Studying at York
Terrorism & Civil Wars: A Data Analysis Approach - POL00098M
- Department: Politics and International Relations
- Module co-ordinator: Dr. Kaisa Hinkkainen Elliott
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2021-22
- See module specification for other years: 2022-23
Module summary
This module introduces students to major explanations in the study of terrorism and civil wars, and how to test theoretical assumptions through data analysis. The module will investigate key themes in terrorism and conflict analysis, such as different types of political violence during civil wars, causes of terrorism and onset of civil wars, the dynamics of various forms of violence, such as terrorism and battels during conflicts, different interventions and their impact on ending terrorist violence and civil wars.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2021-22 |
Module aims
The main aims of this module are to introduce students to key explanations in conflict research and to demonstrate the role of quantitative methods in answering research questions related to terrorism and civil wars. The focus on data analysis approach teaches students how to interpret and analyse quantitative data, but relies on computer programmes to do the maths. The students will be introduced to the most commonly used datasets on, for example, terrorist attacks, civil war battles, civilian deaths and peacekeeping deployments available. These datasets will enable the students to evaluate research questions such as: what is the role of natural resources in civil war onsets, do weak rebels engage in terrorist tactics more frequently than strong rebels, what is the impact of peacekeeping deployments in reducing battles, civilian victimisation and terrorism during civil wars as well as how civil wars and terrorism ends, using quantitative information. The module will ground students in the language of quantitative research and the students will be able to think and generate arguments using theories supported by empirical evidence. Students also develop an ability to comment critically on their own and others' analyses. While the module focuses on specific types of violent events, the skills gained from the module are applicable to analysing other forms of data, such as human rights abuses, homicides and effects of communicable diseases. As such, the module is relevant not only to students of conflict and peace, but also to students from different disciplines, such as international relations, politics, human rights etc.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
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Understand and differentiate various forms of violence during civil wars.
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Become familiar with different explanations for terrorism and civil wars.
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Design research projects in conflict analysis using quantitative methods.
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Understand, and evaluate quantitative analyses published in academic journals.
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Search, download and use existing datasets.
Module content
The module starts by highlighting contemporary trends in terrorist attacks and occurence of civil wars, as well introducing how they are defined and conceptualised. The second part of the module is focused on how terrorism and civil wars emerge and what explains different dynamics of, for example, battles, terrorism and civilian victimisation during conflicts. The final section of the module is dedicated to analysing how terrorism and civil wars come to an end and how different interventions, such as mediation and peackeeping play out in terminating these different types of conflicts. This module is taught through lectures as well as practical lab sessions where the students will have the opportunity to learn quantitative data analysis. The module does not assume prior knowledge in quantitative methods and starts by introducing the basic terminology and quantitative research design. At the end of the module, students will have gained an understanding of how to study different political violence by analysing data as well as being equipped in reading social science studies using quantitative methods and being able to conduct such research independently.
Assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 4000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 4000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.
Indicative reading
Autesserre, S., 2014. Peaceland: Conflict resolution and the everyday politics of international intervention. Cambridge University Press.
Cederman, L.E., Gleditsch, K.S. and Buhaug, H., 2013. Inequality, grievances, and civil war. Cambridge University Press.
Chenoweth, E. and Moore, P.L., 2018. The politics of terror. Oxford University Press.
Kalyvas, S.N., 2006. The logic of violence in civil war. Cambridge University Press.
Kellstedt, P.M. and Whitten, G.D., 2018. The fundamentals of political science research. Cambridge University Press.
Mason, T.D. and Mitchell, S.M. eds., 2016. What do we know about civil wars?. Rowman & Littlefield.
Newman, E. and DeRouen Jr, K. eds., 2014. Routledge handbook of civil wars. Routledge.