MA in Conflict, Governance and Development

Overview
Structure
Teaching
Students
Staff

Overview

The MA in Conflict, Governance and Development provides an opportunity to look in depth at contemporary debates in international development. The course combines a strong focus on the major theories of development with empirical analysis of the experiences of particular countries and regions. It also enables students to examine current development policies including the effectiveness of different forms of development governance, participatory development and citizenship, and strategies for conflict resolution and post-war recovery.

The MA is targeted at students who want to combine a strong foundation in development theory and policy with a specialist understanding of governance and conflict. The range of options available to students together with the opportunity to research and write a dissertation on a topic of their choice also means students can develop expertise in their own area of interest. The multidisciplinary nature of the course makes the MA in Conflict, Governance and Development equally well suited to those interested in research careers and those wanting to pursue a career in international development whether with an international organisation, government agency or non-governmental organisation.

Structure

The MA comprises four modules and a dissertation.

Compulsory Module

All students take one compulsory module on development governance:

Theories and Policies of Development Governance

This module looks at core theories and policies of development governance, focusing particularly on the role of the state and other institutions in promoting development and tackling poverty. The module is multidisciplinary, introducing students to influential ideas in the politics, economics and political economy of development.

Core Modules

Students choose at least one of two core modules:

Violence and International Intervention

This module explores issues of collective violence, conflict and international intervention from a theoretical, empirical and comparative perspective. It introduces students to the key concepts, theoretical debates and assumptions and underpinning ‘international’ approaches to collective violence and conflict; the structure, strategy and techniques of intervention; and the lasting effects of intervention on a range of societies. These concepts will be explored comparatively in the context of collective violence and international interventions in a range of cases. The module will also explore the ethical and practical dimensions of the key norms of intervention – including human rights, democracy and the issue of ‘combatants’ – and the way in which they shape the policies and practices of intervention. It is a designed as a simulation of a ‘peace process’, in which students will have the opportunity to practice their skills in the analysis of violence and factors contributing to it, negotiation and inter-party bargaining, and the formulation of a peace agreement.

Social and Political Issues in Development: Conflict, Identities and Citizenship
This module examines how poor people experience the state and development policies in the ‘Third World’ and considers how the impact of development policies varies between different social groups. The module also assesses strategies for promoting effective citizenship and active participation in the development process.

Option Modules

Students take either one or two option modules from a range of modules that reflect the department’s strengths in international development, conflict, human rights, public policy and comparative politics. The available modules, subject to availability, are:

Women Citizenship & Conflict
Public Management & Delivery
Understanding Governance
Policy Analysis
Contemporary Philosophy of Law
Asylum, Migration and Human Trafficking*
Development and Human Rights*
Truth, Justice and Reparations*

* Modules offered by the Centre for Applied Human Rights. Students may only take one of these modules.

Dissertation

During the summer term students start work on a dissertation of up to 15,000 words on a topic of their choice. The dissertation is due for submission at the end of the summer vacation.

Study Part-Time

The MA in Conflict, Governance and Development may also be taken on a part-time basis over two years (24 months).

Diploma in Conflict, Governance and Development

Students can also take a shorter Diploma in Conflict, Governance and Development. Diploma students take the same modules as MA students, but instead of a dissertation they submit a 8,000 word long essay at the end of the summer term, which counts together with the workshop for 33% of the total marks.

Teaching

The MA in Conflict, Governance and Development draws upon a diverse range of teaching methods, combining lecture-based learning with interactive and participatory teaching in seminar groups. The course is taught by specialists in a wide range of aspects of international development including development governance, the role of the state, NGOs, gender, ethnicity, conflict and post-war recovery. Teaching draws on the department’s in-depth research experience in most regions of the world, including the Middle East, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and areas of East Asia and Eastern Europe. Staff combine their research and teaching with direct engagement with development policy through consultancy work, presentations at conferences, and involvement with a range of governmental and non-governmental development agencies.

Students interact regularly with staff members teaching their modules, and receive feedback from them on their termly assignments and seminar presentations. In addition, each student is assigned an academic supervisor who is responsible for overseeing the student’s general progress and is available to offer advice. Students are also allocated a specialist dissertation supervisor to advise them on their dissertation. Students are encouraged to attend the departmental seminar series, which provides a forum for staff and graduate students to interact and exchange ideas.

Students

The MA in Conflict, Governance and Development attracts a wide range of students from across the world including both those with prior experience of working in international development and those continuing directly from earlier studies.

Lauren Leigh

"For me, CGD was a transition period, test to see if development politics was something I really wanted to pursue or a passing whim. While completing my BA at a liberal arts university in the United States I had some exposure to political science and development studies, but the year I spent getting my MA was the first time that I had focused on these issues in any depth for a prolonged length of time. This was a useful period of self-reflection and I have since gone on to pursue my PhD, also at the University of York. My research examines how local political culture might enhance or impede democratic consolidation and I have recently completed 5 months of fieldwork in Tamatave, Madagascar."

Katherine Rea

"I decided to pursure the MA in CGD because I was unsure what avenue in development most interested me. I learned so much - not just in the sense I received a broad overview (although I did) but most importantly I learned who to ask, where to look, and how to identify areas of development I was interested in and where I wanted to pursue study. The professors in the course were demanding and approachable; the students themselves were often a wealth of knowledge because of their diverse backgrounds. I have since worked in the United States Senate, then a law firm specializing in corporate governance. I am currently in the process of applying for law school, and there is no doubt in my mind that the analysis and research skills I learned through the intense study of CGD at York will be of great benefit to me."