The MLitt and MPhil in Peacebuilding and Mediation programmes critically explore the relationship between formal and official peacebuilding and mediation initiatives and informal, unofficial, and community-based efforts. Students will: analyse bottom-up and top-down approaches to conflict mediation; conceptualise peace and its relationship to violence; analyse relationships between formal institutions of peacebuilding and parallel informal or unofficial processes; identify key actors involved in peacebuilding and mediation efforts; engage with bottom-up approaches to building peace; explore feminist and decolonial critiques of formal peace processes; and, critically engage with temporalities and spaces of peace and violence.
Students in the two-year MPhil programme will gain additional experience across a range of specialized topics in peace studies through a semester abroad at one of several excellent peace studies programmes in Europe and will develop research practice skills through a compulsory semester placement with UK academics or local or international NGOs and other organisations working at the cutting edge of peacebuilding and mediation practice.
COURSE STRUCTURE: MLITT
Semester 1
Critical Approaches to Peacebuilding (core module)
Mediation: Community and Global Praxis (core module)
Semester 2
2 x optional modules across the School of International Relations
Dissertation
COURSE STRUCTURE: MPHIL
Year 1, Semester 1
Critical Approaches to Peacebuilding (core module)
Mediation: Community and Global Praxis (core module)
Year 1, Semester 2
2 x optional modules across the School of International Relations
Year 2
Semester Study Placement (see below)
Semester Research Practice Placement (see below)
Dissertation
More details on course structure for both programmes are available via the School of International Relations and and the taught postgraduate Course Catalogue for the MLitt and MPhil degree.
SEMESTER STUDY PLACEMENT
MPhil students will spend one semester of their second year studying at Europe’s best peace studies programmes. They will work with the programme coordinator to select a study placement that matches their learning objectives and interests, with up to two semester placements available at each partner programme. Students will complete 60 SCOTCAT (30 ECTS) credits during their semester abroad from a broad selection of cross-disciplinary modules taught in English.
Subject to availability, students may undertake study placements with the following current partners:
Finland
University of Tampere, Tampere Peace Research Institute
Germany
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Institute of Political Sciences
The Philipps University of Marburg, Center for Conflict Studies
University of Hamburg, Faculty of Political Science
University of Hamburg, Peace Studies Institute (IFSH)
Norway
University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, Centre for Peace Studies, Norway
Serbia
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Science
Sweden
Swedish Defense University
RESEARCH PRACTICE PLACEMENT
MPhil students will spend the other semester of their second year at a practice partner from a list of local Scottish or international NGOs, think tanks, charities, advocacy groups, and other organisations working at the forefront of peacebuilding and mediation. Once placed, students will collaboratively design and then produce a substantial research-based study or report intended to assist the organization in its work.
APPLICATION
Applications to the MPhil are suspended for the 2024 and 2025 entry cycles.
For applications to the MLitt, applicants are encouraged from across the globe and from diverse cross-disciplinary backgrounds. We are also looking forward to applications from practitioners looking to further develop their skills and knowledge in the areas of peacebuilding and mediation.
For more details on how to apply for the MLitt programme, see the corresponding MLitt Peacebuilding and Mediation pages on the School of International Relations website.
OTHER TEACHING & LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AT CPCS
There are a number of additional ways in which scholars, students, and practitioners can become involved in the work of the Centre:
- Through attendance at the Centre’s seminar series, conferences, or other events at St Andrews
- By applying for a PhD in International Relations