SDG Detail

POLITICS 356 : Ethno-Political Violence: Hate Crimes to Genocide

Undergraduate course

Project description

This course offers a theoretical and practical introduction to the causes and prevention of violent conflict. It examines the leading explanations of six forms of collective violence � hate crimes, ethnic riots, communal conflict, civil war, separatist insurgency and genocide. It examines why some places face these forms of conflict and mass killing and others don�t. It also considers how individuals can come to commit the most heinous acts against others. The course considers the role of religion, ethnonationalism, economic competition, political power, racism and privilege in motivating people to kill people from other ethnic groups and religions. We look at a number of historic and current cases of each form of conflict, explaining these events and testing the utility of the relevant theories. Cases examined include: religious riots and ethno-separatism in India, Indonesia, Myanmar and elsewhere; communal war in the Solomon Islands, Indonesia and Kenya; civil war in Syria separatist rebellion in Bougainville, Thailand and the Philippines; genocide in Rwanda, Indonesia and the Holocaust. A later module introduces some of the main concepts and policies of conflict prevention, including those currently used by international development agencies and national governments.

Year 2022

Location New Zealand

Organization University of Auckland

Project aims

Project outcome

1. Apply Theory to case studies. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1 and 4.2) 2. Analyse Be able to evaluate theories and analyse cases through comparative analysis (Capability 1.1 and 1.2) 3. Demonstrate an understanding of of political violence. (Capability 1.1)