AFST 20776 - Sociology of War and Terror

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

Africana Studies

Description:

This course offers a broad introduction to the sociology of wars, terror, and communal violence, including their causes, conduct, and consequences. We will consider the basic social forces which impel people to kill and to risk death in the name of their societies, including the relationship of violence to "human nature." We will survey the manifold characteristics of societies that contribute to and are affected by war and terror: politics; economics; religion; culture; demographics; the environment; gender; race, ethnicity, and nationalism; social movements; and social psychology. We will survey the scope of war and terror throughout social history and pre-history, but will give special attention to the security dilemmas confronting American society. And we will consider alternatives to war and terror and the prospects for transcending the communal violence that has been so much a part of social life for millennia. The format of the course combines lectures, presentations, and discussions. We will draw on both written and visual materials of several kinds. Grades will be based on examinations, brief written work, and participation. (This course requires no background in sociology. It is open to students in any major who are concerned about the occurrence of armed conflict in social life. This course can be counted as a Sociology elective.)

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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