MA Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict
Duration: one year full time; two years part time
General Information
This programme uses comparative political science models and methods to analyse patterns of conflict and settlement, with a focus on internal violent conflicts, past and present. Internal conflicts are among the most important factors destabilising entire regions and affecting wider international relations. Equally international and global developments – from global economic trends, to climate change, to the rise and fall of empires and states – affect the likelihood of internal conflict.
One key set of topics is concerned with different models of conflict and settlement, from consociationalism to federalism to partition and the role of international interventions. Another looks at the ways in which oppositional categories and groups in conflict are formed. While internal conflicts are often fought in the name of nationalism and conflicting groups see themselves as ethnic descent groups, the very character of nationalism and ethnicity are complex. This course allows analysis of the different ways that religion, ethnicity and inequality combine to generate violence. Examples range widely, and change from year to year: some of the core texts are concerned with countries from Estonia to India, from Transylvania to Cyprus and from Northern Ireland to the Basque Country.
The wide range of expertise in SPIRe feeds into the programme, with its specialist resources in the study of theories of ethnicity, identity, conflict; comparative ethnic conflict; Northern Ireland, Western Europe and relevant cognate specialisms in civic republicanism, justice and human rights, international security, European politics, and development studies.
Each application is considered on its individual merits. The applicants should have earned an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as political science, international relations, social science, sociology, history, geography, economics, global studies, public policy, development studies, EU studies, law/international law etc. with at least Upper Second Class Honours, or its equivalent (an overall GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher in the American system). Relevant professional experience will also be taken into account.
Note that meet the requirements do not guarantee admission. Applicants in their final year of undergraduate study may be admitted conditional on satisfactory completion of their undergraduate degree.
Career Prospects
International bodies commonly seek professionals with academic backgrounds provided by programmes such as this. Graduate students who have specialised in the study of conflict at UCD are now in a variety of fields: advisors to political parties; professionals in the semi state sector or the NGO sector . It is also a key field for those wishing to work in policy-making and conflict resolution: the civil service, police, army, or aid organisations.
