BSSn4404 Conflict research

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 8 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Jan Holzer, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jan Kleiner, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Jan Holzer, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Jan Kleiner, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Division of Security and Strategic Studies – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! BSS404 Conflict research && !NOW( BSS404 Conflict research )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The cours offers an overview of theoretical outcomes for the conflict research. The knowledge obtained at this course provides students to a thorough analysis of armed conflicts in the various parts of the world with the appropriate methodological, typological and analytic apparatus, which will be introduced in this course.
Learning outcomes
Graduates of the course have knowledge and understanding of theoretical concepts in conflict research and the ability to apply them in concrete case studies. Furthermore, they will practice the basics of quantitative methodology and statistics and learn to work with the statistical programming language R. Knowing the basics of quantitative approaches to conflict and security research is essential for the creation of complex analyses and is a mainstream approach to conflict (especially war) analysis. R is the most widely used statistical tool in the world and is open source, so it is a very effective option for the analysis of any mass phenomena. Its libraries even allow for qualitative analysis. Students will also be encouraged to use artificial intelligence to troubleshoot and learn how to work with R to get a comprehensive and up-to-date education in this area.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the subject. Definition of conflict
  • 2.Seminar I - quantitative approach to conflict research and introduction to R
  • 3.Classical conflicts: revolution and civil war
  • 4. Political regime change as an example of conflict at the internal political level
  • 5. Causes, course and dynamics of conflicts
  • 6. Non-armed forms of conflict (sanctions, embargoes, arbitration, boycotts, civil disobedience, propaganda, etc.)
  • 7. Easter Monday - 1.4. - self-study SWIRL
  • 8. Seminar II - Quantitative Conflict Analysis
  • 9. Seminar III - Laboratory for seminar project
  • 10. Non-state armed actors as challengers to state power
  • 11. Levels of analysis and systemic causes of war
  • 12. Conflict resolution
  • 13. Exam Pre-Term
Literature
    required literature
  • Field, Andy. (2009): Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. 3rd Edition. Sage Publications: Londýn, ISBN 978-1-8478-7907-3, pp. 31-60. [30 stran]
  • Lutwak, E.N. (1999): Give war a chance. Foreign Affairs, 78(4), pp. 36-44. [8 stran]
  • Rabušic, L., Soukup, P., Mareš, P. (2019). Statistická analýza sociálněvědních dat prostřednictvím SPSS. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, pp. 143-176 (kap. 5) [34 stran]
  • Beriker, N. (2008). Conflict resolution: The missing link between liberal international relations theory and realistic practice. In D. J. D. Sandole, S. Byrne, I. Sandole-Staroste, & J. Senehi (Eds.), Handbook of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (pp. 256
  • Brooker, P. (2000): Non-Democratic Regimes. Theory, Government and Politics, Houndmills, Basingstoke Hampshire, Macmillan Press, pp. 188-225. [38 stran]
  • Trebbi, F. (2019): Quantitative approaches to violence, small wars, and insurgencies, NBER Reporter, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): Cambridge, MA, 3, pp. 11-13 [3 strany]
  • Gibler, D. M. (2017). Combining behavioral and structural predictors of violent civil conflict: Getting scholars and policymakers to talk to each other. International Studies Quarterly, 61(1), 28-37. [10 stran]
  • Trinn, C., a Wencker, T. (2021). Integrating the quantitative research on the onset and incidence of violent intrastate conflicts. International Studies Review, 23(1), 115-139 [25 stran]
  • Grugel, J. (2002): Democratization. A Critical Introduction, Palgrave: Macmillan Press, pp. 56-64. [9 stran]
  • Lyall, J. (2020). Divided Armies: Inequality and Battlefield Performance in Modern War. Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp. 39-89 [51 stran]
  • Bannon, I., and P. Collier (2003): Natural Resources and Conflict: What We Can Do. In: Bannon, I., and Collier, P. (2003): Natural Resources and Violent Conflict. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, pp. 1-16. [17 stran]
  • Rabušic, L., Soukup, P., Mareš, P. (2019). Statistická analýza sociálněvědních dat prostřednictvím SPSS. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, pp. 17-49 (kap. 1) [33 stran]
  • Paris, R. (2004): At War’s End: Building Peace after Civil Conflict. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, pp. 13-39. [26 stran]
  • Bankowicz, M. (2010): Státní převrat, Brno: Dokořán, pp. 39-64. [25 stran]
  • de Mesquita, B. B., & Lalman, D. (1988). Empirical Support for Systemic and Dyadic Explanations of International Conflict. World Politics, 41(1), 1–20. [20 stran]
  • Bartos, O. J., and P. Wehr (2002): Using Conflict Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, pp. 12-28. [17 stran]
  • Bartos, O. J. and P. Wehr (2002): Using Conflict Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, pp. 29-49, 70-81 a 98-119. [55 stran]
  • Folch –Escriba, A. (2010): Economic sanctions and the durations of civil conflicts. Journal of Peace Research, 2/2010, pp. 129-141. [12 stran]
  • Zartman, I. William – Guy Olivier Faure (2005): Escalation and Negotiation in International Conflicts. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, pp. 3-15. [13 stran]
  • Singer, J. D. (1961): The level of analysis problem in international relations. World Politics, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 77-92. [16 stran]
  • Malia, M. (2009): Lokomotivy dějin. Revoluce a utváření moderního světa, Brno: CDK , pp. 377-416. [40 stran]
  • McFaul, M. (2005): Transition from postcommunism, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 16, No 3, pp. 5-19. [15 stran]
  • Gatlung, J. (with preface 2009): Theories of Conflict, pp. 9-42. [34 stran]
  • Huntington, S. P. (2008): Třetí vlna. Demokratizace na sklonku dvacátého století, Brno: CDK, pp. 203-268. [65 stran]
  • Grugel, J. (2002): Democratization. A Critical Introduction, Palgrave: Macmillan Press, pp. 51-56. [6 stran]
  • Ezrow, N. (2017). Global Politics and Violent Non-State Actors. Londýn: SAGE Publications Inc, Part III (kap. 6-10) [112 stran]
    recommended literature
  • Field, A., Miles, J., Field, Z. (2012). Discovering Statistics Using R. Londýn: SAGE.
  • Lyall, J. (2020). Divided Armies: Inequality and Battlefield Performance in Modern War. Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp. 172-213. [42 stran]
  • Lyall, J. (2022) Sources, Data, Methods: The Project Mars Codebook (Version 1.1), pp. 5-40 (proměnné a dataset v kontextu Correlates of War – zbytek codebooku jako doporučená četba) [35 stran]
  • Abdelaaty, L. (2021). Jason Lyall: Divided Armies: Inequality and Battlefield Performance in Modern War. New Books Network. Dostupné z: https://newbooksnetwork.com/divided-armies
Teaching methods
lectures, discussions, position papers, seminar papers
Assessment methods
Rating 1) Seminar project (40 points) 2) Written exam (40 points) Scale of assessment 75-80 points: A 69-74 points: B 62-68 points: C 55-61 points: D 48-54 points: E 47 points or less: F Seminar project The seminar project will aim to introduce students to the statistical programming language R and will take two forms: (1) Completion of the virtual course "R Programming Basic Building Blocks" (15 short lessons) within the R environment (R studio) - SWIRL tool - see second link for version: (https://swirlstats.com/students.html; https://github.com/swirldev/R_Programming_E). a. The deadline for completion of all SWIRL lessons is April 7, 2024 11:59 PM. b. Completion of each of the  15 sections must be reported on an ongoing basis, or all at once by the specified deadline. SWIRL allows you to send an email of completion. It is not necessary to send it, but it is necessary to fill in the required information, create a screenshot (see Appendix A) named in the style of "RECEIPT_NUMBER SWIRL LESSON.jpg" and then submit it to the appropriate folder (by lesson) in the submissions room in IS c. Completion of this course is a prerequisite for the seminar project evaluation. (2) Analysis of a selected conflict, including the use of R for basic statistical analysis in the context of Project Mars and Correlates of War (or other relevant datasets such as the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, etc.). a. The quantitative approach to conflict analysis will be dominantly demonstrated during workshops on Project Mars and the book Divided Armies examining the effect of ethnic inequality on the effectiveness of a given army on the battlefield. However, it is not a problem to choose a different topic, including a completely different causal mechanism, which students will elaborate in the project. It is the responsibility of the student(s) to research the feasibility of the topic by April 15 and then consult it in the seminar. b. The results of the analysis will be reported in the form of a scientific article (length 10 NS with a  tolerance of 10% - the scope does not include the reference list and abstract - the latter will be a maximum of 150 words). c. Along with the scientific paper, students will submit a supplementary file in the form of an R script - i.e. the code they used to statistically analyse the case. d. Appendix B of this syllabus contains a checklist with specific requirements and recommended study resources for the entire project. e. At the April 15 workshop, the entire project and its requirements will then be discussed in detail and there will be space to discuss the topics. f. The deadline for submission of the project is 5/19/2024 11:59 PM. Exam At the end of the course, a written exam will be conducted, graded 0-40. The exam will require knowledge of the assigned required (not recommended) readings, lectures, and seminars. The test will consist of  8 questions, with a maximum of 5 points per question. Students will be informed of the form and dates of the examination prior to the start of the examination period, no later than Monday, May 6, 2024, in accordance with the MU Regulations.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
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