This course is about the application of qualitative methods to the study of civil war. It begins with an overview of the cutting edge in qualitative methods, intentionally casting its epistemological net broadly. We thus assess methods inspired by positivism (case studies, process tracing, counterfactual analysis) and those more interpretative in nature (discourse analysis, ethnography, textual analysis) - the goal being to provide students with a robust set of tools for explaining and understanding the dynamics of civil war. The course also reviews the promise (and pitfalls) of methodological pluralism or so-called mixed methods.

Deadline for signing up was 1 March.

  • The course takes place at the PRIO premises.
  • There is no course fee.
  • This is an official summer course with NTNU in Trondheim, and they will issues grades for the participants whose papers passed.
  • Papers are graded Pass/Fail.
  • MA students are allowed to participate, but this is dependent on available spaces. First come first serve. The requirements are the same: in terms of the syllabus, active participation, and handing in a paper.
  • Usefull tips on accomodation in Oslo (your own responsibility).

LitteratureStudents are responsible for getting all the litterature on their own. However, a few selected pieces are made available here since they can be difficult to access elsewere. Se the related files list.