2025 Fall

POLSCI 138S 001 - LEC 001

The Comparative Study of Genocide

Scott Straus

Aug 27, 2025 - Dec 12, 2025

Tu, Th

02:00 pm - 03:29 pm

Social Sciences Building 60

Class #:26393

Units: 4

Instruction Mode: In-Person Instruction

Offered through Charles & Louise Travers Dept of Political Science

Current Enrollment

Total Open Seats: 7

Enrolled: 47

Waitlisted: 10

Capacity: 54

Waitlist Max: 10

Open Reserved Seats:

10 reserved for Undergraduate Students: Jewish Studies Minor and Graduate Students: Jewish Studies Designated Emphasis

Hours & Workload

3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week, 8 hours of outside work hours per week, and 1 hours of the exchange of opinions or questions on course material per week.

This course will examine the origins and forms of what a legal scholar once called an “odious scourge”: genocide. For years, genocide mainly referred to the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews during World War II. However, since the end of the Cold War events in Eastern Europe, Central Africa, and elsewhere have drawn scholars’ attention to genocide as a political phenomenon that may be studied across regions and time periods. Although ethical and policy concerns will underlie the discussion, as they do whenever genocide is the topic of study, our main objective will be to examine the determinants of genocide and related forms of mass violence.

Rules & Requirements

Credit Restrictions

Students will receive no credit for POL SCI 138S after completing POL SCI 124G. A deficient grade in POL SCI 138S may be removed by taking POL SCI 124G.