Comp Ethnic Pols Conflicts

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course offers students a deeper understanding of ethnicity, the political implications of ethnic cleavages, and ethnic conflict through comparative studies in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The course is comprised of four parts. The first part of this course introduces the different definitions and conceptualizations of ethnicity. Second, we examine the consequences of ethnic cleavages in matters of politics, specifically voting behavior, the distribution of goods, interethnic relations, nationalism and state building. Third, the course investigates different types of ethnic conflict ranging from extreme violence (i.e. separatism, insurgency, civil war and genocide) to riots, hate crimes and the rise of xenophobic parties. Finally, the class will consider the policies and practices behind instances of inter-ethnic peace and successful conflict management. Students will be asked to choose a specific country case to follow throughout the semester in preparation for undertaking their own independent research at the end of the course.