Peace ProcessPost-Conflict:LA

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Juris Doctor, Undergraduate

This course explores one complex element of negotiated settlements of armed conflicts, and post-conflict politics after the signing of peace accords in Latin America: achieving meaningful accountability for the violence that transpired during the war. We will explore social, political and legal dimensions of the attempts by societies to achieve accountability, whilst not ignoring other complex aspects at stake in a peace-building process. This seminar concentrates on the intricacies of one field riddled with difficulties: the promotion of justice and the quest for accountability in relation to human rights and humanitarian law violations that took place during the war. We will explore topics through both theory and practice. To ground the discussions, we will examine how the legacy of violence has been addressed in two country situations that have promoted political solutions to armed conflict: El Salvador and Colombia. (Instead of surveying many situations, a conscious decision to concentrate on only two country situations informs the design of the course.) Course reading draws on relevant literatures in social sciences and law, including textbooks, academic articles, legal decisions, international treaties, and other legal instruments. Readings also include in-depth reporting on armed conflicts and the events surrounding negotiated settlements. Complementarily, films (fiction and documentary) will be used to offer a human dimension of the problems being analyzed. The seminar will provide an opportunity to undertake original research and applied research. All participants will be able to discuss, debate, and refine their research through dialogue and debate with other seminar members, over the course of the semester.