Political Science - Genocide and Mass Violence in Rwanda

GEND 2277  Genocide and Mass Violence in Rwanda

Prerequisites:

Any 18 credits completed.

Antirequisites:

GEND 2226 prior to 2014

Hours:

Three hours of lecture per week for one term.

Credits:

3

Description:

From April to July 1994, approximately 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and ""moderate"" Hutu were killed and an estimated 250,000 women were raped in the Rwandan genocide In addition to Tutsi loss of life, between 10,000 and several hundred thousand ethnic Hutu were killed in efforts to end the civil war and in reprisal attacks. How and why did this happen? In this course, we undertake an in-depth study of the causes and aggravating factors in the Rwandan genocide. We do so through an examination of structural violence, gender inequality, international complicity and human agency. We then turn to a brief examination of post-genocide Rwanda, noting in particular the complexities of conducting research in politically oppressive situations with traumatized populations. This course may be credited towards Political Science.