GLIS 400Y
Seminar in Global & International Studies
Fall 2022
Tuesday/Thursday
12:05 pm – 1:20 pm
111 Tyson Building
Professor Sommer Mitchell
Email: sjm6731@psu.edu
Virtual office hours: Monday/Wednesday 10:30-11:30 am
& by appointment. You can schedule a Zoom meeting with
me through Starfish.
Introduction
Email & Communication
The fastest way to communicate with me is through email, sjm6731@psu.edu. I will respond to
you within 24 hours on weekdays and within 48 hours on weekends. I also post announcements
regularly to keep you updated on any questions, changes, or concerns. I expect to post grades for
all assignments within 2 weeks of their due date. If class needs to be cancelled and/or moved
remotely, I will post an announcement with instructions and updates in Canvas.
Attendance
This course is in-person on Tuesday/Thursday from 12:05 pm – 1:20 pm. Attendance, while not
graded, is expected – if you are not in class, you cannot earn points toward participation. All
assignments are due on the date listed on the course schedule at 11:59 pm. You are expected to
meet these deadlines. It is your responsibility to complete the work early if you plan to travel or
participate in national holidays, religious observances, or University approved activities.
If you need to request an exception due to a personal or medical emergency, contact the
instructor directly as soon as you are able. Such requests will be considered on a case-by-case
basis.
Course Description
Whether you’re reading the news, watching your favorite shows, or catching up on your social
media feeds, violence is something we all see, hear, and/or experience almost every day. This
class is designed to explore violence and to increase students’ understanding of how violence
manifests in society. This topic is relevant in contemporary global and international studies as it
is related to a number of global issues. Violence is connected to social justice movements, the
pandemic, economic policies, rising inequalities, globalization, conflict, and human rights. As we
are all impacted by violence in some way and in light of recent domestic and global events,
exploring the manifestation of violence in society is a timely endeavor. Furthermore, this course
engages with the notion of violence in terms of conflict and security while leaving room for
students to pursue their own interests related to the topic.
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Course Goals
Throughout this course we will:
1. develop a global understanding of the complex issues that emerge with the privatization
of violence.
2. improve your ability to thoughtfully respond to, discuss, and write about scholarly work
across a range of topics and disciplines.
3. refine your skills as a researcher.
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course students will be able to:
1. interpret and critically analyze how a global issue shapes an individual, local, national, or
international outcome from social scientific and humanistic perspectives using social data
and visual, oral, or written materials.
2. demonstrate their mastery of synthesizing the knowledge gained from their global
studies.
3. analyze the major explanations of the causes and consequences of the privatization of
violence.
4. evaluate arguments, evidence, and assessments of the impact the privatization of violence
has on the global community.
Classroom Etiquette
It is important to me, not only as an element of civility, but as a learning objective, that this
classroom is an open and judgment-free environment. University learning is an opportunity to
exchange ideas and debate disagreements. It is not my goal to tell you what to think, but to help
you engage with alternative viewpoints and cultivate skills to critically think and analyze those
viewpoints to arrive at the conclusion you feel is most justified. Such a process means that we
will engage with different identities and perspectives. We should seek to be understanding and
respectful in that process including during any class discussion.
Required Readings
There is no required textbook for this course. All readings are listed on the course schedule and
available through Canvas, the PSU library, or the Internet.
Penn State Library Research Resources: https://libraries.psu.edu/research/how/begin-yourresearch
Course Requirements
Participation
Discussion Posts (6)
Team Facilitation (6)
Literature Review (6)
10%
15%
35%
40%
Participation: Participation for this course means showing up to class and actively and
meaningfully engaging with the instructor, your peers, and the material. Discussions of the
assigned readings, lecture materials, and strategies for writing the final paper play a central role
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in this class. Our course will work best when we all do our part to create a sense of community
by engaging with each other. Participation can be demonstrated by being an active participant in
class discussions and/or voicing your thoughts during small group activities.
I advise you to get to know all your classmates’ names and work with different people when class
is broken into smaller groups. If we all make an effort, we will get to know each other, and your
course experience will be better for it.
Discussion Posts: Discussion posts ask you to discuss course topics and materials. The purpose
of each discussion post is for you to grapple with the material and readings and develop your
thinking beyond the immediate class discussion. You are required to post at least once and
reply to at least one other student. Students must post an original comment before they will
have access to the discussion threads. After the initial post, all other posts can be in response to
another student’s comments. Discussion Post grades are based on the quality of a student’s
contribution to the discussion. You can find more information and details for this assignment on
Canvas.
Team Facilitation: Students will form five teams with four members each. Teams are
responsible for facilitating class on their designated day. This means that students will choose
the topic, the reading, class activities/discussion, and a discussion post prompt. In addition to
facilitating class, teams will be responsible for submitting various parts of their presentation in
the weeks preceding. You can find more information and details for this assignment on Canvas.
Literature Review: This semester, you will write a literature review in which you interrogate a
topic of your choice related to the theme for the course, violence. You will be assessed on various
stages of the paper which will be submitted throughout the semester. You can find more
information and details for this assignment on Canvas.
Grade Scale
A = 94+
A- = 90-93
B+ = 87-89
B = 84-86
B- = 80-83
C+ = 77-79
C = 70-75
D = 60-69
F = 59 and below
University Policies
Academic Integrity
Students in this class are expected to write their assignments and discussion posts in their own
words using proper citations. Students are not to copy answers from another person’s paper and
present them as their own; students may not plagiarize text from papers or websites written by
others. Students who present other people’s work as their own will receive at least a 0 on the
assignment and may well receive an F or XF for the course. To learn more, see Penn State’s
Academic Integrity Training.
Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner.
Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State
University, and all members of the University community are expected to act in accordance with
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this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the University’s Code of Conduct states that all
students should act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property,
and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their
efforts.
Academic integrity includes a commitment by all members of the University community not to
engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty
violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and compromise the
worth of work completed by others.
Accommodations: Office of Disability Services
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every
Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. Student Disability Resources
(SDR) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus
(http://equity.psu.edu/sdr/disability-coordinator). For further information, please visit Student
Disability Resources website
(http://equity.psu.edu/sdr/).
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the
appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate
in an intake interview, and provide documentation: See documentation guidelines
(http://equity.psu.edu/sdr/guidelines). If the documentation supports your request for
reasonable accommodations, your campus disability services office will provide you with an
accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the
accommodations with them as early as possible. You must follow this process for every semester
that you request accommodations.
Course Copyright
All course materials students receive or to which students have online access are protected by
copyright laws. Students may use course materials and make copies for their own use as needed,
but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express
permission is strictly prohibited. University Policy AD 40, the University Policy Recording of
Classroom Activities and Note Taking Services addresses this issue. For example, uploading
completed labs, homework, or other assignments to any study site constitutes a violation of this
policy. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be
held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, and/or liable under Federal and State laws.
For example, uploading completed labs, homework, or other assignments to any study site
constitutes a violation of this policy.
Counseling & Psychological Services
Many students at Penn State face personal challenges or have psychological needs that may
interfere with their academic progress, social development, or emotional wellbeing. The
university offers a variety of confidential services to help you through difficult times, including
individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultations, online chats, and mental
health screenings. These services are provided by staff who welcome all students and embrace a
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philosophy respectful of clients’ cultural and religious backgrounds, and sensitive to differences
in race, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation.
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Counseling and Psychological Services at University Park (CAPS)
(http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/): 814-863-0395
Penn State Crisis Line (24 hours/7 days/week): 877-229-6400
Crisis Text Line (24 hours/7 days/week): Text LIONS to 741741
Educational Equity/Report Bias
Penn State University has adopted a “Protocol for Responding to Bias Motivated Incidents
(http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/reports/protocol-for-responding-to-bias-motivatedincidents)” that is grounded in the policy that the “University is committed to creating an
educational environment which is free from intolerance directed toward individuals or groups
and strives to create and maintain an environment that fosters respect for others.” That policy is
embedded within an institution traditionally committed to
academic freedom (https://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hr64.html) Bias motivated incidents
include conduct that is defined in University
Policy AD 91: Discrimination and Harassment, and Related Inappropriate
Conduct (https://guru.psu.edu/policies/ad91.html). Students, faculty, or staff who experience or
witness a possible bias motivated incident are urged to report the incident immediately by doing
one of the following:
• Submit a report via the Report Bias webpage (http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/)
• Contact one of the following offices:
o University Police Services, University Park: 814-863-1111
o Multicultural Resource Center, Diversity Advocate for Students: 814-865-1773
o Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity: 814-865-5906
o Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs: 814-865-0909
o Affirmative Action Office: 814-863-0471
• Dialing 911 in cases where physical injury has occurred or is imminent
Inclement Weather
In case of weather-related delays at the University, this remote synchronous course will proceed
as planned. Your instructor will inform you if there are any extenuating circumstances regarding
content or activity due dates in the course due to weather delays. If you are affected by a
weather-related emergency, please contact your instructor at the earliest possible time to make
special arrangements.
Netiquette
The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as
e-mail and bulletin board postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in
discussions, but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages. Please
review some general Netiquette guidelines that should be followed when communicating in this
course.
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Course Schedule - The instructor retains the right to make changes and adjustments to the
syllabus and course schedule at any time throughout the semester.
Readings and assignments are due on the date they are listed on the course schedule.
Week 1
Tuesday, August 23 – Welcome & Introduction
GLIS 400Y syllabus
Thursday, August 25 – Defining Violence
Rugnetta, M. [Mike Rugnetta] (2016, May 18). What is violence? [Video]. YouTube PBS Idea
Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyitF-6tBu4
Wood, K. (2012). Violence. In ZiZek: A reader’s guide. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Assignment
No assignments due this week
Week 2
Tuesday, August 30 – Perspectives on Violence
Lee, B. X. (2016). Causes and cures V: The sociology and anthropology of violence. Aggression and
Violent Behavior, 27, 158-163.
Lee, B. X. (2016). Causes and cures VI: The political science and economics of violence. Aggression
and Violent Behavior, 28, 103-108.
Lee, B. X. (2016). Causes and cures VII: Structural violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 28,
109-114.
Thursday, September 1 – Literature Reviews
Cowan-Crawford, C. (n.d.). Literature Reviews. Penn State University Libraries.
https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=350618&p=3838651
The Writing Center, UNC Chapel Hill. (n.d.). Literature Reviews.
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/
Penn State University Libraries. (n.d.). Choose a topic tutorial.
https://libraries.psu.edu/research/how/choose-topic-tutorial
Assignment
No assignments due this week
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Week 3
Tuesday, September 6 – Cultural Violence
Galtung, J. (1990). Cultural violence. Journal of Peace Research, 27(3), 291-305.
Emory University. (2015, May 1). Coursera: Violence in a structural and cultural context [Video].
YouTube Emory University Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiswEoAvxBk
Thursday, September 8 – Writing Research Questions
Central Michigan University Libraries. (2022, August 5). Conducting a literature review: Research
question. https://libguides.cmich.edu/lit_review/LR_researchquestion
White, P. (2017). Chapter 2: What makes a research question? In Developing Research
Questions (2nd edition). London, UK: Red Globe Press.
Assignments
DUE 09/11: Literature Review: Topic and Research Question
DUE 09/11: Team Facilitation Topic (all teams)
Week 4
Tuesday, September 13 – Neoliberalism & Violence
Springer, S. (2016). The violence of neoliberalism. In Handbook of Neoliberalism. Routledge.
(recommended) Steger, M.B. & Roy, R.K. (2010). Chapter 1: What’s ‘neo’ about neoliberalism? In
Neoliberalism: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Thursday, September 15 – Power, Visibility, and Violence
Parson, K.A. (2007). Structural violence and power. Peace Review, 19(2), 173-181.
Winter, Y. (2012). Violence and visibility. New Political Science, 34(2), 195-202.
Assignment
No assignments due this week
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Week 5
Tuesday, September 20 – Popular Culture & Violence
Ahall, L. (2018). Gender, popular culture, and in(security). In C.E.Gentry, L.J. Shepherd, & L. Sjoberg
(Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Gender and Security (pp. 296-307). Routledge: London.
Mulvihill, N. (2021). Should real love hurt? The eroticisation of dominance, submission and
coercive control in contemporary pop music. In Misogyny, Toxic Masculinity, and
Heteronormativity in Post-2000 Popular Music (pp. 15-35). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Thursday, September 22 – Violence & Security
Akgul, A. Gurer, C. & Aydin, H. (2021). Exploring the victimization of Syrian refugees through the
human security model: An ethnographic approach. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism,
21(1), 46-66.
Wolfendale, J. (2016). The concept of security in political violence. In The Ashgate Research
Companion to Political Violence (pp. 121-138). Routledge.
Assignment
DUE 09/25: Violence in Popular Culture Discussion Post
Week 6
Tuesday, September 27 – Sexual Violence & Security
Cohen, D.K., Green, A.H., & Wood, E.J. (2013). Wartime sexual violence: Misconceptions, implications,
and ways forward. US Institute of Peace Special Report 323.
Meger, S. (2016). The fetishization of sexual violence in international security. International
Studies Quarterly, 60, 149-159.
Thursday, September 29 – Choosing & Evaluating Sources
Bring 3-5 readings you are considering for your literature review
Assignment
No assignments due this week
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Week 7
Tuesday, October 4 – Violence & the COVID Pandemic
Han, Y., Millar, K.M., Bayly, M.J. (2021). Covid-19 as a mass death event. Ethics & International
Affairs, 35(1), 5-17.
Phillimore, J., Pertek, S., Akyuz, S., Darkal, H., Hourani, J., McKnight, P., Ozcurumez, S., & Taal, S.
(2022). “We are forgotten”: forced migration, sexual and gender-based violence, and
coronavirus disease-2019. Violence against women, 28(9), 2204-2230.
Thursday, October 6
Research Day – No class – work on finding sources for your Literature Review: Introduction
assignment due this week.
Assignment
DUE 10/09: Literature Review: Introduction
Week 8
Tuesday, October 11 – 21st Century Warfare
CNBC. [CNBC]. (2020, July 23). How the private military industry went global [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17Scy1rBb4U
Krieg, A. & Rickli, J. (2018). Surrogate warfare: The art of war in the 21st century? Defense Studies,
18(2), 113-130.
Thursday, October 13 – Issues with PMSCs
Masuhr, N. & Friedrich, J. (2020). Mercenaries in the service of authoritarian states. CSS Analyses in
Security Policy.
Swed, O. & Crosbie, T. (2017). Private security and military contractors: A troubling
oversight. Sociology Compass, 11(11), e12512.
Assignment
No assignments due this week
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Week 9
Tuesday, October 18 – Privatization of Prisons
Kim, D-Y. (2022). Prison privatization: An empirical literature review and path forward.
International Criminal Justice Review, 32(1), 24-47.
Thursday, October 20 – Example Lit Review
Read the Example Literature Review in Canvas and come prepared to discuss it. Focus on the
document, how it is organized, the research question, etc. and not the topic of the paper.
Assignment
DUE 10/23: Literature Review: Sources
Week 10: Team 1 Class Facilitation
Tuesday, October 25
TBD
Thursday, October 27
Read Example Outlines in Canvas and come prepared to discuss. Focus on the document, how it is
organized, the research question, etc. and not the topic of the paper.
Assignment
DUE 10/30: Team 1 Facilitation Discussion Post
Week 11: Team 2 Class Facilitation
Tuesday, November 1
TBD
Thursday, November 3
Writing Day – No Class – Please contact me to schedule a Zoom meeting if you help and/or have
questions
Assignments
DUE 11/06: Team 2 Facilitation Discussion Post
DUE 11/06: Literature Review: Theme Outline
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Week 12: Team 3 Class Facilitation
Tuesday, November 8
TBD
Thursday, November 10
No Reading – Bring a draft of your Literature Review to class
Week 12 Assignments Due
DUE 11/13: Team 3 Facilitation Discussion Post
Week 13: Team 4 Class Facilitation
Tuesday, November 15
TBD
Thursday, November 17
Writing Day – No class – Please contact me to schedule a Zoom meeting if you help and/or have
questions
Assignment
DUE 11/18: Team 4 Facilitation Discussion Post
Week 14: Team 5 Class Facilitation
Tuesday, November 29
TBD
Thursday, December 1 – Literature Review Talks
No reading, prepare presentations
Assignment
DUE 12/04: Team 5 Facilitation Discussion Post
Week 15
Tuesday, December 6 – Literature Review Talks
No reading, prepare presentations
Thursday, December 8 – Literature Review Talks
No reading, prepare presentations
Assignments
DUE 12/08: Literature Review Talks
DUE 12/11: Literature Review Final Paper
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