Courses

This course will introduce students to leading contemporary research on civil wars and political violence. We will seek to answer questions including: Why does political violence occur? Does the presence of natural resources make civil wars more or less likely? When do rebel groups choose to target civilians? And how does the international community choose which conflicts to intervene in?

The course is broadly split into two parts. The first half will explore the causes, dynamics and consequences of civil wars, while the second half will focus on other forms of political violence, including terrorism, riots and anti-regime protests.