Fall/Winter Timetable

POL2322H1S L0101

Undergraduate Course Code: POL443H1S L0101

Topics in Comparative Politics II

Civil War and Political Violence

Themes

The general theme of this course is to understand the origins, dynamics, and processes of political violence, in particular one type of political violence, called civil wars or insurgencies, which is a conflict between a state and at least one armed non state actor within its territory. Since the end of the Cold War, intra-state or civil wars have become the most common form of political conflict, overtaking inter-state war. Civil wars are often protracted and quite disruptive of social life, and cause high levels of loss of civilian life. This has prompted scholars of comparative politics and international relations to study the origins, dynamics of these conflicts, and also the challenges to ending them. In this course, students will focus on some of the most prominent theoretical explanations for different dynamics of civil war. We will read some canonical literature, as well as some newly emerging themes in the study of civil wars/ insurgencies.

Texts

TBA

Format and Requirements

TBA