About Peace Studies, MPhil, Graduate Diploma - at Trinity College Dublin
Peace Studies examines the problems of war and political violence from the perspectives of international relations, global justice and conflict resolution. It offers to students from different primary disciplines the opportunity for mature reflection on the wide range of issues of peace and conflict, while at the same time affording the opportunity for specialised study through a research dissertation. A particular aim of the programme is to address the wider ethical and philosophical questions that arise through examining peace and war in the context of social sciences.
Students can pursue either a broad-ranging programme in International Peace Studies or specialisations in ‘Ethics in International Affairs’ or ‘Peace-building and Development’, depending on their course selection.
Programme ContentFive courses must be taken. Students are assessed on The Politics of Peace and Conflict and on three other courses, at least one of which must be either International Politics, Ethics in International Affairs, Politics of Development or Conflict Resolution and Nonviolence.
AssessmentThe assessment consists of four 5,000-6,000 word essays (or equivalent) to be completed by 1 May, and an 18-20,000 word thesis to be completed by 15 September.
All students are registered on a common Masters programme and follow the same assessment procedures for the four essays required. Subject to satisfactory performance in the four essays, students may proceed to submission of a dissertation for the M.Phil. degree. Students who do not reach that standard, but who nonetheless are judged by the Court of Examiners to have reached a satisfactory level of performance, may be recommended for the award of a postgraduate Diploma, without further assessment.
