Special Topics (390-CN-66)

Topic

War in the 2020s

Instructors

Jeff Rice
847/491-8916
1908 Sheridan
Jeff Rice is a long time instructor in SPS, and a Senior Lecturer in African Studies and Political Science in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (WCAS) who focuses on research and teaching about conflict in Africa and elsewhere. He is particularly interested in the linkage between class, ethnicity, religion, and nationalism. He recently stepped down from his long time position as a WCAS College Adviser.

Meeting Info

Online: Thurs 6:15PM - 9:15PM

Overview of class

As the last months of 2023 unfold, we have two full blown wars going on: in Ukraine and in the Middle East. And that doesn't count the small war in the Caucasus. We also face an ongoing crisis between the two Koreas and between Taiwan and China. Public intellectuals like Stephen Pinker keep trying to remind us that we live in a gentler age, but we find this hard to reconcile. What happened to the peace dividend? This course will focus primarily on the war between Ukraine and Russia and between Hamas and Israel. We will look at the long- and short-term causes, the role of other nations, the manner of fighting, and the prospects of conflict resolution. We will also devote some time to the two Asian situations and ask what the prospects are for peace or war. Readings will be both about the origins and the execution of these wars and much will be taken from newspapers and journals.

This course is also listed as POLI SCI 395 Political Research Seminar in CAESAR. Students who need to fulfill a research seminar requirement should register for POLI SCI 395.

Schedule Note: this course will meet remotely, with weekly remote synchronous sessions held on the scheduled day.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisites: none

Class Attributes

Synchronous:Class meets remotely at scheduled time