PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 1
PLSC 308.1
Political Violence and Revolution
Winter 2014
MW 9:30-10:45 am
131 Porter
CRN: 27828
Professor Petra Hendrickson
602H Pray-Harrold
MW 11:00-12:15 (and by appointment)
phendri2@emich.edu
Course Description
This course examines political violence and revolution in comparative and international
perspective. It considers theories and cases of structural violence rooted in social injustice;
diverse forms and motives of political violence (such as war, rebellion, terrorism, ethnic conflict,
national liberation); patterns and cycles of violence and non-violent alternatives; and the
dynamics of revolution.
Course Objectives
In this course, students will:
 Characterize the four classes of political violence
 Differentiate root causes of various forms of violence
 Draw parallels between current events and class material
 Compare the theories and cases of different forms of political violence
 Categorize instances of political violence into the four classes
 Analyze differences in tactics and outcomes between cases within the same class of
violence
Required Readings
The reading load for this course will be moderate-to-heavy: around 30-40 pages per class period.
On rare occasions a heavier reading load will be assigned. We will utilize a variety of sources in
order to provide a richer understanding of both theories and historical accounts of genocide. All
readings will be posted on the PLSC 308 site (http://www.emuonline.edu).
Course Requirements
Although the information bolded below is the most pertinent, it is vital that students read the
entirety of the requirement to ensure they complete the task according to the guidelines. In this
course students are expected to:
 Complete Indiana University plagiarism test and turn in accompanying certificate of
completion within the first three weeks of class (by January 22). Plagiarism is
dishonest, unethical and unacceptable. This test requires students to identify instances of
plagiarism, which will greatly reduce the possibility of unintentional plagiarism
committed because of lack of knowledge of what qualifies as plagiarism. The test can be
found at the following address: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/plagiarism_test.html. If
you cannot receive a certificate of completion, you must provide proof of five failed
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 2
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attempts, in addition to proof that you have answered 9 practice-test questions correctly.
(5%)
Complete required reading. The reading load in this class will be moderate to heavy,
with the sum of reading assignments ranging from 30-40 pages per class period. On rare
occasions the reading load will be a bit heavier. Students are expected to read the
assignments carefully and come to class prepared to discuss, ask questions and make
analytical connections between the readings and lecture.
Take a midterm exam (February 19) and a final exam (April 28). The final exam will
be non-cumulative. (Midterm worth 20%, Final worth 25%; 45% total)
Engage the texts and recent news articles in 4 brief analytical papers (2 pages each)
throughout the semester. These papers should relate a course reading to a
recent(ish) news article to a topic covered in each of the four classes of political
violence (i.e, use one reading from each unit to discuss a news story). News articles
should have been written no more than 5 years ago. Options for analysis include
assessing how the theories covered in the unit apply to the event covered in the news
story; how the facts of the case in the news story compare to the events of a specific case
discussed during the unit; and whether there are any major differences between the
concepts covered in the unit and the way the news story is framed (i.e., if economic
inequality is a potential explanation for society v. state violence, does the news story
discuss this, or does it focus on some other root cause, such as political exclusion?).
Paper topics are not limited to the examples above. Students are encouraged to generate
their own criterion or criteria for analysis. Students are also encouraged to consult with
the instructor if they are having difficulty developing an analysis. Each paper is due after
the unit to which it is tied (except for the paper for the final unit, which will be due before
the unit concludes). The due dates are as follows: state v. state (January 27); state v.
society (March 3); society v. state (April 7); society v. society (April 14). (7.5% each;
30% total)
Write a 5-6 page paper synthesizing the material covered in two of the units (i.e,
state v. society, society v. society, etc.). How are the different forms of political violence
within a class of events similar, both at a theoretical and practical level? Are there major
differences in tactics utilized by the aggressor? Do we understand some forms of political
violence better than others within the same class? Why might this be? While some
summary will be necessary to provide context for the arguments made, students should
summarize as little as possible and instead focus on the analysis of a class of political
violence. No outside research is required: you the assigned readings, lectures and
insights from class discussions should be sufficient for this paper. However, appropriate
citations are still required. This paper is due April 21. (20%)
Late Assignments and Make-Up Exams
Late assignments will be docked considerably. If I have not received your paper within the time
frame described below (before class begins on the due date; no more than 12 hours after email
indicating the paper has not been received), you will only receive half credit for it. Additionally,
late assignments must be received no later than one week after the initial due date to receive any
credit whatsoever.
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 3
The midterm must be made up within two weeks of the original test date (by March 5). The
final exam must be made up by the end of finals week (by April 28). The format of make-up
exams may differ from the format of the exam provided during the assigned class period.
Attendance
I expect students to attend all classes, arrive on time, remain for the entire period, and bring the
day’s readings with you to class. Unexcused absences (including arriving late, leaving early, or
coming unprepared) will affect your overall course grade as follows: 4-5 unexcused absences
will result in a one-half-grade drop your overall grade (i.e., from A to A-, A- to B+, etc.); 6-8
unexcused absences will result in a whole-letter-grade drop in your overall grade (i.e., from an A
to B+, A- to B-, etc.); 9 or more absences will result in a grade of an F for the course. Note:
excused absences include medical excuses, when a student’s illness is sufficiently debilitating to
warrant absence (usually requiring a health-care provider note), and emergencies, such as a death
in the family, serious illness of a family member, court appearances, or hazardous weather that
makes attendance impossible.
Paper Format
All papers must conform to the following specifications: 1” margins on all sides, 12-point Times
New Roman font, double-spaced, last name and page number on each page and appropriate intext citations, as well as a complete works cited page at the end of the document. For the 4 short
analysis papers, it is necessary to cite both the news article you as well as any assigned readings
you utilize. For the summary and analysis paper due at the end of the semester, it is necessary to
cite any readings you draw insights from. If you choose to utilize lecture material, you should
identify it as such, but you do not have to provide a formal citation. However, it is necessary to
include in-text citations when referencing specific points and arguments raised in the textbook.
Students can use the citation format of their choice from the following list: APA, Chicago, MLA,
and citation style should be consistent throughout the paper. Purdue University’s Online Writing
Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/) has guides to the various citation styles available on
their website. Papers must be submitted electronically via EMU-Online dropboxes by the
beginning of class. I will confirm receipt (or lack of receipt) of papers within 12 hours; if you
have submitted, but I have not received, your paper, you will have an additional 12 hours from
the time of my email to submit it with no penalty. Physical copies of papers will not be
accepted.
Writing Support
The University Writing Center (115 Halle Library; 487-0694) offers one-to-one writing
consulting for both undergraduate and graduate students. Students can make appointments or
drop in between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Students should bring a draft of what they’re working on and their
assignment sheet. The UWC opens for the Fall 2013 semester on Monday, September 9 and will
close on Thursday, December 12.
The UWC also offers small group workshops on various topics related to writing (e.g.,
Organizing Your Writing; Incorporating Evidence; Revising Your Writing; Conquering
Commas; Using APA or MLA). Workshops are offered at different times in the UWC. Visit the
UWC page (http://www.emich.edu/uwc) to see our workshop calendar. To register for a
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 4
workshop, click the link from the UWC page for the type of workshop you wish to attend.
The UWC also has several satellite sites across campus. These satellites provide writing support
to students within the various colleges. For more information about our satellite locations and
hours, visit the UWC web site: http://www.emich.edu/uwc.
The Academic Projects Center (116 Halle Library) also offers one-to-one writing consulting for
students, in addition to consulting on research and technology-related issues. The APC is open
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays for drop-in consultations . Additional information
about the APC can be found at http://www.emich.edu/apc. Students visiting the Academic
Projects Center or any of the satellites of the University Writing Center should also bring with
them a draft of what they’re working on and their assignment sheet.
Academic Dishonesty
In addition to being a wholesale bad idea, plagiarism is also forbidden by the EMU Code of
Student Conduct. Any assignment that is plagiarized to any extent will receive a score of zero.
Cheating on exams is also forbidden and will also result in a zero on the exam.
Classroom Etiquette
Laptops are permitted in class only for the purpose of taking notes. Other uses are not allowed,
and if students are repeat offenders, i.e., caught more than once using their laptop for
unauthorized purposes will have their in-class laptop privileges revoked. Use of other forms of
technology, especially cell phones, is absolutely not permitted.
Disclaimer
It may become necessary to alter the schedule provided below. In such an occurrence, students
will be notified well in advance and provided with an updated electronic copy of the syllabus.
Grading System and Scale
The percentage values allocated to course components are listed after the description of the
course component. The grading scale breaks down as follows:
Grade Value
A
AB+
B
BC+
Percentage Range
93-100%
90-92.9%
87-89.9%
83-86.9%
80-82.9%
77-79.9%
Grade Value
C
CD+
D
DF
Percentage Range
73-76.9%
70-72.9%
67-69.9%
63-66.9%
60-62.9%
below 59.9%
Schedule of Lecture Topics and Reading Assignments
Reading assignments should be completed PRIOR to the class period for which they are listed.
Monday, January 6: CLASS CANCELLED
Wednesday, January 8: Syllabus Day and Writing Discussion
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 5
Monday, January 13: Intro to Political Violence
Topics:
 Four broad classes:
o State v. State
o State v. Society
o Society v. State
o Society v. Society
Readings:
 Fujii, Lee Ann. 2013. “The Puzzle of Extra-Lethal Violence.” Perspectives on Politics
11(2): 410-426.
 Scheper-Hughes, Nancy, and Philippe Bourgois. 2004. “Introduction: Making Sense of
Violence.” In Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology. Nancy Scheper-Hughes and
Phillipe Bourgois, eds. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 1-32. (only read p. 1-25)
UNIT 1: STATE V. STATE
Wednesday, January 15: Coup d’État
Topics:
 Definition
 Theories
 Cases
o Chile 1973
Readings:
 Carlton, Eric. 1997. “Theories of Coup d’Etat.” The State against the State: The Theory
and Practice of the Coup d’Etat. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. 1-15.
 Sigmund, Paul E. 1980. “The Overthrow of Allende.” The Overthrow of Allende and the
Politics of Chile 1964-1976. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh University Press. 231-247.
UNIT 2: STATE V. SOCIETY
Monday, January 20: NO CLASS
Wednesday, January 22: Colonial-Era Repression
Topics:
 British colonial repression
 French colonial repression
Readings:
 Newsinger, John. 1981. “Revolt and Repression in Kenya: The ‘Mau Mau’ Rebellion,
1952-1960.” Science and Society 45(2): 159-185.
Due:
 Indiana University Plagiarism Certificate
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 6
Monday, January 27: Colonial-Era Atrocities
Topics:
 Rape of Nanking
Readings:
 Yoshida, Takashi. 2006. “Japan: Mobilizing the Nation, Sanitizing Aggression.” The
Making of the “Rape of Nanking”: History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United
States. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 11-26.
 Yoshida, Takashi. 2006. “China: Intolerable Atrocities.” The Making of the “Rape of
Nanking”: History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United States. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. 27-36.
Due:
 State v. State analysis paper
Wednesday, January 29: Minority Repression
Topics:
 Jim Crow in US
 Apartheid
Readings:
 Worden, Nigel. 2012. “White Supremacy, Segregation and Apartheid.” The Making of
Modern South Africa: Conquest, Apartheid, Democracy. 5th ed. Oxford: WileyBlackwell. 73-103.
Monday, February 3: Political Repression
Topics:
 Stalin’s USSR
Readings:
 Applebaum, Anne. 2004. “The Great Terror and Its Aftermath.” Gulag: A History.
Harpswell, ME: Anchor. 92-115. (A few extra pages appear at the beginning of the PDF;
it is not necessary to read these.)
Wednesday, February 5: Theories of Genocide
Topics:
 Definitions of genocide
 Motivation to kill
Readings:
 Lemkin, Raphael. 1944. “Genocide.” Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of
Occupation, Analysis of Government, Proposals for Redress. Washington: Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace. 79-95. (Only read p. 79-90)
 UN Convention on Genocide
 Waller, James. 2002. “Killers of Conviction: Groups, Ideology, and Extraordinary Evil.”
Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. Oxford:
Oxford University Press. 29-54. (only read p. 29-49)
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 7
Monday, February 10: Cases of Genocide, Pre-WWII
Topics:
 Indigenous Peoples
Readings:
 Levarch, Michael. 1997. “National Overview.” Bringing Them Home: National Inquiry
into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their
Families. Sydney: Commonwealth of Australia. 22-32 (of PDF; pages of document not
numbered).
 Davidson, Lawrence. 2012. “Cultural Genocide and the American Indians.” Cultural
Genocide. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 21-43.
Wednesday, February 12: Cases of Genocide, WWII-Present
Topics:
 Holocaust
Readings:
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/nazi_genocide_timeline/index_embed.
shtml
 Dutton, Donald G. 2007. “The Holocaust.” The Psychology of Genocide, Massacres, and
Extreme Violence: Why “Normal” People Come to Commit Atrocities. Westport, CT:
Praeger. 38-61.
 Kühl, Stefan. 1998. “The Cooperation of German Racial Hygienists and American
Eugenicists Before and After 1933.” In The Holocaust and History: The Known, the
Unknown, the Disputed, and the Reexamined. Michael Berenbaum and Abraham J. Peck,
eds. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. 134-152.
Monday, February 17: Dirty Wars/Torture
Topics:
 Latin America
 US War on Terror
Readings:
 Bornemann, Alberto Ulloa. 2007. “A Sad and Cruel Underground.” Surviving Mexico’s
Dirty War: A Political Prisoner’s Memoir. Arthur Schmidt and Aurora Camacho de
Schmidt, eds. and trans. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 18-67. (only read p. 1823, p. 25-33 & p.36-42)
 Lewis, Paul H. 2002. “The Inferno.” Guerrillas and Generals: The “Dirty War” in
Argentina. Westport, CT: Praeger. 147-162.
Wednesday, February 19: MIDTERM EXAM
Monday, February 24: NO CLASS
Wednesday, February 26: NO CLASS
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 8
UNIT 3: SOCIETY V. STATE
Monday, March 3: Kidnapping
Topics:
 FARC
Readings:
 Brittain, James J., and James Petras. 2009. “An Overview of the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP): A History of Radicalism in the
Countryside.” Revolutionary Social Change in Colombia: The Origin and Direction of
the FARC-EP. London: Pluto Press. 1-15.
 Rabasa, Angel, Peter Chalk, and John Gordon. 2011. “Counterinsurgency Transition
Case Study: Colombia.” From Insurgency to Stability, Volume II : Insights from Selected
Case Studies. Santa Monica: RAND. 41-73. (only read p. 41-54)
Due:
 State v. Society analysis paper
Wednesday, March 5: Theories of Civil War
Topics:
 Theories
 Approaches
Readings:
 Mason, T. David. 2009. “The Evolution of Theory on Civil War and Revolution.” In
Handbook of War Studies III: The Intrastate Dimension. Manus I. Midlarsky, ed. Ann
Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 63-99. (only read p. 63-87)
Monday, March 10: Cases of Civil War, Before 1991
Topics:
 Spain
Readings:
 Bolloten, Burnett. 1991. “Deadlock on the Left.” The Spanish Civil War: Revolution and
Counterrevolution. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. 21-33.
 Bolloten, Burnett. 1991. “Military Rebellion and Civil War.” The Spanish Civil War:
Revolution and Counterrevolution. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
34-45.
 Bolloten, Burnett. 1991. “The Revolution and the Rise of the Third Republic.” The
Spanish Civil War: Revolution and Counterrevolution. Chapel Hill, NC: University of
North Carolina Press. 46-56.
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 9
Wednesday, March 12: Cases of Civil War, 1991-Present
Topics:
 Former Yugoslavia
Readings:
 Kollander, Patricia. 2004. “The Civil War in Former Yugoslavia and the International
Intervention.” In Reflections on the Balkan Wars: Ten Years After the Breakup of
Yugoslavia. Jeffrey S. Morton, R. Craig Nation, Paul Forage and Stefano Bianchini, eds.
New York: Palgrave Macmillon. 3-22. (only read p. 3-17)
 Job, Cvijeto. 1993. “Yugoslavia’s Ethnic Furies.” Foreign Policy 92: 52-74.
Monday, March 17: Transnational Terrorism
Topics:
 Al Qaeda
 Suicide terrorism
Readings:
 Atran, Scott. 2003. “Genesis of Suicide Terrorism.” Science 299: 1534-1539.
 Burke, Jason. 2004. “Al Qaeda.” Foreign Policy 142: 18-26.
 Sedgwick, Mark. 2004. “Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism.” Terrorism
and Political Violence 16(4): 795-814.
Wednesday, March 19: Domestic Terrorism
Topics:
 Red Army Faction/Baader-Meinhof Gang
Readings:
 Della Porta, Donatella. 1995. “The Logic of Underground Organizations.” Social
Movements, Political Violence, and the State: A Comparative Analysis of Italy and
Germany. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 113-135.
 Red Army Faction. 2009 [1971]. The Urban Guerrilla Concept.
Monday, March 24: Theories of Revolution
Topics:
 Causes
Readings:
 Conteh-Morgan, Earl. 2004. “Revolution: Causes and Types.” Collective Political
Violence: Introduction to the Theories and Cases of Violent Conflicts. New York:
Routledge. 220-245.
Wednesday, March 26: Cases of Revolution
Topics:
 Iran
Readings:
 Abrahamian, Ervand. 1980. “Structural Causes of the Iranian Revolution.” MERIP
Reports 87: 21-26.
 Parsa, Misagh. 1989. “The Final Collapse.” Social Origins of the Iranian Revolution.
New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 223-248.
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 10
Monday, March 31: Arab Spring
Topics:
 Background
 Paths of different countries
 Theories
Readings:
 Gelvin, James L. 2012. “A Revolutionary Wave?” The Arab Uprisings: What Everyone
Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1-33. (only read p. 4-32)
 Ben-Dor, Gabriel. 2013. “Democratization Processes in the Middle East and Arab
World.” In The Arab Spring, Democracy and Security: Domestic and International
Ramifications. New York: Routledge. 12-32. (only read p. 12-28)
Wednesday, April 2: Nonviolent Resistance
Topics:
 Overview of nonviolent resistance
 Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo
Readings:
 Hernandez, Viviana M. Abreu. 2002. “The Mothers of La Plaza de Mayo: A Peace
Movement.” Peace and Change 27(3): 385-411. (begin reading on p. 395)
 Howes, Dustin Ells. 2013. “The Failure of Pacifism and the Success of Nonviolence.”
Perspectives on Politics 11(2): 427-446.
Monday, April 7: Nonviolent Revolutions
Topics:
 Color Revolutions in Eastern Europe
Readings:
 Mitchell, Lincoln A. 2012. “Introduction.” Color Revolutions. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press. 1-16.
 Way, Lucan. 2008. “The Real Causes of the Color Revolutions.” Journal of Democracy
19(3): 55-69.
Due:
 Society v. State analysis paper
UNIT 4: SOCIETY V. SOCIETY
Wednesday, April 9: Religiously-Motivated Violence
 Partition Violence in British India
Readings:
 Nair, Neeti. 2011. “Partition Violence and the Question of Responsibility.” Changing
Homelands: Hindu Politics and the Partition of India. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press. 179-218. (read p. 179-192 and p. 211-218, AS WELL AS one of the
following sections: p. 192-200; p. 200-206; p. 206-211)
PLSC 308.1 Syllabus 11
Monday, April 14: Ethnically-Motivated Violence
Topics:
 Pre-genocide Rwanda
Readings:
 Longman, Timothy. 2001. “Identity Cards, Ethnic Self-Perception, and Genocide in
Rwanda.” In Documenting Individual Identity: The Development of State Practices in the
Modern World. Jane Caplan and John Torpey, eds. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
345-358.
 Uvin, Peter. 1997. “Prejudice, Crisis, and Genocide in Rwanda.” African Studies Review
40(2): 91-115. (only read p. 91-97 & p. 102-105)
Due:
 Society v. Society analysis paper
Wednesday, April 16: Riots
Topics:
 US race riots
Readings:
 Sitkoff, Harvard. 2010. “The Detroit Race Riot of 1943.” Toward Freedom Land: The
Long Struggle for Racial Equality in America. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press.
43-64.
Monday, April 21: Lynchings
Topics:
 United States
Readings:
 Berg, Manfred. 2011. “‘Indescribable Barbarism’: The Lynching of African Americans in
the Age of Jim Crow.” Popular Justice: A History of Lynching in America. Blue Ridge
Summit, PA: Ivan R. Dee. 90-116.
Due: 5-6 page synthesis paper
Monday, April 28: FINAL EXAM (9:00-10:30 am)