Political Violence and the Human Condition

COURSE OBJECTIVE
This course aims to provide students with knowledge of the perpetrators and victims of political violence. It will cover the reasons why, and the processes and mechanisms through which, people get involved in political violence, as well as the impact this has on victims and their communities.

When finalizing the course, students will have knowledge and understanding of:
- The driving forces of violent behavior on an individual and group level;
- The psychological and neurological foundations of violent behavior;
- The adverse psycho-social and intergenerational consequences of violence for victims and communities;
- The prospects and problems of an inter-disciplinary approach to violent behavior that combines psychology and criminology.

In addition students will be able to:
- Gather and integrate knowledge of multiple disciplines with the purpose of handling complexity of issues related to peace and conflict and designing effective solutions;
- Formulate judgements based on a critical evaluation of knowledge, methodologies and research results from multiple disciplines, which include a critical reflection on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of the students’ own knowledge and judgements

COURSE CONTENT
Mass atrocities are frequently perpetrated during wars and they have a devastating effect on the victims and their communities. The perpetrators and the victims of this violence have been studied from numerous disciplines including, but not limited to, criminology, clinical psychology, psychiatry, social psychology and history. Studies across these different disciplines have focused on characteristics and processes that contribute to mass violence on different levels of analysis. In addition, extensive scientific literature exists on the consequences of mass violence for the exposed society, community and the individual, and how individuals, communities and countries may deal with the past. In this course, these perspectives will be integrated to provide an overview of the reasons why, and the processes through which, individuals perpetrate mass atrocities. The hypothesis that these individuals are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances will be discussed by analyzing theories as well as case studies. Furthermore, the appropriateness of individual accountability for these collective manifestations of political violence will be discussed, as well as potential alternatives.

A second central focus of the course will be the psychological and psychosocial consequences of political violence and war-related trauma for its victims and affected communities and societies. Finally, we will also focus on how to interfere with the development of such adverse

TEACHING METHODS
Lectures and seminars

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
Exam (50%) and written assignments (50%).