IRP400.2 : Conflict Resolution in Europe
Description:
This course will introduce students to the complexity of conflict, its origin and role in human society from earliest times to today, and as a backdrop to modern conflict resolution. The course will examine the similarities and differences between various kinds of conflict -- personal, domestic, community, racial, religious, violent and non-violent, physical and psychological. It will examine in detail examples of the different types of actual conflicts in order to understand if such conflicts were an inevitable outcome of certain actions or merely the result of deliberate choices. The role of the modern media in conflict will also be examined. Informed about the reasons behind the origin of conflict students will go on to examine different forms of conflict resolution and attempt to apply such resolutions to current conflicts. Examples will be drawn from conflicts in Europe and the Middle East as well as students personal experiences.
After looking into the nature of different conflicts, collision of rights and interests, as well as the role of conflict in the evolution of societies and states, the course will look at the present role and potential of international organizations in resolving civil wars and military conflicts. This will be exemplified by a series of actions taken by the Council of Europe: (1) Bosnia: post conflict stabilization; (2) Kosovo: conflict mediation; (3) Chechnya: intervention and monitoring.
Available Locations:
France
Semester(s) Offered:
Offered: 2008 Only
Credits:
3
Department:
International Relations
