Political Science 4700. Conflict and Peace Building in Africa
Spring 2013
Tuesday & Thursday, 11am-12:20pm. Wooten Hall 212
Prof. Idean Salehyan ()
Course website: found at http://ecampus.unt.edu/
Phone: (940)565-2317
Office hours: Wooten Hall 147, Tuesday 1:30pm – 3:30pm or by appointment
This course explores topics related to civil war and conflict resolution in Africa, with an emphasis on contemporary cases. We will begin by examining theoretical explanations for the onset, duration, and termination of civil war. Then, we will examine several African cases in the post-colonial period. We will conclude by examining prospects for long-term peace building, economic development, and political reform.
Learning objectives:
*Understand political science theories relating to civil war and conflict resolution.
*Develop a greater understanding of conflicts in Africa.
*Develop expertise on a particular case of an African conflict.
*Apply theories of conflict in Africa to current events and cases.
Reading Materials:
1. Boas, Morten and Keven Dunn. 2007. African Guerrillas: Raging Against the Machine. Reinner Press (hereafter, Boas and Dunn). Available at the UNT Bookstore.
2. Gourevitch, Peter. We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories From Rwanda. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. (hereafter, Gourevitch). Available at the UNT Bookstore.
3. Harbeson, John and Donald Rothchild. 2009. Africa in World Politics. 4th edition. Westview Press. (hereafter, Harbeson and Rothchild)
4. Other readings will be posted on Blackboard/Web CT (http://ecampus.unt.edu/), these are marked “WEB” below. You can also find many of these readings through scholar.google.com or www.jstor.com.
5 You should also keep track of the latest news on Africa. The BBC is a good source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm . So is the New York Times: www.newyorktimes.com.
Grading:
Midterm and Final Exams (60% total; 30% of grade each). There will be a midterm and a final exam. Both will be taken in class and are non-cumulative. These exams will require you to write short essays on selected questions. Study guides will be distributed a week before these exams to help you prepare; you are welcome to form study groups with your classmates. You must bring your own bluebooks.
Midterm exam, Feb 28 (30%)
Final exam, May 9 (30%)
Research paper (30% of grade). You must write a research paper on an African conflict of your choice, detailing the causes of the conflict, how it was fought, and how it was resolved (or is likely to be resolved). For this paper, you will be required to read several books and articles on your chosen conflict. Your paper will be approximately 3,000-4,000 words (about 10-12 pages, double-spaced). Detailed instructions on how to write these papers will be distributed in class. Papers are due on April 30.
Participation (10% of grade). I do not take regular attendance during the semester. However, I will sometimes have an unannounced “quiz” during class to ensure that you are keeping up with the lectures and the readings. You may miss one quiz without penalty, however, additional absences will count against your participation grade. In addition, tardiness is extremely disruptive to the class; please do not interrupt the class by coming in late. Tardiness will be noted and will count against your participation grade.
*It is unlikely that I will change a grade unless there was a blatant error on my part. If you did poorly on an assignment, I would be happy to discuss ways you can improve next time.
**If you receive a failing grade (D or F) on the midterm exam, you are required to schedule an appointment with me to discuss your performance in the class.
---Course Schedule---
1. COURSE OVERVIEW, DEFINING THE PROBLEM (Jan 15)
· Herbst, Jeffrey. 1996. Responding to State Failure in Africa. (WEB)
2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (Jan 22).
· Peter Ekeh. 1975. “Colonialism and the Two Publics in Africa: A Theoretical Statement.” Comparative Studies in History and Society. 17(1):91-112. (WEB)
· Nkrumah, Kwame. 1961. “I Speak of Freedom.” Online: http://www.fordham.edu/HALSALL/MOD/1961nkrumah.html
3. CAUSES OF CONFLICT (Jan 29)
· Collier et al, “Breaking the Conflict Trap”, Chapter 3. (WEB)
· Boas and Dunn, Chapter 2.
· Posner, Daniel. 2004. “The Political Salience of Cultural Difference: Why Chewas and Tumbukas are Allies in Zambia and Adversaries in Malawi.” (WEB)
4. EFFECTS OF CONFLICT (Feb 5)
· Collier et al, “Breaking the Conflict Trap”, Chs 1&2 (WEB)
· Boas and Dunn, Chapter 8, Uganda.
5. CONFLICT RESOLUTION (Feb 12)
· Collier et al., “Breaking the Conflict Trap,” Ch 5. (WEB)
· Walter, Barbara. 1999. “Designing Transitions from Civil War: Demobilization, Democratization and Commitments to Peace.” (WEB)
· Council on Foreign Relations, “African Peacekeeping Operations” (WEB)
6. SETTLER CONFLICTS—ZIMBABWE AND SOUTH AFRICA (Feb 19)
· Hendrix, Cullen and Idean Salehyan. “Zimbabwe” (WEB)
· Nelson Mandela, “I am prepared to Die.” (WEB)
· Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address:
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Inaugural_Speech_17984.html
7. COLD WAR CONFLICTS—MOZAMBIQUE, ANGOLA, ETHIOPIA (Feb 26)
· Boas and Dunn, Chapter 11, Angola
· J. Michael Quinn, “Mozambique” (WEB)
--Midterm Exam Thursday Feb 28—
8. FAILED INTERVENTION IN SOMALIA. RWANDAN GENOCIDE: (March 5)
· Ken Menkhaus, 2007. “Governance without Government in Somalia” (WEB)
· Begin Gourevitch book.
---SPRING BREAK, MARCH 11-17. Continue Gourevitch---
9. RWANDA and the D.R. CONGO (March 19)
· Boas and Dunn, Chapter 7, DR Congo
· Finish Gourevitch.
10: WEST AFRICAN CONFLICTS (March 26)
· Boas and Dunn, Chapter 5, Liberia
· Morten Boas. 2001. “Liberia and Sierra Leone—Dead Ringers? The Logic of Neopatrimonal Rule.” (WEB)
· Ogwang, Tom. 2011. “Conflict in Ivory Coast.” (WEB)
11. SUDAN’S WARS (April 2)
· Boas and Dunn, Chapter 9, Sudan
· Scott Straus. 2005. “Darfur and the Genocide Debate.” Foreign Affairs (WEB)
· International Crisis Group. 2011. “Politics and the Transition in the New South Sudan” (WEB)
12. THE WAR ON TERROR IN AFRICA (April 9)
· Harbeson and Rothchild, Chapters 10 & 11 (Rothchild and Lyman)
13. FINDING SOLUTIONS, ENDING WAR (April 16).
· Ellis, Stephen. 2005. “How to Rebuild Africa.” Foreign Affairs. (WEB)
· Harbeson and Rothchild, Ch 14 (Deng)
14. SOLUTIONS, cont (April 23)
· Thurlow, Roger. 2010. “The Fertile Continent: Africa, Agriculture’s Final Frontier” (WEB)
Harbeson and Rothchild, Ch 3 (Callaghy)
15. SOLUTIONS, cont (April 30).
· Van deWalle, Nicolas. 2002. “Africa’s Range of Regimes.” (WEB)
· Harbeson and Rothchild, Ch 5 (Harbeson)
--Research Papers Due April 30—
FINAL EXAM – May 9, 10:30am
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