20673 - POLITICS OF CONFLICT
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
CLMG (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - M (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - IM (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - MM (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - AFC (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - CLELI (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - ACME (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - DES-ESS (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - EMIT (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - GIO (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - DSBA (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - PPA (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04) - FIN (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SPS/04)
Course Director:
ANDREA RUGGERI
ANDREA RUGGERI
Suggested background knowledge
Some background knowledge on International Relations and/or Comparative Politics could be useful. For those with no knowledge of these fields these to books can help to catch up : 1) CLARK, W. ROBERTS, M. GOLDER S.N. GOLDER, “Principles of comparative politics”, CQ Press, 2017.; 2) FRIEDEN, A. JEFFREY, D.A. LAKE, K.A. SCHULTZ, "World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions “, W. W. Norton & Company (2018).
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
Conflict is a central aspect of politics, if not the constitutive one. Politics aims to mitigate conflict, but conflict is omnipresent and can risk to get violent. This course first aims to study analytically how conflict is interwind with politics and what are the institutional devices to contain and resolve conflict. The course analyzes how conflict and violence are dealt with in different regimens. Then, the classes discusses different facets of conflict when escalates to violent practices. We move from riots, to rebellion and terrorism. Though, we study also non-violent protest tactics and conflict resolution strategies. Alternative theoretical frameworks are discussed and evaluated against systematic empirical evidence. The ultimate goal of the course is to consolidate an analytical approach to the politics of conflict and evaluate its different interlinked facets in a systemic way using also empirical material.
CONTENT SUMMARY
- When politics is conflictual ? And violent?
- Is democracy a non-violent conflict institutional device?
- How do autocracies deal with conflict? Repression, cooptation and concessions.
- Contentious politics.
- Non- violent resistance.
- Violent Mobilisation.
- Rebels & Guerrillas.
- Inequality and Conflict.
- Rebels Governance: managing conflict within violent conflict?
- Gender and Conflict.
- Non-violent resistance in violent contexts.
- Terrorism.
- Terrorism in civil wars.
- Migrations & Conflict.
- Demographic & Conflict.
- Urban and Rural Confilict.
- Organised crime and political conflict.
- Mass Killings and Genocide.
- Intercommunal violence.
- Climate, natural resources and conflict.
- Assassinations /military Coups.
- Third Party Intervention.
- Conflict Mediation.
- Legacies of political conflict.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Discuss main debates and issue on conflict.
- Recognize how different analytical levels and actors interplay in ipolitics of conflict.
- Locate main data sources for the study of conflict.
- Explain under what conditions conflict and violence are more likely.
- Assess different empirical expectations.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Use the theoretical and empirical insights presented during the course to analyze and explain political conflict and violence.
- Find and critically assesses data sources for evaluating policies.
- Analytically evaluate unfolding events in the international arena.
Teaching methods
- Face-to-face lectures
DETAILS
- Lectures.
- Discussion of readings.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
x | x |
ATTENDING STUDENTS
Two partial, written exams in order to assess the students’ knowledge on main debates and issue on conflict and main data sources for the study of conflict.
- Moreover to evaluate the students capacity to explain under what conditions conflict and violence are more likely. Each exams is worth 50% of the grade or a final exam on the whole program worth 100% of the grade.
NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
A final written exam and one essay (to be submitted by mid-term and of 3,000 words) in order to assess the students’ knowledge on main debates and issue on conflict and main data sources for the study of conflict.
- Moreover to evaluate the students capacity to explain under what conditions conflict and violence are more likely. The essay is worth 50% of the grade and the final exam 50% of the grade. The essay, on a topic coordinated with the course lecturer, tackle debates and issue on conflict.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING STUDENTS
Readings from academic journalis are uploaded in Bboard.
NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Not attending students have to read the following books:
- KALYVAS, N. STATHIS, The logic of violence in civil war, Cambridge University Press, 2006.
- TILLY, CHARLES, The politics of collective violence. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
- CEDERMAN, LARS - ERIK, KRISTIAN SKREDE GLEDITSCH, HALVARD BUHAUG, Inequality, grievances, and civil war, Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Last change 16/06/2019 23:34