About POLS 3610 A
Examination of ethnic conflict in post-Soviet states, including Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Estonia, and Kyrgyzstan. Considers the consequences of Soviet federalism and nationalities policy and moves between theories of nationalism and ethnic conflict and case studies to apply theory to empirics. Prerequisites: POLS 1015, POLS 1017, POLS 1500, or POLS 1700; three hours of Political Science at the 2000-level.
Notes
Prerequisite enforced by the system: POLS 1015, 1017, 1500; Three hours of Political Science at 2000 level; Minimum Junior standing. PACE students with permission and override. System waitlisting enabled for this section.
Section URL
15483
Section Description
In this course, we will examine ethnic conflicts in various post-Soviet states including Estonia/Latvia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Armenia/Azerbaijan, Russia, and Ukraine.
These conflicts are deeply rooted in Soviet era policies, which we will explore together. We will move between theories of nationalism and ethnic conflict on the one hand and case studies on the other hand to apply theory to empirics throughout the semester. We will discuss classic theorists like Ernest Gellner and Elie Kedourie, as well as contemporary theorists like Rogers Brubaker and Roger Peterson.
A central theme of this class is consequences of Soviet federalism and nationalities policy, which have contributed to the conflicts we will analyze. We will study the Russian minority conflict (Latvia and Estonia), the Abkhazian and South Ossetian conflicts (Georgia), the Kyrgyz/Uzbek conflict (Kyrgyzstan), the Transnistrian conflict (Moldova), the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (Azerbaijan and Armenia), and the Chechen conflict (Russia). We will conclude the semester with a peek at the Russia-Ukraine war.
Section Expectation
By the end of the course, students will be able to identify key causes of the seven conflicts covered in class. Students will also be able to identify arguments made by the theorists covered in class regarding nationalism and ethnic conflict. Finally, students will be able to apply theories covered in class to conflicts we have studied as well as conflicts we have not studied, thereby aiding their ability to comprehend ethno-political conflict in any part of the world.
Evaluation
TBD but may include some of the following: weekly reading quizzes, attendance/participation, in-class writing, out-of-class writing, oral exam, oral presentation
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Resources
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