Prerequisite: GVPT200.

Restriction: Must be in Government & Politics program or Government & Politics: International Relations program.

Politics often involves rivalrous competition over office, spoils, and resources. Given the enormous stakes of political contestation, political actors frequently resort to violence in order to realize political goals. Violent Politics seeks to familiarize undergraduates with (1) whypolitical actors turn to violence, (2) the particular ways in which violence is used to pursue political objectives and, (3) the effectiveness of violence. Course topics include civil war, terrorism, insurgency, and state-perpetrated mass atrocity. These topics will be explored with a particular focus on the developing world.