PUBP 710: Civil Conflict Wednesday 7:20-10:00 Fall Desmond Arias Address: Office Hours: By appointment DRAFT SYLLABUS

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1 PUBP 710: Civil Conflict Wednesday 7:20-10:00 Fall 2014 Desmond Arias Address: Office Hours: By appointment DRAFT SYLLABUS Course Description Few fields of academic study have advanced as rapidly. This course examines contemporary conflict process. It begins with a broad discussion of the often-contested concept of civil conflict and then moves into an extended analysis of the logics that initiate and drive conflict across a set of different political and social contexts. The course examines the nature of rebel governance and the surprising interactions between criminals, states, and insurgents in different contexts. The course will ground many of these analyses in discussions of concrete cases with special attention to the ongoing civil conflict in the Democracy Republic of the Congo. Learning Outcomes 1. A theoretical understanding of civil conflicts: Students completing this class should have an understanding of the some of the key debates around civil conflict in the world today. 2. Practical grounding in conflicts: Students taking this class will have a practical understanding of some major contemporary civil conflicts. 3. Writing and Speaking on these issues: Students will gain experience writing and presenting on issues related to peace operations and state building. 4. Research on Conflict and Peace Operations Issues: Students should develop skills for in research, analyzing, and writing about state formation and state building issues. Readings Readings will be available through the library and online. Assignments Final Paper 40% Mid-Term Paper 30% Reaction Paper 15% Presentation 5%

2 Participation 10% All students will complete the following assignments: 1. Final Paper (40%): Students will complete a final 15 page paper focused on civil conflict prevention, violence dynamics, and control. Students will provide specific recommendations in the paper that may be relevant to policymakers in making decisions about policies regarding particular civil conflicts. 2. Mid-Term Paper (30%): Each student will write one ten page mid-term paper focused on the civil conflict onset. 3. Reaction Papers (15%): Each student will write one 5-page reaction paper. This paper will focus on critically assessing, comparing, and engaging at least two of the readings for one class. 4. Presentation (5%): Students will present their reaction paper to the class and initiate discussion of the readings they have written on. 5. Participation (10%): Students are expected to participate actively in class. Statement on Special Needs: Students with disabilities requiring accommodation should contact the Disability Resource Center at Class Policies: Grading will follow the standards of the School of Public Policy and the University. Late Assignments: All assignments must be turned in on time. Late Assignments will be docked 1/3 of a letter grade for every day they are turned in late (i.e. an A becomes as A- after one calendar day). Students needing an extension should speak to the instructor in advance. No extensions will be given after the due date. All assignments, unless otherwise noted, should be completed independently and within the academic standards of the School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs. Students should properly cite all works they reference. All citations should be consistent with Chicago Manual of Style or some other approved style that the student has previously discussed with the instructor. Students who have doubts about proper citations styles should consult the School of Public Policy s website at Absences: Students are required to attend all classes. Students may miss two classes without penalty. Additional absences will count against the student s grade. Students with more than six total absences will fail the course. If students arrive after role is called they are responsible for informing the professor of their attendance after class. If students arrive after role is called on more than two occasions future late arrivals will be recorded as absences. Once attendance has been recorded it will not be changed at a later date.

3 Recording: All recording or class meetings, digital, analog, audio, video or any other type or format, is forbidden without the express approval of the instructor. If you would like to record any class session you must speak directly with the instructor. Lectures and other class materials provided to you are the intellectual property of the instructor. All recordings that the instructor may allow are expressly for the personal use of the individual student who has sought the permission of the instructor and may not be distributed to other students either free of charge or for profit. Correspondence: Under university policy students should only correspond with faculty through their GMU account. Please the professor using these accounts. Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: All work for this class, unless otherwise noted in writing by the instructor, is the responsibility solely of the student who should undertake such work unaided by others. All students must turn in assignments in electronic form. Student papers will be evaluated for plagiarism through the turnitin.com service as well as through any other means the professor deems reasonable. This course will fully adhere to the former School of Public Policy s policy on plagiarism. That policy indicates: The profession of scholarship and the intellectual life of a university as well as the field of public policy inquiry depend fundamentally on a foundation of trust. Thus any act of plagiarism strikes at the heart of the meaning of the university and the purpose of the School of Public Policy. It constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics and it is unacceptable. Plagiarism is the use of another's words or ideas presented as one's own. It includes, among other things, the use of specific words, ideas, or frameworks that are the product of another's work. Honesty and thoroughness in citing sources are essential to professional accountability and personal responsibility. Appropriate citation is necessary so that arguments, evidence, and claims can be critically examined. Plagiarism is wrong because of the injustice it does to the person whose ideas are stolen. But it is also wrong because it constitutes lying to one's professional colleagues. From a prudential perspective, it is shortsighted and self-defeating, and it can ruin a professional career. The faculty of the School of Public Policy takes plagiarism seriously and has adopted a zero tolerance policy. Any plagiarized assignment will receive an automatic grade of "F." This may lead to failure for the course, resulting in dismissal from the university. This dismissal will be noted on the student's transcript. For foreign students who are on a university-sponsored visa (e.g. F-1, J-1 or J-2), dismissal also results in the revocation of their visa.

4 To help enforce the SPP policy on plagiarism, all written work submitted in partial fulfillment of course or degree requirements must be available in electronic form so that it can be compared with electronic databases, as well as submitted to commercial services to which the School subscribes. Faculty may at any time submit a student's work without prior permission from the student. Individual instructors may require that written work be submitted in electronic as well as printed form. The SPP policy on plagiarism is supplementary to the George Mason University Honor Code; it is not intended to replace it or substitute for it. Resources: For psychological and social services students should contact university Counseling and Psychological Services at Students whom may need tutoring or other help with academic skills may consider contacting learning services at For assistance with writing and efforts to improve writing students should contact the Writing Center at Required Books: Kalyvas, Stathis N. The Logic of Violence in Civil War. New York: Cambridge University Press, Stearns, Jason. Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa. New York: Public Affairs Press, September 3 Introduction September 10: What is Civil Conflict Kalyvas, Stathis N. "New" and "Old" Civil Wars: A Valid Distinction? World Politics 54, no.1 (October 2001): Sambanis, Nicholas. What Is Civil War? Conceptual and Empirical Complexities of anoperational Definition. The Journal of Conflict Resolution 48, no. 6 (December 2004): Kaldor, Mary (2013) In defence of new wars Stability: International Journal of Security and Development, 2 (1).

5 September 17: Economic Causes Collier, Paul, and Anke Hoeffler. Greed and Grievance in Civil War. Oxford Economic Papers 56, no. 4 (October 2004): Ross, Michael. A Closer Look at Oil, Diamonds, and Civil War. Annual Review of Political Science 9: 1 ( 2006): Carles, Boix, Economic Roots of Civil Wars and Revolutions in the Contemporary World. World Politics 60: 3 (2008): September 14: Psychological Causes Gurr, Ted Robert. Psychological Factors in Civil Violence. World Politics 20: 2 (January 1968): Humphries, Macartan and Jeremy M. Weinstein. Who Fights? The Determinants of Participation in Civil War. American Journal of Political Science 52 (April 2008): Petersen, Roger. Understanding Ethnic Violence: Fear, Hatred, and Resentment in Twentieth Century Eastern Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002: selections October 1: Ethnic Tensions Posen, Barry R. The Security Dilemma and Ethnic Conflict. Survival 35: 1 (1993): Horowitz, Donald L., Ethnic Groups in Conflict (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985): selections Fearon, James D. and David D. Laitin. Sons of the Soil, Migrants, and Civil War. World Development 39: 2 (February 2011): October 8: Regime Transition (Possible Open Class) Hegre, Håvard, Tanja Ellingsen, Scott Gates, and Nils Petter Gleditsch. Toward a DemocraticCivil Peace? Democracy, Political Change, and Civil War, American Political Science Review 95: 1 (March 2001):

6 Cederman, Lars-Erik, Simon Hug, and Lutz F. Krebs. Democratization and Civil War: Empirical Evidence. Journal of Peace Research 47: 4 (July 2010): Edward Mansfield and Jack Snyder, Incomplete Democratic Transitions and the Outbreak of Military Disputes, International Studies Quarterly, December 2002: October 15: Organizational Explanations Gagnon, Jr., V. P. Ethnic Nationalism and International Conflict: The Case of Serbia. International Security 19: 3 (Winter 1994/95): Lawrence, Adria. Triggering Nationalist Violence: Competition and Conflict in Uprisings against Colonial Rule. International Security 35: 2 (Fall 2010): Fontini, Christia, Alliance Formation in Civil Wars. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012: Selections October 22: International Sources of Conflict Salehyan, Idean. Transnational Rebels: Neighboring States as Sanctuary for Rebel Groups. World Politics 59: 2 (2007): Downes, Alexander and Jonathan Monten. Forced to Be Free: Why Foreign-Imposed Regime Change Rarely Leads to Democratization. International Security 37: 4 (Spring 2013): Kalyvas, Stathis N. and Laia Balcells. International System and Technologies of Rebellion: How the End of the Cold War Shaped Internal Conflict, American Political Science Review 104: 3 (2010): October 29 (No Class, Meeting resecheduled to December 17) November 5: Failed states and civil conflict Herbst, Jeffrey. Responding to State Failure in Africa, International Security 21: 2 (1996): Goldstone, Jack A., Robert H. Bates, David L. Epstein, Ted Robert Gurr, Michael B. Lustik, Monty G. Marshall, Jay Ufelder, Mark Woodward. A global model for forecasting political instability. American Journal of Political Science 54: 1 (2010):

7 Stewart, Patrick. Failed States and Global Security: Empirical Questions and Policy Dilemmas. International Studies Review 9: 4 (2007): November 12: Violence Dynamics Lyall, Jason. Does Indiscriminant Violence Incite Insurgent Attacks? Evidence from Chechnya. Journal of Conflict Resolution 53 (June 2009): Valentino, Benjamin, Paul Huth, and Dylan Balch-Lindsey. Draining the Sea : Mass Killing and Guerrilla Warfare. International Organization (April 2004): Stathis Kalyvas. The Logic of Violence in Civil War. New York: Cambridge University Press: Elisabeth Wood Variation in Sexual Violence During War. Politics & Society 34(3): November 19 Rebellion Networks Montague, Dena. Stolen Goods: Coltan and Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. SAIS Review XXII: 1 (2002): Christia, Fotini. Following the Money: Muslim versus Muslim in Bosnia s Civil War. Comparative Politics 40 (2008): Andreas, Peter. The Clandestine Political Economy of War and Peace in Bosnia. International Studies Quarterly 48 (2004): Staniland, Paul. Networks of Rebellion: Explaining Insurgent Cohesion and Collapse. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2014: Selections. November 26 (Thanksgiving) December 3 Conflict Governance Staniland, Paul. States, Insurgents, and Wartime Political Orders. Perspectives on Politics 10: 2 (2012): Metelits, Claire. The Consequences of Rivalry: Explaining Insurgent Violence Using Fuzzy Sets. Political Research Quarterly 62: 4 (2009):

8 Mampilly, Zachariah Cherian. Rebel Rulers: Insurgent Governance and Civilian Life During War. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2011: Selections. December 10 Crime and Civil Conflict Lessing, Benjamin. Logics of Violence in Criminal War. Journal of Conflict Resolution forthcoming. Kalyvas, Stathis N.. How Civil Wars Help Explain Organized Crime and How They Do Not. Journal of Conflict Resolution forthcoming. Duran-Martinez. To Kill and Tell?: State Power, Criminal Competition, and Drug Violence. Journal of Conflict Resolution forthcoming. December 17 (7:30-10:15) Simulation