Why do some individuals, groups, and institutions use violent means while others refrain from violence? Examples include social movements choosing violent or nonviolent strategies and states relying on violence or other forms of suppression. In this seminar, we examine political violence with regards to its targets, perpetrators, intensity, immediate outcomes, and long-term implications on the individual, group, and state level. We study the use of political violence including civil wars, coups, revolutions, repression, and terrorism in non-democratic regimes. Based on the discussion of current research, students will critically assess scientific contributions and develop their own research projects. As this course focuses on empirical findings from the contemporary literature, participants should have basic knowledge of analytical research designs and empirical methods. This seminar prepares students intensively for writing a short research design paper. The course language is English.

-Collier, P., & Hoeffler, A. (2004). Greed and grievance in civil war. Oxford Economic Papers, 56(4), 563–595.

-De Bruin, E. (2019). Will there be blood? Explaining violence during coups d’état. Journal of Peace Research, 56(6), 797–811.

-Phillips, B. J. (2015). What is a terrorist group? Conceptual issues and empirical implications. Terrorism and Political Violence, 27(2), 225–242.