CDSn4002 Political Violence

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 8 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Marek Rybář, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Deretha Bester, BA (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Marek Rybář, M.A., Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 14:00–15:40 P22
Prerequisites
None
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course’s primary goals are to use the problems of non-state political violence and terrorism to develop students’ ability to analyze and critique competing arguments, and to formulate their own arguments based on independent research of the existing secondary-source literature.
The key questions address in the course include: Why do non-state actors commit acts of political violence and terrorism? Is all political violence caused by the same factors, or is terrorism different? What causes civil wars and under what conditions do they end? What are the roles (if any) of poverty, inequality, or religion in explaining political violence? Can governments take effective action to prevent or counter the threats of terrorism and insurgency, or are we all doomed to live in insecurity?
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of social science and policy debates about political violence, civil wars, terrorism, and counterterrorism;
Demonstrate factual knowledge of selected historical and current cases where these debates are reflected in real-world events;
Read critically to assess the explanatory value of competing perspectives and theories;
Apply contending theories from the social science literature to analyze, compare, and evaluate selected historical and current events.
Syllabus
  • Long-term trends in armed conflicts.
  • Civil Wars: Conceptual Definitions
  • Causes of Civil War
  • Violence against Civilians
  • Ending Civil wars
  • What is Terrorism?
  • Economics, Inequality and Terrorism
  • Religion and Terrorism
  • Understanding Lone Actor Terrorism
  • Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency
Literature
    required literature
  • Radical, Religious, and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism. Eli Berman. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2009.
  • Krueger, Alan B. What Makes a Terrorist? Economics and the Roots of Terrorism. Princeton: PU Press, 2007.
  • Inside terrorism. Edited by Bruce Hoffman. Rev. and expanded ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006, xvii, 432. ISBN 9780231126991. info
  • KALYVAS, Stathis N. The logic of violence in civil war. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, xviii, 485. ISBN 0521670047. info
Teaching methods
lectures, classroom discussions, independent written assignments
Assessment methods
one classroom presentation, two short written assignments, a term paper
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2023/CDSn4002