Analysing Contemporary Conflict Portfolio assessment for academic year 2025

ACC Portfolio assessment for academic year 2025-6

Your portfolio should contain 2 tasks:

1. A detailed conflict analysis case-study (3500-3800 word essay)
2. A short reflection on the most significant changes in your understanding this semester (400 words)

1. Conflict Analysis Case-Study

This is an extended analysis of a social conflict which should demonstrate your ability to distinguish and critically analyse causes and drivers of conflict using appropriate theoretical frameworks and/or analytical tools that we have looked at together in this module.

You can choose either the Israeli-Palestinian conflict OR the Lebanese civil war which we have been studying over the course of the semester.

You can approach this task in different ways by choosing either a., b. or c.

a. A general conflict analysis essay which develops an argument regarding the most significant causes/drivers of conflict, drawing on relevant theoretical/analytic frameworks that we have looked at together in class.

b.  Applying and testing one specific theoretical explanation of conflict (choose one theory from the range of theories we covered in class) in relation to your chosen case – i.e. what does theory X help us to understand about conflict Y and what are the limitations of this perspective?

c. Applying and testing one specific conflict analysis tool – e.g using a specific conflict mapping method that we have explored in this module – to develop a visual representation of key causes, drivers, stakeholder perspectives, etc of conflict in your chosen case-study, developing a critical commentary on where/how this furthers understanding and the limitations of this approach.

2.  Reflection

This should identify the most significant change in your knowledge and understanding that has developed during the module, explaining what this is and why it is a significant change for you personally