POL 295-02 - Special Topic: Political Violence in the 21st Century

4 credits (Spring)

From tribes to kingdoms to empires to modern-nation states, the foundations of human political order have nearly always been predicated upon the use or threat of violence. This course focuses on episodes of large-scale violence that causes or is the result of the breakdown in the existing political order. We will analyze different forms of violence such as insurgency, terrorism, genocide, and electoral violence; discuss the ways in which violence is essential in the reformulation of order; explore the challenges that organized criminal violence poses to some states. All along, we will question the validity of established categories and long-held assumptions in the face of changing global dynamics.

Prerequisite: POL 101.
Instructor: Barnes