War and Peace

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Why do states, societies and individuals go to war with each other? What determines the patterns of violence within and between communities? Can any durable solution be found to the problem of permanent insecurity that Thomas Hobbes theorized lay in human nature itself? Or is the incidence of mass conflict actually decreasing and are international law and international organizations successfully curtailing the tendencies of emerging powers, nationalist movements and terrorist networks to violently impose their will on others? This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the dominant academic theories that explain the nature and character of war- its causes and consequences, its protagonists and victims, its macro-political importance and psychological underpinnings. By drawing on in-depth case studies from around the world and a rich historical literature, students will explore both paradigms that seek to account for aggregate violent behaviour of humans and conceptual frames that rethink how to bring societies closer together and heal the deep divisions within them after conflict.