30 courses with the subject PCON, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
PCON 111Intro Peace & Conflict Studies1.00
Provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of peace and conflict, as well as to the peace and conflict studies major. Focuses on attempts to study and explain the evolution of warfare and the dynamics of peace from the early Modern period to today's most imminent and controversial security issues. Students explore the relationships between global and historical patterns of mass violence, the theoretical paradigms that attempt to account for these patterns, and the various disciplinary and methodological approaches used to explore war and peace at all levels of analysis.
Explores contemporary debates on peace, conflict, and security through the lens of critical feminist security studies. Analyzes traditional understandings, explanations, and perceptions of war and security to introduce feminist methodological and theoretical positions. Topics covered include war and militarism, conflict dynamics, peacebuilding and more. This is a reading intensive course. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges and The Process of Writing Core Component: None Formerly: PCON 260
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations, Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: None Core Component: None
PCON 201Processes of Peace & Conflict: Histories, Theories, Technologies1.0
Emphasizes the historical entanglement of ideas about peace and conflict and their organization (social, economic, political, material, and spatial), as well as the ways in which technological evolution has mediated these relationships. Engaging with classical and contemporary scholarly texts offering a wide variety of perspectives on peace and conflict from different disciplinary perspectives, coursework also introduces and deploys a variety of methodological frameworks of interpretation applied to various kinds of primary source materials and quantitative data. Overall, coursework seeks to develop a longue durée perspective on historical and recent trends in organized violence, from the rise of modern forms of conventional and unconventional warfare to today's most devastating armed conflicts. Alongside PCON 202, this course is part of the two-course introduction to the Peace & Conflict Studies major and minor.
PCON 202Practices of Peace and Conflict: Politics, Cultures, Societies1.00
Introduces students to a range of approaches and problems in the descriptive analysis of peace and conflict. Students juxtapose core theoretical texts on war and violence from the social and human sciences with detailed ethnographic case studies. Practices of contemporary conflict are paired with the interpretive paradigms whose aim is to understand and resolve them. For example, case studies in terror are paired with the field of trauma studies; specific regional conflicts with theories of global networks; and contemporary mass violence with analysis of genocide perpetration. In the process, students are introduced to important methodological paradigms from the social sciences, chiefly from anthropology, sociology, and geography, as well as humanities-based approaches from comparative religion, literature, and language studies. Alongside PCON 201, this course is part of the two-course introduction to the Peace & Conflict Studies major and minor. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges and The Process of Writing Core Component: None Formerly: PCON 218
Examines problems of institutional systems and the articulation of power. Students are introduced to critical evaluation of the major theoretical approaches to the study of power and politics. Students consider rationalist, functionalist, and interpretive approaches in the social sciences, as they relate to questions of peace and conflict. Students examine the specific operative theories that have emerged out of these intellectual traditions - theories of state formation, security, international norms, and transnational networks - as they have been incorporated into and further developed in the study of peace and conflict. Students test major theories on case studies linked to major world events. For example, deterrence theory is examined in light of the end of the Cold War. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges Core Component: None
For the past few centuries, capitalism has brought unprecedented levels of prosperity for some but also poverty and conflict for others. As a result, scholars have long debated the morality of market capitalism. Students are introduced to this debate and examine several controversial issues. For example, is sweatshop labor in developing countries morally justified? What reforms (if any) are necessary to the economic norms that require developing countries to pay back debilitating levels of debt? Students also wrestle with whether pursuing economic justice is the responsibility of institutional actors or whether it falls primarily on individuals to build a more ethical world. Students read a broad array of philosophical texts and case studies that help them articulate their own answers to these pressing questions. Crosslisted: PHIL 278 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Senior Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges and The Process of Writing Core Component: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. Credits: variable Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None
Analyzes the historical development of human rights principles, and explores the roots of modern human rights documents in past religious, moral, and political movements. Interprets and applies primary human rights documents, analyzing their content and implications. Assesses how human rights doctrines are applied in specific contexts, drawing examples and cases from the African continent. This regional focus provides continuity to our analysis to gain a better grounding for analyzing how human rights principles are being debated and implemented in theory and practice. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges and The Process of Writing Core Component: None
PCON 303The Camp: A Global History of Civilian Internment1.00
Reviews a history of civilian internment by analyzing the geographic proliferation of camps throughout the planet. In modern and contemporary history, authoritarian states and democracies alike have developed concentration camps, internment camps, refugee camps, detention camps, and displaced persons camps -- in ever increasing numbers. Countries have done so in order to separate and define populations they would or could not assimilate within the political life of the nation state, thereby relegating those populations to an exceptional status instead. To study the geographic spread of camps as technologies for advancing a state of exception, then, is to learn how –and to what extent-- human rights have been acknowledged or betrayed in contemporary history. Crosslisted: GEOG 303 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges and The Process of Writing Core Component: None
Examines the ways in which the networks of the illicit global economy intersect with violence and armed conflict. From guns and drugs smuggling, to human trafficking and animal poaching, the course studies the concrete geographical organization of these illicit networks—that is, where and how they take root—asking the following questions: What are the relationships of these illegal activities to legal circuits of power and profit? In what ways are transnational criminal networks redefining the nature of violent conflict and the meaning of peace? How do illicit economies erode and/or strengthen state authority and governance?
Broadly defined, Geopolitics is the study of "the relationship among politics and geography, demography, and economics, especially with respect to the foreign policy of a nation." As the study of political geography on a global scale, geopolitics examines the relationship between territories, boundaries, and states in the "closed system" we call planet earth. But geopolitics is more than an academic field. Geopolitical thought has actually instructed states how to relate to one another in the contest for territory, security, and resources. For example, the history of geopolitical analysis is closely connected to -- and has often justified - - various imperial projects. As a result, this course examines the relation between the development of geopolitical thought on one hand, and geopolitical events on the other. Of particular importance to the relation between theories of geopolitics and the actual geostrategies of states has been the development of conflict on a planetary scale. And so, this course traces that relation through the study of geopolitical thought and practice in the course of imperial struggles in the 19th century, World Wars and the threat of nuclear wars in the 20th, and new global challenges such as resource wars and environmental security in our own time. Crosslisted: GEOG 310 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges Core Component: None
The first purpose of the course is to demonstrate the central importance of media in defining the reality of war, peace, and violence in modern culture. The second goal is to introduce, in a selective manner, film, art, and written works that shaped these definitions. The primary framework is chronological, beginning with a survey of images of war and peace in art, covering in detail World War I and World War II, and ending with current images of war and of preparations for nuclear war. The secondary framework distinguishes types or degrees of war: World War I and World War II, civil wars (Spain) and genocide (the Armenians, the Jews in Europe); struggles of national liberation (Vietnam and Algeria); and prospects of global holocaust, this last creating new imagery - both positive and negative - in art, poetry, fiction, and film. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None
Mustard gas, airpower, submarines, A-bombs, Agent Orange, landmines, terror wars, "Star Wars": weapons technology profoundly shaped the science, politics, and culture of the last century. This course explores the myriad effects of the production, deployment, and use of weapons. Specifically, the course considers how the horizons of science and technology have been shaped by the quest for ever-more-powerful or - sophisticated weaponry; how the creation of new weapons changes the nature of war and peace; how new weapons may impact lives and the planet; terror as a weapon, and scientific and social responses to it; the role of media images in the public consciousness of weaponry and war; and impacts of the global arms trade. While critically theorizing the social, environmental, and philosophical impacts of war over the past century, the course also examines the place of global ethics in discussions about weapons and war. S138 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges Core Component: None
PCON 111 or PCON 218 or ANTH 218 or PCON 201 or PCON 202 or PCON 225 or CORE
Corequisite
None
PCON 329Environmental Security1.00
In what ways might the environment pose a security threat? How is environmental change a danger to some people more than others? What are the implications and consequences of seeing the environment through the lens of "security"? From an interdisciplinary perspective, students critically examine Environmental Security as an ascendant threat-paradigm of the 21st century. Militaries, governments, and international organizations have all become increasingly concerned with the way environmental processes pose threats to security. In many ways, greater concern over these issues is a welcome development. But the way environmental security problems are being framed and addressed might create a whole new set of winners and losers across the globe. Crosslisted: GEOG 329 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year, Sophomore Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges Core Component: None
PCON 330Capitalism & Imperialism in the Middle East
How can we understand the challenges that face the Middle East and North Africa in relation to the broad sweep of global history and our increasingly interconnected world? Students examine the evolving relationship between the modern world and the regions of northern Africa and southwestern Asia, from the global economy of the Silk Road to the transnational causes of the 2011 Arab Uprisings. Going beyond the
PCON 337Forced Displacement: Refugees, Migrants and Asylum-Seekers1
Why do people move across international borders, and where do they go? How should local communities, national governments and international institutions respond? What are the goals of policies and procedures, and how effective are they? To answer these questions, and more, students will apply a PCON lens to the interdisciplinary field of migration studies. Students will compare classic settler societies and traditional countries of emigration with newer destinations and departure points. We will also consider how the boundaries between voluntary and forced migration highlight tensions between ethical and analytical perspectives. We cannot cover every part of the world in detail, so we will also explore topics and geographies of students' choice in their Research Proposal project. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges and The Process of Writing Core Component: None
PCON 340Terror/Counterterror: Histories and Logics of Asymmetric Warfare1.00
For as long as empires and states have been going to war, people have been fighting them with the tactics and technologies now known as terrorism and guerrilla warfare. Asymmetric warfare, however, is no mere historical artifact. It dominates headlines as much as it confounds leaders around the world. Central to this course are several in depth case studies of counter-insurgency and terrorism, including France in Algeria and Indochina; the British in Malaya, East Africa and Northern Ireland; state terrorism in Latin America during the Cold War; and the United States in the Philippines, Vietnam, and, after September 11, 2001, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. The evolution of non-state terrorism — from the violent acts of Anarchists in the late 19th Century to the potentially apocalyptic terrorism of radical religious groups the early 21st Century — also comes under scrutiny. From Clausewitz to General Petraeus, from Mao Zedong to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, this class explores how asymmetric war is lived and understood by various observers and participants.
An extended study opportunity that builds on the work done over the course of the semester in PCON 340 by going to one of the most important sites of irregular warfare in the late twentieth century: Northern Ireland. With the emergence of The Troubles in the wake of the violent repression of Northern Ireland's republican-nationalist civil rights movement in the late 1960s by Loyalist and British forces, this disputed territory descended into a spiral of terror and counterterror that lasted well into the 1990s. During this generation-spanning conflict, Northern Ireland became another key nexus of two entwined phenomena witnessed across the world during the Cold War: the use of irregular warfare (guerrilla tactics and terrorism) by revolutionary nonstate actors and the use of counterinsurgency and state terrorism by those forces seeking to repress such resistance. Though a peace agreement has been in place for over a quarter of a century now, the legacies of this conflict continue to reverberate within this polity. Indeed, this extended study engages with participants on various sides of this conflict, including former "terrorists," ex-members of loyalist "death squads," civilian victims, and witnesses to atrocities, as well as academics and peacebuilding practitioners who can help students make sense of this protracted internecine war. Regular journaling, discussions, and a final reflection paper not only ask students to confront the realities of state and nonstate terrorism, but also ask students to contextualize their experiences within the historical and global scope of PCON 340. Credits: .50 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges Core Component: None
PCON 341War and the Shaping of American Politics1.00
Examines the impact of warfare, expansion, and national security policy on the development of domestic American institutions and politics since the Revolution. War's impact has been multifaceted and contradictory, fueling a politics of reaction and repression in many contexts while serving as a catalyst for advances in political, racial, and economic equality and inclusion in others. Students will explore those contradictions by connecting war mobilization and security politics to the trajectory of American political development and state/society relations over time. Topics include: the role of the putatively weak American state in shaping 19th century territorial expansion; the effect of wartime mobilization and participation on racial politics; the interplay of warfare and the welfare state in American history; the postwar politics of the "military-industrial complex;" and the impact of foreign policy and national security on the American party system. Readings will engage such topics from the perspective of political scientists, sociologists, and historians working on a broad empirical terrain ranging over several centuries. Crosslisted: POSC 341
In what ways and under what conditions do states pursue justice for past wrongs? Is democracy credible without confronting the abuses of previous regimes? Do programs for transitional and historical justice unwittingly mask or even perpetuate injustice by recognizing certain types and forms of violence, while ignoring others? Students examine the theories and practices of transitional and historical justice since 1945. A global line-up of case studies are presented, which students evaluate in a comparative framework. Specific topics may include Post-WWII Germany, Latin America, South Africa, Rwanda, Eastern Europe after 1989, Cambodia, Australia, and the United States. Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: None Core Component: None
Focuses on the longstanding struggle between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as on the history of the way the conflict has been defined (e.g., an Arab-Israeli conflict, a religious war between Jews and Muslims, etc.). The course profiles episodes in the history of the conflict--and of the efforts to resolve it--in light of contemporary developments across the globe. The war of 1948 is analyzed in light of decolonization struggles following WWII, just as the "Six-Day War" of 1967 is studied in light of Cold War politics. In addition to focusing on flashpoints in the history of the conflict, the course also examines international agendas for ending it. Repeated US efforts to broker a peace are analyzed in light of geopolitical developments elsewhere. Students will become well-versed in the historical and social developments of the conflict and study the various treaties, armistice agreements, and memoranda that have guided efforts to bring it to a conclusion. They also study outstanding issues in the contest between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as well as current peace and armistice proposals. Crosslisted: MIST 351 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No First-year Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges Core Component: None
Examines the segment of world politics that includes interactions and transactions between actors who are not representatives of governments or intergovernmental institutions. Non-state actors as diverse as global social movements, multinational corporations, religious communities, and even terrorist networks are now recognized as playing crucial roles on the world's political stage. This course focuses on a variety of these transnational actors, as we seek to stretch the limits of state-based approaches, and emphasize the rich variety of relationships and interactions that characterizes contemporary world politics. Crosslisted: POSC 358 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents Liberal Arts Practices: Confronting Collective Challenges Core Component: None
PCON 368After Genocide: Memory and Representation1.00
An investigation of the impact of genocide on the self and the imagination's representations in literature, film, and art. Primary texts include poetry, memoir, video testimony, film, and visual art. Scholarly methodology involves readings of literary criticism and theoretical work in the study of trauma, literary theory, and testimony. Among the questions the course asks are: How does trauma shape imagination and open up access to the site of disaster that is now carried in fragments which inform memory? How do representations of violence shape and inflect aesthetic orientations and literary and artistic forms? The course concerns itself with the aftermath of two 20th-century genocides--that of the Armenians in Turkey during World War I and of the Jews in Europe during World War II--both seminal events of the 20th century that, in various ways, became models for ensuing genocides. Crosslisted: ENGL 368 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. Credits: variable Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: None Core Component: None
PCON 479Research Seminar: Peace and Conflict, Themes and Analysis1.00
Building upon the work completed in Cluster 1 (PCON 201 and 202), as well as courses taken in Clusters 2 and 3, the primary objective of this common capstone seminar is to guide students through the process of researching and constructing a senior thesis of at least 8,000 words in length. Students are asked to conduct original empirical research, engage with scholarly literatures relevant to their topic and broader debates within the interdisciplinary field, and finally develop and deploy a theoretically informed methodological framework of analysis. Seminar readings, assignments, and discussions are organized around understanding scholarly practices and debates through different disciplinary perspectives, theoretical positions, and methodological approaches. This course is required of all PCON majors in the senior year. PCON minors may take it as an elective with the instructor's permission. Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Peace & Conflict Studies Majors Class Restriction: Only Senior Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: None Core Component: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty. Credits: variable Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: None Core Component: None
Students qualified to pursue honors or high honors can take this advanced seminar in the spring of their senior year to enhance and extend the thesis they have already begun in PCON 479. Students enrolled in the PCON 499 seminar undertake a process that models the experience of researching, writing, and orally defending a graduate-level master's thesis of 50 pages or more. Students are expected to enrich the empirical, methodological, and theoretical dimensions of their project, aiming to produce a final piece of research that could be successfully submitted to a peer-reviewed academic journal for publication. At the end of the term, students orally defend their thesis in front of the PCON faculty and other seminar students, responding to questions for approximately a one-hour period. PCON majors and minors who are not pursuing honors may also enroll in this seminar as a PCON elective to conduct independent research by permission of the program director and seminar instructor. When Offered: Spring semester only Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Peace & Conflict Studies Majors Class Restriction: Only Senior Area of Inquiry: None Liberal Arts Practices: None Core Component: None
