (2011). Integrity Warriors: Global Morality and the Anti-Corruption Movement in the Balkans. Sweden, Europe: SAGE Publications Inc. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.BFD13A79
- Therése Pettersson, & Peter Wallensteen. (2015). Armed conflicts, 1946–2014. Journal of Peace Research, (4), 536. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.sae.joupea.v52y2015i4p536.550
- Макеева, С. О. Conflicts and Tolerance = Конфликты и толерантность : учебно-методическое пособие / С. О. Макеева, Е. С. Надточева, Н. Г. Шехтман. — Екатеринбург : УрГПУ, 2020. — 83 с. — ISBN 978-5-7186-1723-8. — Текст : электронный // Лань : электронно-библиотечная система. — URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/254063 (дата обращения: 00.00.0000). — Режим доступа: для авториз. пользователей.
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Analyzing policy: choices, conflicts, and practices, Munger, M.C., 2000