CMM315 Assignment Details

This assignment is worth 15% of the final mark for CMM315 Peacebuilding and Security

The deadline for this assignment is Thursday, 5 February 2026, 11:55pm. Resubmissions are allowed before this cut-off time.

The word count for this assignment is 2,800 words. (Do not exceed or fall below the word limit by more than 10 per cent).

Submit your essay/report/write-up together with your cover page, in a single file (saved as MS word file, in .doc or .docx format), to the submission link titled TMA01.

Assignment Questions

Question 1

Conflicts often arise from multiple interrelated factors, including political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. Social theories provide a framework for understanding why conflicts emerge, persist, and escalate.

Select any TWO (2) conflict theories from the list below:

• Basic Human Needs Theory (Burton, 1990)
• Horizontal Inequalities (Stewart, 2008)
• Economic Function of Conflict (Keen, 1998)

Based on an appropriate conflict of choice, answer the following questions:  

 a) Examine the historical roots and structural causes of your chosen conflict according to your chosen theories. Appraise how the political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions interrelate and contribute to the escalation and persistence of the conflict. You are to include a visualisation aid (e.g., conflict tree, actor map, or systems diagram) wherever relevant.

(45 marks)

b) Analyse when and how negative peace and positive peace, respectively, were achieved in your selected conflict. Your response should also include details on the transition from negative to positive peace, and how efforts directed at achieving positive peace have contributed to the nature of the state or country today.

(45 marks)

Format of Report 

• Submit a 2,800-word report (including in-text citations; excluding bibliography and visual aids).
• Use at least FOUR (4) academic sources beyond the iSmartGuide (e.g., peer-reviewed articles, scholarly books).
• Include at least one visualisation aid (charts, tables, diagrams, or infographics).
• Do not use AI applications in the preparation of your response.
• Apply consistent and accurate in-text citations and provide a full bibliography in APA.

    (10 marks)

Appendix A: TMA/GBA Submission Reminders

TMA/GBA Cover Page

• Download and complete the TMA/GBA Cover Page from Canvas L01 > Modules > Assessments.
• Acknowledge that you have read the self-declaration on academic integrity and submit it with your TMA/GBA.

TMA/GBA Submission 

• Adhere strictly to the naming convention specified for TMA/GBA files. Noncompliance with these standards may result in your TMA/GBA not being marked and/or an administrative fee being imposed.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you have uploaded your file(s) completely and accurately to the correct submission link. All inaccurate submissions will be treated as a null submission.
• Backup your TMA/GBA at all times.
• Review your submission immediately and ensure that the entire document has been uploaded completely and successfully.
• Submit early and check the originality report to decide if you need to revise and resubmit your assignment.
• Turnitin reports are generated immediately the first time, but subsequent reports may take up to a day to generate.
• Retain the Turnitin digital receipt as evidence of a successful submission. Appeals submitted without the Turnitin digital receipt will not be entertained.
• Resubmissions (overwriting earlier submissions) are allowed only before the deadline. No further resubmissions can be made during the grace period or thereafter.
• The 12-hour grace period after the deadline is NOT an extended deadline. It is solely for resolving technical problems encountered with submissions before the deadline.
• Take care to ensure that you upload the correct TMA document to the correct folder of the correct course. Requests to transfer incorrectly uploaded documents to the correct folder will require an official appeal (and an administrative fee).

Late submissions and submission problems

• Late penalties are automatically applied by Canvas after the 12-hour grace period.
• Your instructors will NOT be able to grant any extensions as they cannot override Canvas system settings.
• Details about marks deduction are outlined in your Student Handbook under Academic Rules and Regulations.
• In case of technical problems, email Canvas Support at LSsupport@suss.edu.sg Attach your TMA/GBA file and relevant screenshots showing the technical error and follow up with Canvas Support before the grace period is over.
• If no submission was made before the deadline, one late submission is allowed up till 1 week after the deadline, after which no more late submissions will be allowed.

TMA/GBA Formatting Requirements [For essay submissions on Word only]

• Upload your TMA/GBA essays as a Word document file (.doc, .docx) No other formats are allowed. Feedback on your marked assignments will be provided only if the assignment is submitted as a Word document file.
• Use 12-point Times New Roman and double line spacing throughout the entire paper. Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right) of the page Line spacing: Double-spacing

Paragraph alignment: Align the text to the left and leave the right margin uneven Paragraph indentation: Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inch

Word / Slides / Page / Duration Limit

• Writing and presenting succinctly is an important skill in academic writing. Keep strictly to any word limits (or limits to the number of slides, pages, or durations of videos) as no allowance will be given. Any content beyond the specified limits will not be marked.Tables, figures, and in-text citations are included in the word count whilst the reference list and appendices are not.

Plagiarism and Collusion

• The assignment is to be completed on your own. Do not share your notes, draft or final TMA with anyone before the marked TMAs are returned to you.
• The University takes a very serious view of the following academic offences. The penalties are outlined in your Student Handbook.
  o Plagiarism: Passing off someone else’s ideas as your own, or recycling of contents from your own earlier marked assignment from the same course or another course)
  o Collusion: Submitting an assignment which is the same or very similar to another student’s)
  o Misuse of Generative AI (GenAI)
• Avoid plagiarism by giving yourself sufficient time to research and understand the material so that you can write up your assignment in your own words. Quotations should be used sparingly. Simply citing the source of ‘copied’ chunks of text does not excuse it from plagiarism. Do ensure that any paraphrasing is done appropriately, even if you use text from your own work that you have submitted as part of another assignment for the same or another course.

You are reminded to attribute all sources properly and consistently, including any AIgenerated text (see example below).

Example of a table detailing the name of the AI tool used, the approach to using the tool (e.g., what prompts were used), the full output provided by the tool, and which part of the output was adapted for the assignment.

Example of Appropriate and discipline – specific citations APA:

In-text citation:

Author of AI model, Year of the version used

Example:

Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)  Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)  Reference list

Author of AI Model. (Year of version used). Name of tool (Version of tool) [Large language  model]. URL

Appendix B: Video Submission Instructions

• To ensure that your video submission is successful, you must complete the following steps:
  Step 1: Access your TG/T-group course site.
  Step 2: Proceed to Assignments and click on the assignment to be submitted (e.g. -GBA01 Video / -ECA Video).
  Step 3: Scroll down the page and click on . Select Classroom Recordings.
  Step 4: Choose either Record or Upload your video assignment.
  o You need to type “PSSXXX_JAN26_TXX [assignments]” in the dropdown folder to locate your course assignment folder.
  o For your video to be submitted successfully, you must click Submit Assignment. Uploading the video without clicking the Submit button will be considered as a non-submission.
  Step 5: Verify and review your submission by playing back your submitted video on the Submission Details
• Videos that are not properly submitted following the instructions will be treated as nonsubmission. Appeals for videos that are submitted past the deadline due to nonadherence to the instructions will not be considered. Please also ensure that you upload your videos in advance as it may take time for your video to be processed and uploaded successfully. Appeals for late submission due to the video processing time exceeding the grace period or failure to adhere to submission instructions will not be considered.

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