26:735:501
Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies (3)
Required
first-semester introduction for all incoming students of the master of arts degree
program in peace and conflict studies. The basic structure, goals, and
requirements are discussed. Then each class is given a presentation by one of
the program's core faculty, describing their core courses and research
interests. Students will attain a general overview of peace and conflict studies
as approached by our program, and be better able to plan their individual
course of study. Students and faculty will get acquainted, and an incoming
class will all get to know each other as a cohort.
Required for all entering students.
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26:735:502
Classical Foundations of Social Theory (3)
Provides a
graduate-level introduction to the works of the classical theorists who laid
the foundations for modern social thought with additional coverage of theorists
who have developed and expanded upon classical theoretical themes. Students
will acquire competence in concepts, methods, and critical visions of modernity
that are the lingua franca
across many otherwise disparate fields in the social sciences today. Major
emphasis will be given to the thought of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max
Weber.
Cohen
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26:735:503
Contemporary Social Theory (3)
Provides a grounding in some key theoretical perspectives used by social scientists and social theorists, both today and historically. It also introduces students to theoretical approaches for thinking through different matters of contemporary concern.
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26:735:517,518
Colloquium in Peace and Conflict Studies (1,1)
A series of six lectures or
discussions led by nonfaculty experts on particular subjects relevant to the
general goals of the master of arts degree program.
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26:735:519
Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies (3)
Courses on specific subjects
relevant to the general goals of the master of arts degree program in peace and
conflict studies that are not given on a regular basis.
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26:735:523
Comparative and International Education in Peace, Conflict, and Human Rights (3)
Provides an
overview of the history, theories, and current trends in comparative and
international education focusing on peace, conflict, and human rights. The
readings and discussions will be framed by historical and contemporary theories
of comparative and international education development: colonial and postcolonial
theories, economic theories of modernization, neoliberal economic expansion,
international migration, and globalization. Using various case studies, it will
explore and critically analyze the social production of mass schooling,
nation-building, cross-national trends in implementing human rights, and
emergency education in conflict and postconflict zones.
Lew
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26:735:525
Environmental Conflict (3)
Competition over territory
and natural resources often leads to social conflict. This course focuses on
the ways power dynamics shape landscapes, cause conflict, and exacerbate problems
of ecological scarcity and degradation. Historical and ethnographic case
studies illuminate the ways environmental conflicts have been framed by policymakers,
social scientists, and people on the ground. These include, for example, the
forceful displacement of Native Americans for the creation of national parks in
the United States, the seizure of African savannah by British colonialists for
large-game hunting preserves, the delimitation of rain forest by states and
NGOs for biodiversity protection and ecotourism, and the enforcement of
international bans against killing endangered species in regions where poverty
is acute. Texts explore influential theories of environmental conflict, such as
the "tragedy of the commons," scarcity-induced violence, political ecology,
postcolonial mindsets, and overpopulation, as well as scholarly critiques of
these perspectives.
Sodikoff
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26:735:526
Peace, Conflict, Security, and Development (3)
International aid
organizations and military and police strategists in places as different as
rural Afghanistan and urban Brazil (and even here in Newark, New Jersey) today
often understand security and development to be interdependent goals. But
for critics, this "security-development nexus" legitimates authoritarian
surveillance regimes and violent intervention into the lives of the world's
poor. This course examines the relationships between security and
development in the contemporary world. Through reading ethnographic and
historical case studies, as well as theoretical, journalistic, and polemical
works, the course explores the different meanings assigned to these terms and
the origins and material consequences of the "security-development nexus." At
its core, the debate over security and development revolves around key perspectives
on the relationships among inequality, governance, well-being, and the social
bases of violence and peace.
Mitchell
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26:735:539
Topics in the Social and Cultural Bases of Conflict and Cooperation (3)
Courses on specific subjects
relevant to the general goals of the master of arts degree program in peace and
conflict studies that are not given on a regular basis.
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26:735:543
Irregular War: History, Culture, and Theory (3)
An ethnography-based
examination of recent intrastate wars, when at least one party is not a
government-based military, and different sides have a distinct social and
cultural character. Students will develop a critical and comparative
perspective on theories about cultural values, social organization, identities,
interests, leaders, group formation, power, "the State," violence, and history.
Beginning with contrasting theoretical perspectives, 11 weeks will then focus
on detailed examination of major areas of recent irregular war, each with a comparable
counterpoint conflict. Student teams will research and present cases, and are
tasked to identify critical junctures where mass violence became more likely,
and conflict resolution efforts that do or do not address underlying causes of war.
Ferguson
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26:735:544
Urban Space and Urban Conflict (3)
Urban centers are becoming
the theaters of new social and violent conflicts. According to the United
Nations, by 2030, 80 percent of the world population will live in urban
areas. This course will explore the
contribution that the field of conflict resolution and strategic peace building
can offer to support efforts in lowering violence and crime. Students will
apply the concepts learned in mapping and in analyzing case studies in urban
violence.
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26:735:545
Culture, Political Violence, and Globalization (3)
Explores the
cultural, structural, socioeconomic, and ethnohistorical dimensions of
different types of violence (political violence, terrorism, war, and genocide)
in a variety of local contexts (Cambodia, Rwanda, the Yanomamo, the United
States, Argentina, Paraguay). It examines such topics as the bodily inscription
of violence, terror and taboo, and the discourses mediating the perpetration,
experience, and aftermaths of mass violence.
Hinton
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26:735:559
Topics in Violent Conflict (3)
Courses on specific subjects
relevant to the general goals of the master of arts degree program in peace and
conflict studies that are not given on a regular basis.
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26:735:563
How Societies Recover from Mass Violence (3)
Examines the broader ethical
and political question of how contemporary postconflict societies recover from
devastating state-sponsored violence. By means of an interdisciplinary approach
and a focus on case studies, students will develop a critical understanding of
how survivors and affected communities in former war-torn areas remake their
local worlds and everyday lives, working toward social coexistence, justice,
and memory within and outside state-sponsored projects of transitional justice.
The course speaks to debates in legal anthropology; anthropology of violence;
human rights studies; interdisciplinary theories of transitional justice;
theories of postconflict; and cultural elaboration of mourning and
commemoration in the aftermath of atrocity.
Rojas-Perez
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26:735:576
Nonviolent Resistance
Examines
strategic nonviolent conflict, i.e., conflicts prosecuted by civilians wielding
methods of nonviolent action in struggles against oppressive and often violent
opponents. The organized and sustained use of methods of nonviolent action by
civilians in asymmetric conflicts is often referred to as "civil
resistance." Civil resistance movements
occur partially or entirely outside of institutional political channels (which
may be nonexistent, blocked, or controlled by hostile parties) and involve
people using methods of nonviolent action to deny legitimacy and support to the
opponent. Historically, the impact of civil resistance on challenging unjust
relationships between citizens and states, and oppressor and oppressed, has
been significant.
Schock
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26:735:579
Topics in Nonviolence and Recovery from Violence (3)
Courses
on specific subjects relevant to the general goals of the master of arts degree program in peace and conflict studies that are not given on a
regular basis.
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26:735:610
Internships in Peace and Conflict Studies (BA)
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26:735:690
Independent Study (BA)
Involves
focused research on subjects of particular interest to a student, under faculty
supervision. Goals, measures, and end
products are to be decided in advance with a faculty adviser.
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Programs, Faculty, and Courses 
