POL 395-02 - Advanced Special Topic: Ethnic Conflict and Peace Building

4 credits (Spring)

Advanced Special Topic: Ethnic Conflict and Peace Building. This course analyzes the drivers of ethnic conflict and efforts to build peace in its aftermath. The class is divided into three sections: 1)Ethnic Identity, which analyzes the theoretical foundation of identity formation; 2)Conflict Processes, which examines the dynamics and drivers of ethnic conflict; and 3)Conflict Resolution and Management, which covers the techniques and institutional arrangements used to end and manage conflict. We will trace the process of identity formation, conflict, and peacebuilding using several case studies of conflict-prone, ethnically divided societies. The class is designed to provide students a theoretical understanding of ethnicity and conflict, an historical background of major episodes of ethnic civil war, and an introduction to institutional design choices facing policymakers.

Prerequisite: POL 255, POL 257, POL 258, POL 261, POL-262 (offered Spring 2013), and POL 295-02.
Instructor: Macdonald