These courses focus at an advance level on a particular issue, concept, problem or question in comparative politics. The course offered in the fall semester, 2009 will be:
PSC 372 Topics in Comparative Politics
Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict
This class will provide a general introduction to the study of nationalism and ethnic conflict. In it we will touch upon a wide range of cases of ethnic conflict and genocide, including the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the “troubles” in Northern Ireland, genocide in Rwanda and the Holocaust, and current crises in the Middle East. With such a wide range of cases, the approach will be largely theoretical — focusing on the underlying causes of such conflicts and the general conditions under which they might be remedied. Thus, a reliable foundation in the study of Comparative Politics and a reasonable familiarity with international current events will be expected.
Prerequisite: Political Science 122 or consent of the instructor.
