Sem (MA) Mediation in International Conflicts
Instructors: PD Dr. habil. Julian BergmannShortname: Sem Int.conflicts
Course Type: Seminar
Recommended reading list
Selection of introductory readings• Greig, Michael and Diehl, Paul F. (2012): International Mediation. Cambridge: Polity Press.
• Greig, Michael, Owsiak, Andrew P. and Paul F. Diehl (2019): International Conflict Management. Cambridge: Polity Press.
• Ramsbotham, Oliver, Woodhouse, Tom and Hugh Miall (2011): Contemporary Conflict Resolution, 3rd edition, Cambridge: Polity Press.
• Bergmann, Julian (2020): The European Union as International Mediator. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Contents
Mediation is an instrument of conflict management whereby a third party assists parties in conflict to settle their conflict in a peaceful way and reach agreements that they deem acceptable and are willing to implement. For decades, mediation has been practised in violent conflicts around the globe by states, international and regional organisations, and non-state actors.The main purpose of the course is to familiarise students with the domain of mediation research and provide them with a profound understanding of the theoretical foundations of international mediation and empirical evidence on its effectiveness. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to analyse key debates and theories in mediation research, have profound knowledge about the factors that determine both the onset and the success of international mediation efforts, and be able to apply their insights to the analysis of individual mediation cases.
Along these issues, the course is structured into three parts. The first part introduces the basic concepts and theoretical approaches to understand and explain international conflicts and the occurrence of mediation efforts. In the second part, we examine benchmarks for defining the effectiveness of international mediation and discuss the various factors that influence its effectiveness. Finally, we investigate individual cases of international mediation to enhance our knowledge about particular instances of (in)effective international mediation efforts.
Additional information
This seminar is taught exclusively in English. Please kindly note that this is a hybrid seminar that has both in-presence and online sessions (see course schedule below).Dates
| Date (Day of the week) | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11/06/2026 (Friday) | 12:00 - 14:00 | Die Sitzung findet online statt! |
| 11/13/2026 (Friday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | 02 607 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 12/04/2026 (Friday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | 02 607 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 12/11/2026 (Friday) | 12:00 - 14:00 | Die Sitzung findet online statt! |
| 01/15/2027 (Friday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | 02 607 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 01/29/2027 (Friday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | 02 607 Seminarraum 1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi) |
| 02/05/2027 (Friday) | 12:00 - 16:00 | Die Sitzung findet online statt! |