Course Detail
Course Description
| Course | Code | Semester | T+P (Hour) | Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TERRORISM, INSURGENCY and CIVIL WAR | - | Spring Semester | 3+0 | 3 | 6 |
| Course Program |
| Prerequisites Courses | |
| Recommended Elective Courses |
| Language of Course | English |
| Course Level | First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree) |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Course Coordinator | Assist.Prof. Osman Zeki GÖKÇE |
| Name of Lecturer(s) | Assist.Prof. Osman Zeki GÖKÇE |
| Assistant(s) | |
| Aim | This course introduces students to civil conflict and terrorism literature, with particular emphasis on cutting-edge research embracing quantitative approach. Throughout the semester, students will mainly focus on the following questions: What are the conceptual and operational definitions of civil war and terrorism? What are the causes of civil conflict? Who participates in insurgent activities, and why? Why do rebel groups resort to terrorist attacks? What are the possible counterinsurgent strategies and to what extent are they effective in terminating insurgent activities? How do civil wars end? What are the social and political consequences of civil conflict? While addressing these questions, students are expected to reach the following learning objectives: First, they will have a better sense of social and political mechanisms triggering civil conflict and more nuanced understanding of the causes and consequences of it. Second, they will realize how complex these mechanisms are to explain and how necessary a robust methodology in answering relevant questions. Finally, and more importantly, they will gain a critical mindset against the answers given by the literature so far—criticize previous studies and come up with some policy recommendations in an informed way. |
| Course Content | This course contains; Lecture 1. Overview of the Course,Lecture 2. Conceptual Issues: Civil War,Lecture 3. The Causes of Conflict: The State and the System,Lecture 4. The Causes of Conflict: Ethnicity and Identity,Lecture 5. Conceptual Issues: Civil War, Insurgency, and Terrorism,Lecture 6. Rebel Participation/Recruitment ,Lecture 7. The Causes of Terrorism,Lecture 8. Effectiveness of Violence and Terrorism,Lecture 9. Evaluating Strategies,Lecture 10. Foreign Aid and International Support,Lecture 11. Termination: What To Do?,Lecture 12. Duration and Outcomes ,Lecture 13. Review. |
| Dersin Öğrenme Kazanımları | Teaching Methods | Assessment Methods |
| Students will have a better sense of social and political mechanisms triggering civil conflict and more nuanced understanding of the causes and consequences of it. | 10, 13, 16, 19, 4, 9 | A |
| Students will understand and explain in a methodological framework how complex it is to explain the mechanisms that triggered the civil war and how a sound methodology is necessary to answer the relevant questions | 10, 13, 16, 19, 9 | A |
| Students will gain a critical mindset towards the findings of the civil war literature so far, be able to critique previous studies and develop simple policy recommendations. | 10, 16, 19, 9 | A |
| Teaching Methods: | 10: Discussion Method, 13: Case Study Method, 16: Question - Answer Technique, 19: Brainstorming Technique, 4: Inquiry-Based Learning, 9: Lecture Method |
| Assessment Methods: | A: Traditional Written Exam |
Course Outline
| Order | Subjects | Preliminary Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lecture 1. Overview of the Course | |
| 2 | Lecture 2. Conceptual Issues: Civil War | Sambanis, N. (2004). What is civil war? conceptual and empirical complexities of an operational definition. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 48(6):814–858. Walter, B. F. (2017). The new new civil wars. Annual Review of Political Science, 20(1):469–486. |
| 3 | Lecture 3. The Causes of Conflict: The State and the System | Fearon, J. D. and Laitin, D. D. (2003). Ethnicity, insurgency, and civil war. American Political Science Review, 97(1):75–90. Collier, P. and Hoeffler, A. (2004). Greed and grievance in civil war. Oxford Economic Papers, 56(4):563–595. |
| 4 | Lecture 4. The Causes of Conflict: Ethnicity and Identity | Fearon, James D., and David D. Laitin. 2011. “Sons of the Soil, Migrants, and Civil War.” World Development 39 (2): 199–211. Cederman, Lars-Erik, Andreas Wimmer, and Brian Min. 2010. “Why Do Ethnic Groups Rebel? New Data and Analysis.” World Politics 62 (1): 87–119. |
| 5 | Lecture 5. Conceptual Issues: Civil War, Insurgency, and Terrorism | Huff, Connor, and Joshua Kertzer. 2018. “How The Public Defines Terrorism.” American Journal of Political Science 62 (1): 55–71. |
| 6 | Lecture 6. Rebel Participation/Recruitment | Humphreys, Macartan, and Jeremy M. Weinstein. 2008. “Who Fights? The Determinants of Participation in Civil War.” American Journal of Political Science 52 (2): 436–55. Beber, Bernd, and Christopher Blattman. 2013. “The Logic of Child Soldiering and Coercion.” International Organization 67 (1): 65–104. |
| 7 | Lecture 7. The Causes of Terrorism | Krueger, Alan B., and Jitka Maleckova. 2003. “Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is There a Causal Connection?” Journal of Economic Perspectives 17 (4): 119–44. Aksoy, Deniz, and David B. Carter. 2014. “Electoral Institutions and the Emergence of Terrorist Groups.” British Journal of Political Science 44 (1): 181–204. Laitin, David and Jacob Shapiro. 2008. “The Sources of Terrorism: An Ecological and Organizational Perspective.” In Keefer, Philip and Norman Loayza (eds.) Terrorism, Economic Development, and Political Openness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
| 8 | Lecture 8. Effectiveness of Violence and Terrorism | Pape, Robert A. 2003. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.” American Political Science Review 97 (3): 343–61. Abrahms, Max. 2006. “Why Terrorism Does Not Work.” International Security 31 (2): 42–78. Kıbrıs, Arzu. 2010. “Funerals and Elections: The Effects of Terrorism on Voting Behavior in Turkey.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 55 (2): 220–47. |
| 9 | Lecture 9. Evaluating Strategies | Lyall, Jason. 2009. “Does Indiscriminate Violence Incite Insurgent Attacks? Evidence from Chechnya.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 53 (3): 331–62. Lyall, Jason. 2010. “Are Coethnics More Effective Counterinsurgents? Evidence from the Second Chechen War.” American Political Science Review 104 (1): 1–20. Shapiro, Jacob N., and Nils B. Weidmann. 2015. “Is the Phone Mightier Than the Sword? Cellphones and Insurgent Violence in Iraq.” International Organization 69 (2): 247–74. |
| 10 | Lecture 10. Foreign Aid and International Support | San Akca, Belgin. 2009. “Supporting Non-State Armed Groups: A Resort to Illegality?” Journal of Strategic Studies 32 (4): 589–613. |
| 11 | Lecture 11. Termination: What To Do? | |
| 12 | Lecture 12. Duration and Outcomes | Kibris, A. (2015). The conflict trap revisited: Civil conflict and educational achievement. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 59(4):645–670. |
| 13 | Lecture 13. Review |
| Resources |
| Weekly scholarly articles updated every semester based on topic coverage. |
Course Contribution to Program Qualifications
| Course Contribution to Program Qualifications | |||||||
| No | Program Qualification | Contribution Level | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 1 | PC1. Students know the fundamental concepts, theories, research methods and analysis techniques used in the fields and sub-fields of Political Science and International relations. | X | |||||
| 2 | PC2. Students understand the political, economic, social, and cultural relations among political systems, international actors, states and non-state actors; analyzes the reasons for the issues and problems in these fields, develop skills for systematic and critical thinking for alternative solutions. | X | |||||
| 3 | PC3. Students of the program will be able to work at public and private institutions, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. They will be able to involve in the foreign policy making, analysis, and implementation processes; manage project implementations, and shoulder responsibilities at different positions of decision-making processes. The multi-disciplinary perspective they have developed in the program facilitates following solution-oriented perspective at times of crisis, evaluating existing resolutions and developing new alternatives. | X | |||||
| 4 | PC4. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and report the findings to stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 5 | PC5. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and make scientific publications. | X | |||||
| 6 | PC6. Students will be able to work as group leader in public and private institutions, plan and administer events and activities. | ||||||
| 7 | PC7. As a result of development of critical thinking, students stay open to change and development; adopt never-ending learning principle to their life. | X | |||||
| 8 | PC8. Students use the appropriate oral and written language skills and adopt professional ethics in their communication while sharing results, analyses, and solution suggestions with colleagues and stakeholders | X | |||||
| 9 | PC9. Students use English language skills in research and fields of expertise; easily follow international developments and communicates with international stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 10 | PC10. Students use fundamental computer skills in communication with colleagues and stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 11 | PC11. Students will be able to lead decision-making mechanisms, involve in policy making and analysis processes, and manage negotiation processes in public and private institutions. | X | |||||
| 12 | PC12. Students will be able to develop original and scientific solutions and knowledge in their fields of expertise, create projects and act as a consultant to decision-making mechanisms. | X | |||||
Assessment Methods
| Contribution Level | Absolute Evaluation | |
| Rate of Midterm Exam to Success | 20 | |
| Rate of Final Exam to Success | 80 | |
| Total | 100 | |
| ECTS / Workload Table | ||||||
| Activities | Number of | Duration(Hour) | Total Workload(Hour) | |||
| Course Hours | 14 | 3 | 42 | |||
| Guided Problem Solving | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Resolution of Homework Problems and Submission as a Report | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Term Project | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Presentation of Project / Seminar | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Quiz | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Midterm Exam | 1 | 60 | 60 | |||
| General Exam | 1 | 70 | 70 | |||
| Performance Task, Maintenance Plan | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total Workload(Hour) | 172 | |||||
| Dersin AKTS Kredisi = Toplam İş Yükü (Saat)/30*=(172/30) | 6 | |||||
| ECTS of the course: 30 hours of work is counted as 1 ECTS credit. | ||||||
Detail Informations of the Course
Course Description
| Course | Code | Semester | T+P (Hour) | Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TERRORISM, INSURGENCY and CIVIL WAR | - | Spring Semester | 3+0 | 3 | 6 |
| Course Program |
| Prerequisites Courses | |
| Recommended Elective Courses |
| Language of Course | English |
| Course Level | First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree) |
| Course Type | Elective |
| Course Coordinator | Assist.Prof. Osman Zeki GÖKÇE |
| Name of Lecturer(s) | Assist.Prof. Osman Zeki GÖKÇE |
| Assistant(s) | |
| Aim | This course introduces students to civil conflict and terrorism literature, with particular emphasis on cutting-edge research embracing quantitative approach. Throughout the semester, students will mainly focus on the following questions: What are the conceptual and operational definitions of civil war and terrorism? What are the causes of civil conflict? Who participates in insurgent activities, and why? Why do rebel groups resort to terrorist attacks? What are the possible counterinsurgent strategies and to what extent are they effective in terminating insurgent activities? How do civil wars end? What are the social and political consequences of civil conflict? While addressing these questions, students are expected to reach the following learning objectives: First, they will have a better sense of social and political mechanisms triggering civil conflict and more nuanced understanding of the causes and consequences of it. Second, they will realize how complex these mechanisms are to explain and how necessary a robust methodology in answering relevant questions. Finally, and more importantly, they will gain a critical mindset against the answers given by the literature so far—criticize previous studies and come up with some policy recommendations in an informed way. |
| Course Content | This course contains; Lecture 1. Overview of the Course,Lecture 2. Conceptual Issues: Civil War,Lecture 3. The Causes of Conflict: The State and the System,Lecture 4. The Causes of Conflict: Ethnicity and Identity,Lecture 5. Conceptual Issues: Civil War, Insurgency, and Terrorism,Lecture 6. Rebel Participation/Recruitment ,Lecture 7. The Causes of Terrorism,Lecture 8. Effectiveness of Violence and Terrorism,Lecture 9. Evaluating Strategies,Lecture 10. Foreign Aid and International Support,Lecture 11. Termination: What To Do?,Lecture 12. Duration and Outcomes ,Lecture 13. Review. |
| Dersin Öğrenme Kazanımları | Teaching Methods | Assessment Methods |
| Students will have a better sense of social and political mechanisms triggering civil conflict and more nuanced understanding of the causes and consequences of it. | 10, 13, 16, 19, 4, 9 | A |
| Students will understand and explain in a methodological framework how complex it is to explain the mechanisms that triggered the civil war and how a sound methodology is necessary to answer the relevant questions | 10, 13, 16, 19, 9 | A |
| Students will gain a critical mindset towards the findings of the civil war literature so far, be able to critique previous studies and develop simple policy recommendations. | 10, 16, 19, 9 | A |
| Teaching Methods: | 10: Discussion Method, 13: Case Study Method, 16: Question - Answer Technique, 19: Brainstorming Technique, 4: Inquiry-Based Learning, 9: Lecture Method |
| Assessment Methods: | A: Traditional Written Exam |
Course Outline
| Order | Subjects | Preliminary Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lecture 1. Overview of the Course | |
| 2 | Lecture 2. Conceptual Issues: Civil War | Sambanis, N. (2004). What is civil war? conceptual and empirical complexities of an operational definition. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 48(6):814–858. Walter, B. F. (2017). The new new civil wars. Annual Review of Political Science, 20(1):469–486. |
| 3 | Lecture 3. The Causes of Conflict: The State and the System | Fearon, J. D. and Laitin, D. D. (2003). Ethnicity, insurgency, and civil war. American Political Science Review, 97(1):75–90. Collier, P. and Hoeffler, A. (2004). Greed and grievance in civil war. Oxford Economic Papers, 56(4):563–595. |
| 4 | Lecture 4. The Causes of Conflict: Ethnicity and Identity | Fearon, James D., and David D. Laitin. 2011. “Sons of the Soil, Migrants, and Civil War.” World Development 39 (2): 199–211. Cederman, Lars-Erik, Andreas Wimmer, and Brian Min. 2010. “Why Do Ethnic Groups Rebel? New Data and Analysis.” World Politics 62 (1): 87–119. |
| 5 | Lecture 5. Conceptual Issues: Civil War, Insurgency, and Terrorism | Huff, Connor, and Joshua Kertzer. 2018. “How The Public Defines Terrorism.” American Journal of Political Science 62 (1): 55–71. |
| 6 | Lecture 6. Rebel Participation/Recruitment | Humphreys, Macartan, and Jeremy M. Weinstein. 2008. “Who Fights? The Determinants of Participation in Civil War.” American Journal of Political Science 52 (2): 436–55. Beber, Bernd, and Christopher Blattman. 2013. “The Logic of Child Soldiering and Coercion.” International Organization 67 (1): 65–104. |
| 7 | Lecture 7. The Causes of Terrorism | Krueger, Alan B., and Jitka Maleckova. 2003. “Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is There a Causal Connection?” Journal of Economic Perspectives 17 (4): 119–44. Aksoy, Deniz, and David B. Carter. 2014. “Electoral Institutions and the Emergence of Terrorist Groups.” British Journal of Political Science 44 (1): 181–204. Laitin, David and Jacob Shapiro. 2008. “The Sources of Terrorism: An Ecological and Organizational Perspective.” In Keefer, Philip and Norman Loayza (eds.) Terrorism, Economic Development, and Political Openness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
| 8 | Lecture 8. Effectiveness of Violence and Terrorism | Pape, Robert A. 2003. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.” American Political Science Review 97 (3): 343–61. Abrahms, Max. 2006. “Why Terrorism Does Not Work.” International Security 31 (2): 42–78. Kıbrıs, Arzu. 2010. “Funerals and Elections: The Effects of Terrorism on Voting Behavior in Turkey.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 55 (2): 220–47. |
| 9 | Lecture 9. Evaluating Strategies | Lyall, Jason. 2009. “Does Indiscriminate Violence Incite Insurgent Attacks? Evidence from Chechnya.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 53 (3): 331–62. Lyall, Jason. 2010. “Are Coethnics More Effective Counterinsurgents? Evidence from the Second Chechen War.” American Political Science Review 104 (1): 1–20. Shapiro, Jacob N., and Nils B. Weidmann. 2015. “Is the Phone Mightier Than the Sword? Cellphones and Insurgent Violence in Iraq.” International Organization 69 (2): 247–74. |
| 10 | Lecture 10. Foreign Aid and International Support | San Akca, Belgin. 2009. “Supporting Non-State Armed Groups: A Resort to Illegality?” Journal of Strategic Studies 32 (4): 589–613. |
| 11 | Lecture 11. Termination: What To Do? | |
| 12 | Lecture 12. Duration and Outcomes | Kibris, A. (2015). The conflict trap revisited: Civil conflict and educational achievement. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 59(4):645–670. |
| 13 | Lecture 13. Review |
| Resources |
| Weekly scholarly articles updated every semester based on topic coverage. |
Course Contribution to Program Qualifications
| Course Contribution to Program Qualifications | |||||||
| No | Program Qualification | Contribution Level | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 1 | PC1. Students know the fundamental concepts, theories, research methods and analysis techniques used in the fields and sub-fields of Political Science and International relations. | X | |||||
| 2 | PC2. Students understand the political, economic, social, and cultural relations among political systems, international actors, states and non-state actors; analyzes the reasons for the issues and problems in these fields, develop skills for systematic and critical thinking for alternative solutions. | X | |||||
| 3 | PC3. Students of the program will be able to work at public and private institutions, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. They will be able to involve in the foreign policy making, analysis, and implementation processes; manage project implementations, and shoulder responsibilities at different positions of decision-making processes. The multi-disciplinary perspective they have developed in the program facilitates following solution-oriented perspective at times of crisis, evaluating existing resolutions and developing new alternatives. | X | |||||
| 4 | PC4. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and report the findings to stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 5 | PC5. Students will be able to conduct scientific research in the fields and sub-fields of political science and international relations, analyze the results and make scientific publications. | X | |||||
| 6 | PC6. Students will be able to work as group leader in public and private institutions, plan and administer events and activities. | ||||||
| 7 | PC7. As a result of development of critical thinking, students stay open to change and development; adopt never-ending learning principle to their life. | X | |||||
| 8 | PC8. Students use the appropriate oral and written language skills and adopt professional ethics in their communication while sharing results, analyses, and solution suggestions with colleagues and stakeholders | X | |||||
| 9 | PC9. Students use English language skills in research and fields of expertise; easily follow international developments and communicates with international stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 10 | PC10. Students use fundamental computer skills in communication with colleagues and stakeholders. | X | |||||
| 11 | PC11. Students will be able to lead decision-making mechanisms, involve in policy making and analysis processes, and manage negotiation processes in public and private institutions. | X | |||||
| 12 | PC12. Students will be able to develop original and scientific solutions and knowledge in their fields of expertise, create projects and act as a consultant to decision-making mechanisms. | X | |||||
Assessment Methods
| Contribution Level | Absolute Evaluation | |
| Rate of Midterm Exam to Success | 20 | |
| Rate of Final Exam to Success | 80 | |
| Total | 100 | |