6 ECTS credits
167 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1021097BER for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.
Violence is an integral feature of social life. From domestic abuse to urban riots, sexual assault to political coups, street fighting to civil wars and everyday acts of vandalism to large-scale genocide, violence is a phenomenon that presents itself in a wide variety of shapes and hues. This also makes it into a topic that is particularly well-suited to interdisciplinary study. In this seminar we will learn how to tackle the complex realities of violence by analyzing it through the combined lenses of communication studies, political science and sociology. The sociological perspective on violence will deal – amongst others – with the micro-interactionist dynamics of violent encounters, the distribution of violent acts within societies and the conditions under which latent conflicts between social groups can turn violent. Political science will help us explore the central role that violence plays in the formation, transformation and sometimes destruction of modern nation-states and will helps us understand one of the most systematic and large-scale applications of violence known to man, namely modern warfare. Finally, communication studies addresses the question of how violence is “represented” through printed and visual media and in everyday popular culture. It helps us understand the impact of violent imagery on everyday actors and shows how mediatized representations of violence are often at odds with the actual realities of violence in everyday life. By applying these three perspectives to one and the same phenomenon we will show how an interdisciplinary perspective enables us to get a much richer understanding of the topic of violence.
In its practical organization the seminar will loosely follow the model of “Current Issues 1” combining ex cathedra-lectures, group discussions and lectures by guest speakers. The semester will culminate in an 'exhibition' in which students present the results of their group work. The final product of this seminar will be both a group assignment and an exhibition piece in which students work together to produce an interdisciplinary analysis of a current (violent) conflict. This analysis will focus on the social structure of the conflict and the particular groups it involves (sociology), will situate the conflict within the broader geopolitical situation of the region (political science) and will analyze the ways in which the conflict itself and the various parties involved are represented in national and international media (communication studies). More detailed information on the practical organization of the seminar will be provided in the "study guide".
The course material will consist of:
All of this material will be made available through Canvas.
After successful completion of this course, students will be able to
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Practical Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The final grade will be determined by your score on individual and group assignments. These will include:
Since the specific weight of each of these assignments will depend on final group sizes, more specific details will be provided in the "study guide" that will be handed out at the beginning of the semester.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Communication Studies
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Political Sciences
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Sociology
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Startplan