DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE -- KING’S COLLEGE
The University of Western Ontario
Politics 362E: Case Studies of Ethnic Conflict
2005-2006
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
website:
Prof. Tozun Bahcheli
Rm. 203, Dante Lenardon Hall
(519) 433-3491, ext. 4460
bahcheli@uwo.ca
http://www.kingscollege.net/bahcheli/
Office Hours: Mondays
Tuesdays
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Course Description
Nationalism and ethnic conflict are seemingly causing havoc in practically every region
of our globe. Even though there is no consensus as to whether there is a global
upsurge of ethnic conflict in recent years, academics and policy-makers are paying
greater attention to understanding the causes and the management of such conflicts.
This course will begin with examining the causes of ethnic conflict, the role that
nationalism plays in such conflicts, and the strategies that are employed by states and
international organizations in managing and settling them. Thereafter the course will
focus on selected case-studies for an in-depth analysis of the causes of ethnic conflict,
the role of domestic and external factors, and the type of solutions that might be
appropriate. The case-studies that have been selected for the year 2005/2006 include:
Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Kashmir, Malaysia, the Kurdish issue in Turkey & Iraq,
Northern Ireland and Sudan.
Required Text
Timothy Sisk Power Sharing and International Mediation in Ethnic Conflicts,
United States Institute of Peace Press, 1996.
All other readings will be listed on the instructor’s website.
Prerequisite(s) and Antirequisite(s)
Prerequisite(s) for this course: Enrolment in third or fourth year Honors Political Science
“Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special
permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you will be removed from this course
and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You
will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a
course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.”
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Politics 362E Course Outline 2003-2004
Grading and requirements
Students are required to attend all classes, to take reading assignments seriously,
prepare summaries of weekly readings, and to actively contribute to discussions.
Course participation will require a strong knowledge of the assigned reading material.
Students will also be responsible for one seminar presentation and a research paper.
There will be a term test but no final examination.
Course work and grading:
20 marks for participation, 20 marks for the weekly summaries of readings, 25 marks for
test (scheduled on January 14, 2006), 15 marks for seminar presentation, and 20 marks
for research paper.
Seminar requirement: students are required to prepare a full-length paper of no less
than four pages plus a bibliography, to be distributed at least one week before the
scheduled seminar. Papers which fail to be distributed a week in advance will be
penalized by a deduction of 30 marks on the first day and 10 marks on each
subsequent days.
Writing a Summary or Precis
(with thanks to Dr. Rob Ventresca for these guidelines)
Students are required to submit a two-page summary or précis of the weekly readings.
Together, these weekly summaries will account for 20% of the final grade. Below are
some guidelines and suggestions to help you.
Definition: A précis is a clear, concise, logical summary of a reading or series of
readings. It distils the essential ideas of the original texts. In your own words, state the
thesis, main arguments and conclusions of the original readings.
Purpose: Though it may seem onerous, writing weekly summaries will vastly improve
your reading skills and contribute to sharpening your precision and economy in writing.
The techniques of the précis are the sort you read in newspaper headlines, the opening
paragraph of a magazine article, a brief television summary of a news event, a class
lecture and on the jacket cover of a book.
Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Read the assigned readings and make sure you understand the essence of
each article. In other words, what is the central argument, as it relates to the theme
being discussed in class?
Step 2: Underline or highlight the most important points.
Step 3: Collect these highlighted passages in point-form. As a general rule, avoid using
direct quotes from the originals.*
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Politics 362E Course Outline 2003-2004
Step 4: Place these ideas into sentences, and arrange the sentences into one or two
paragraphs. You might title this part the “Synopsis.”
Step 5: Think about how the readings taught you something about the topic you didn’t
know before, if at all. Present your reflections on how the readings relate to the central
theme of the course. You might title this section (3-4 sentences) ”Relevance.”
*It may be a good idea to cite the relevant page numbers in parentheses.
POLICY REGARDING LATE ESSAYS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE
a.
A penalty of five (5) marks for essays submitted the first day after the deadline.
b.
A penalty of one (1) mark will be assessed for each subsequent day including
weekends.
c.
No essays will be accepted after the 14th day.
d.
Essays submitted after that day will only be accepted on:
i)
humanitarian grounds, or
ii)
medical grounds for which written proof must be provided.
e.
All essays must be handed to a professor personally or be signed in with the
departmental secretary during regular business hours.
f.
A student who fails to submit all of the required written work (essays, reports, etc.),
which make up the “Essay” component of the course, as specified in the course outline,
will not receive credit for the course.
Research paper: A piece of independent research and analysis of approximately 8
pages (typewritten, double-spaced), exclusive of bibliography. You are welcome to write
your papers on the same topic of your seminar presentations.
Deadlines:
Essays are due one week after your seminar presentation.
POLICY REGARDING PLAGIARISM FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Preamble: Any written text ( and supporting materials), whether printed (e.g. a book, an article,
a pamphlet) or “manuscript” (e.g. ms. for a scholarly paper, for a dissertation), IS THE
PROPERTY OF ITS AUTHOR(S). Therefore any use of any part of such materials MUST BE
ACKNOWLEDGED. When the use is “indirect”, as in a summary of contents and/or idea, the
“borrowing” is acknowledged with a footnote. When the “borrowing” is “direct”, that is when a
portion (legally seven or more consecutive words) of the text or of the supporting material is
quoted verbatim, the “borrowing” is acknowledged in two ways: (1) Quotation marks around the
material quoted, and (2) a footnote. It is worth repeating that BOTH forms of acknowledgement
are MANDATORY when the material is copied directly.
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Politics 362E Course Outline 2003-2004
Definition: Plagiarism, simply defined, is a form of theft. Were the plagiarised material to be
subsequently published it could well lead to legal action against the culprit. Plagiarism generally
takes one of two forms (with infinite variations). “Flagrant plagiarism” occurs when portions of
one or more written texts are copied, but no quotation marks are used to indicate the
borrowing... although a footnote may appear, which as indicated above, is not sufficient.
“Disguised plagiarism” occurs when the original text is paraphrased in such a way as to
“disguise” the theft ... changing a work here and there, etc., even if a footnote is provided.
example: The original text reads – “The Cabinet met three times in an effort to resolve the
issue”; the “paraphrased” text reads – “The Cabinet met on three occasions in an effort to
resolve the problem”.
Plagiarism Checking: The University of Western Ontario uses software for plagiarism checking.
Students may be required to submit their written work in electronic form for plagiarism checking.
Penalties:
A.
Inadvertent plagiarism results in a warning, followed by a discussion of the problem with
the student.
B.
“Flagrant plagiarism” results in a “0” for the assignment.
C.
“Disguised plagiarism” results in a “0” for the assignment.
D.
Submission of an assignment which is also being submitted in another course (or has
been submitted in another course in a previous year), results in a “0” for the assignment.
Submission of an assignment prepared by someone other than the alleged author
results in a “0” FOR THE COURSE.
E.
F.
Instances of plagiarism may be reported to the Dean.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Any student who, in the opinion of the instructor, is absent too frequently from class or
laboratory periods in any course, will be reported to the Dean (after due warning has been
given). On the recommendation of the Department concerned, and with the permission of the
Dean, the student will be debarred from taking the regular examination in the course.
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Politics 362E Course Outline 2003-2004
Papers, Magazines and Journals of Interest at the Cardinal Carter Library
Economist
Ethnic and Racial Studies
International Affairs
International Journal
International Security
International Organization
Foreign Affairs
Guardian Weekly
Journal of International Affairs
Mediterranean Quarterly
Middle East International
Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
Peacekeeping and International Relations
Publius: The Journal of Federalism
Survival
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
The Washington Quarterly
The World Today
World Policy Journal
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