Conflict Analysis and Management M.A. Concentration Courses

 

 

POL 6/70901 Proseminar in Conflict Analysis and Management

This proseminar begins with the historical development of the conflict analysis and management field. It covers conflict theories, the dynamics by which conflicts escalate, stalemate, and de-escalate, and theories of conflict intervention, resolution and transformation. Offered each fall

 

POL 6/70902 Power, Conflict and the Politics of Gender

This course examines power disparities and gender as sources of conflict in multiple arenas—including family, community, workplace and the political sphere. We will examine the intersections of gender and power in the generation and resolution of social conflicts. Emphases will be placed on empowerment strategies and tactics used to transform gendered conflicts and redress power imbalances.

 

POL 6/70903 Identity-Driven Conflicts

This course explores the roles played by ethnicity, race, religion, culture and other elements of identity in the generation, resolution and conduct of conflicts within and between groups. We will examine physical and symbolic markers of difference in order to understand both why groups differentiate themselves from one another and how mechanisms such as skin color, religious affiliation, ethnic background or cultural traditions can provide the grist for conflict or the grease that promotes resolution.

 

POL 6/70904 Social Movements and Nonviolent Conflicts

The waging and escalating of conflicts by social movements through nonviolent actions frequently shifts conflicts from one stage to another while also contributing to conflict transformation and to substantive social and political changes. This course focuses on social movement theories and practices, and on the complicated dynamics of nonviolent action waged by social movements. Comparative analyses of historical and contemporary cases will be featured.

 

POL 6/70507 Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation

The course has been renumbered and the description has been modified.

Political transitions from mass violence to justice, from protracted conflict to stability, and from authoritarianism to democracy are the focus of this seminar. Subjects include cross-cultural analysis of truth and reconciliation commissions, criminal tribunals, purges, apologies, reparations, public sector reforms, memorials, and other aids to conflict transformation. We will critically analyze what transitional justice tools were used in different contexts and cases with regard to their appropriateness and effectiveness. May count for TCP

 

POL 6/70906 Political Violence

While extreme acts of political violence like genocide are often presumed to be “spontaneous” or “acts of madness,” scholarship indicates that they are often well-planned and intentional. This course examines the dynamics, networks, interests. and resource mobilization underlying state-sponsored political violence. We will focus in particular on “low-intensity conflict” and counter-insurgency, paramilitarism and genocide. Of special interest will be the relationship of the state to various non-state actors, both perpetrators and victims, and the role of the international community in domestic-level violence. May count for TCP with that faculty’s approval.

 

POL 6/70907 Terrorism and Human Rights

The 9/11 tragedy spurred an interest in discovering the role governments play in light of a new terrorism paradigm that emphasizes preemption instead of consequence management. As western democratic governments increasingly use proactive measures to contain terrorist threats, adherence to the rule of law becomes more tenuous in managing them and meeting the competing demands of public safety and personal freedom. This course explores the nature and scope of these responses before and after September 11. The course first details how generally governments perceive and manage terrorist attacks historically, before September 11. Next, the course addresses the U.S. response to September 11. The last third of the course analyzes the U.S. post-9/11 response and its impact on human rights in comparison to other democratic governments, especially Great Britain (but other countries will be considered, such as Canada, Australia, and Israel).

 

POL 6/70991 Seminar in Conflict Analysis and Management

(Repeatable for credit) Seminar on current and important topics in Conflict Analysis & Management. Subject matter varies. This course may be repeated for credit with departmental approval.