Credit: Achilleas Zavallis ©
New practical skills workshops!
1. Negotiation Skills
2. Short Documentary Making
The program
- The program is designed for students interested in understanding central issues and challenges in the interdisciplinary study of peace, conflict and democracy globally.
- It is led by our award-winning academic staff in different regions of the world, signposting the global orientation of the program.
- It is taught by political scientists, sociologists, journalists, and anthropologists, exposing students to different disciplinary approaches to the study of peace, conflict and democratic transformation.
- The MA program lasts 18 months (90 ECTS) for a total of three semesters.
- In the first two semesters, students will attend courses geared towards developing their theoretical, methodological and practical skills.
- In the third semester, students will develop an independent research project (dissertation) under the supervision of an experienced faculty member.
Program Content & Structure
As part of their core courses, students will complete a dissertation (30 ECTS) and three mandatory courses (22,5 ECTS). In parallel, students can select up to five electives (37,5 ECTS) from a range of interdisciplinary courses, each exploring a different aspect of Peace, Conflict and Democratic Transformations.
I. Core/Compulsory Courses (22,5 ECTS)
SPS 619 Fundamentals of Peace & Conflict Transformation (7,5 ECTS)
The course provides a comprehensive introduction to fundamental theories of violence/conflict, transitional justice, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconciliation.
SPS 615 Fundamentals of Democracy (7,5 ECTS)
The module is designed to introduce students to core theories of democracy and critically evaluate the contemporary challenges to democracy.
SPS 620 Applied Research (7,5 ECTS)
The course introduces students to the fundamentals of empirical research in the social sciences with a focus on peace and conflict research methodology.
II. Elective Courses (37,5 ECTS)
SPS 621 Nationalism & Ethnic Conflict (7,5 ECTS)
The course explores key debates on nationalism and key writings on ethnic conflict, while also exploring different methodological approaches to the study of nationalism.
SPS 622 War & Peace: A History of Ideas (7,5 ECTS)
The course examines how central questions of war and peace have been addressed in the history of western political thought, by focusing on the ways in which elements of ideas of war and peace have undergone transformations to fit within certain contexts and historical developments over the past centuries.
SPS 623 Elections & Democracy after Conflict (7,5 ECTS)
The course is designed to introduce students to the challenges and dilemmas that post-conflict societies face in their effort to create inclusive political institutions. It covers a wide array of issues, including post-conflict electoral engineering, the role of the international community in democratic transitions.
SPS 624 Topographies of Peace & Conflict (7,5 ECTS)
The course examines the political geography of peace and conflict, looking at a range of contested sites, including military zones, de facto states, divided cities, indigenous homelands, ecological parks, cross-border mobilities, rare earths and rights of nature.
SPS 625 Dynamics of Radicalism & Conflict in Democracy (7,5 ECTS)
The course covers a wide variety of radicalization processes in democratic settings. It aims to familiarize students with these processes and to offer the theoretical and analytical tools to better appreciate the dynamics of radicalization and to critically appraise the methods used to study them.
SPS 626 Human Rights, Gender & Conflict Transformation (7,5 ECTS)
The course aims to develop students’ ability to understand the complex role that human rights and gender play in the development of pathways to conflict transformation, piece-building and post-conflict democratization.
SPS 627 Reporting Peace & Conflict (7,5 ECTS)
The course examines the role of media and professional journalism in conflict/peace-building processes, the ethical dimensions of confrontational and peace journalism, as well as the broader impact of digital/social media reporting in deeply divided societies.
SPS 628 Special Topics in Peace, Conflict & Democracy (7,5 ECTS)
This is a course that showcases novel teaching themes offered by academic staff in the department and invited guest speakers. Each year the course explores a different topic in peace and conflict studies.
SPS 634 The Political Economy of Peace, Conflict and Democracy (7,5 ECTS)
The course aims to contextualize conflict, peace, and democracy within the changes that have occurred in the global political economy since 1945.
SPS 629 Internship (7,5 ECTS)
The course is geared towards improving students’ employability skills through a work placement at a local organization. For entry to this course a minimum of 6.5 GPA in Fall Term is required.
SPS 635 Peace, Conflict and Democracy: Learning from Practical Experience
This module takes advantage of existing local or international expertise of people with extensive practical involvement and experience οn issues related to Peace, Conflict and Democracy and provides the opportunity for students to benefit from it.
III. Compulsory – Dissertation (30 ECTS)
SPS 632 Master's Thesis (30 ECTS)
Students are offered the opportunity to submit either a 15,000-word thesis in a written format or utilize the in-house experience and modern facilities of the home department to produce a visual dissertation in the form of a short documentary with a supplementary 5,000-word research paper.
To enroll in the MA Thesis, students should have finished all the compulsory courses and a substantial number, ideally all, of their elective courses.
Please note that elective courses on offer each academic year may vary.
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
The program will consider applicants with an academic background/degree in Social Sciences, Arts or Humanities or any other associated field.
- International graduates should normally have the equivalent grade level (e.g. UK university graduates should normally have a second-class honors degree (55+)).
- Graduates of the University of Cyprus or of Greek universities should normally hold a grade level of at least 7 or above.
- Applicants with extensive professional experience (more than 5 years) in the fields of peace and conflict or democratization will be admitted if they already hold a postgraduate degree or may be considered if they have received a grade level of at least 6.5 from an internationally recognized university.
Language Requirements
- When applicants' previous studies have not been conducted in English, they are expected to show an adequate level of proficiency in English. Applicants should have an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with at least 5.5 in each section) with the test taken not more than two years before the submission of the application.
Supporting Documents:
- Motivation Letter
- 2 Letters of Reference
Tuition Fees
Fees for the whole period of 18 months are €5.125.
Contact Information
For further information do not hesitate to contact the programme coordinator Assistant Professor Eren Duzgun, [email protected]
