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CS92PROD
Sociology of War and Peace

SOC 266
Fall 2012
Section: 01  
Certificates: International Relations

In this class, we will look at what social conditions foster warfare and peace. As we look at the origins of war, one of the first things we will discover is that war in not innate to human nature. Throughout history, there have been largely peaceful societies, many of them tribal, unmarked by war. Given this, the explanations for war must lie not in human nature, but in social structures and cultural norms--some forms of social organization keep large-scale violence from breaking out, while others bring out the worst in human nature and facilitate it. After looking at the general sociological causes of war, we look more in depth at the status of US foreign policy today--both because we live in the US and the US is the world's sole remaining superpower. We will also look at such phenomena as terrorism, guerrilla warfare and ethnic conflict. We will close the semester by looking at various ways to build peace, ranging from official diplomacy to peace movements. While the emphasis of the class will be on the sociological causes of war and peace, we will also consider ethical issues, such as when, if ever, war is justified.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS SOC
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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