Ethnic Conflict Civil War

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a framework for understanding and analyzing ethnic conflicts. The first part of the course provides a general overview for understanding ethnic and nationalist conflict. The second part of the course analyzes the causes of ethnic conflict and civil war, including psychological, historical, political, ethnic, ideological, religious, and economic factors. The third part of the course examines domestic strategies for dealing with ethnic and political differences, including accommodation, domination, co-optation, assimilation, secession and genocide. The fourth and final part of the course examines international responses to ethnic and nationalist conflict, including the use of policy instruments such as economic measures, mediation, and military force. A wide selection of case studies are used to illustrate theoretical arguments. The course is run as a seminar.