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79420-01 - Seminar: Civil Wars (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Tobias Hagmann Leupin (tobias.hagmann@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Why do people take up arms? And what happens once they do? This seminar introduces students to key concepts, debates and findings of the rich literature on civil wars as the dominant form of political violence in the contemporary world. We review and discuss competing scholarly explanations of the causes, processes and outcomes of intra-state conflicts. Students familiarize themselves with the various logics of how armed groups compete over territory, political authority, and the central state. Throughout the seminar, students critically engage with key authors and their arguments as well as prominent country cases. Readings, lectures and presentations draw on micro- and macro-studies of the logics of political violence during civil war in the qualitative, quantitative and comparative research tradition. |
| Learning objectives | - Participants familiarize themselves with key debates and concepts in the comparative politics literature on civil wars - Participants engage with different methodological approaches to the study of armed conflict and its political, social, institutional and economic dimensions - Participants apply existing explanatory frameworks to past and present country cases |
| Bibliography | Cederman, L.-E., Gleditsch, K. S. and H. Buhaug (2013), Inequality, Grievances, and Civil War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kalyvas, S. (2006). The Logic of Violence in Civil War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Weinstein, J. M. (2007). Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
| Comments | All Seminars will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited to 24 persons. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. |
| Admission requirements | All Seminars will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited to 24 persons. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 12.15-13.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
Dates
| Modules |
Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Extension Social Sciences (Master's degree subject: Political Science – Inequality, Power, Conflict) Module: Inequality, Power, Conflict (Master's degree subject: Political Science – Inequality, Power, Conflict) Module: Sustainable Societies: Inequality, Power, Conflict (Master's degree program: Changing Societies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |