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  • HIS4421

HIS4421 - War, Peace and the Nobel Peace Prize

Course content

History is full of wars, but also of long periods of peace. With the emphasis on the history of the 20th and 21st centuries, this topic will focus on four sets of questions. First, briefly, what are some of the leading theories we use to understand the nature of international relations? Second, how can we understand the mixture between the most serious conflicts in history (the First and the Second World War) and the many decades of peace in Europe? Third, how has international cooperation developed at various levels? Fourth, to what extent and how has the Nobel Peace Prize contributed to peace?

Although this is a history course, the literature will often use political science theories as a point of departure. The political science books assigned will have a strong historical orientation.

Learning outcomes

After you have taken this course you are expected to be able to:

• Sketch the basic theories that explain the nature of international relations
• Outline the history of war and peace in the 20th and 21st centuries
• Describe the development of international cooperation at different levels
• Discuss in some detail what influence the Nobel Peace Prize may have had on international relations.

Admission

The course is available to all students accepted to the master program in History, master program in Peace and Conflict Studies and Lektorprogrammets programspesialisering i historie.

Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.

Teaching

Teaching takes place throughout the semester and is a combinaton of lectures and group work.

The group work is obligatory, and lack of attendance implies forfeiture of the right to take exam. During the group work the students in each group discuss their own candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, in light of Nobel's testament, the evolution of war and the peace concept, and the candidates' achievements. Each group agrees its own candidate and writes a report on this candidate. The reports are put before a board of students from this course who on the basis of these reports decide who are to get the Students' Peace Prize.

Criteria for access to teaching resources

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, contingent on available capacity.

Exam information

3-days take-home examination: The students have three days to write an assignment. The length of the assignment should be 6-10 standard pages (2300 characters without spacing).

The exam is to be handed in in Fronter. The files must be submitted in .pdf-format and we stress that the student is responsible for making sure that the files are readable. If you need assistance in converting your file to .pdf, we recommend that you follow these instructions. The file must be named with your candidate number (not your name) and the course code (HIS2335).

In the process of uploading the file containing your exam, you will be asked to confirm that the work you are submitting is your own and that you are aware of the University of Oslo's policy concerning academic integrity and cheating. To qualify for uploading you must answer these questions affirmatively.

Language of examination

It is generally possible to submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Assessment and grading

Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system .

Explanations and appeals

Explanations for the grade - Students can request an explanation of their grades. This must happen within a week after the announcement date by sending an e-mail to historie-student@iakh.uio.no. The candidate must provide their candidate number, e-mail address and telephone number. The examiner decides whether the explanation will be given in writing or orally. The explanation shall normally be given within two weeks after your request.

Grade appeals or complaints concerning formal examination errors - the candidate may appeal their grade or complain about formal examination errors on written exams within three weeks after the result has been announced. If the candidate has asked for an explanation, the deadline is three weeks after the candidate received their explanation. The complaint must contain an explanation of why the student complaints. If the candidate has received a written explanation for the grade, it must be attached. It is recommended that the following form is used: bokmål / nynorsk / english (pdf). The appeal must be sent or delivered to the Faculty of Humanities for registration. You will find the address on the form. The complaint will then be submitted to the responsible department for further processing.
For more information see the Faculty of Humanities website.

Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam .

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