GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

In theory and in practice, it is necessary to understand violence to grasp the essential aspects of how individuals and societies work. Violence will be presented as social phenomena to explain the structural and individual aspects of it. The course will examine the different levels of violence through the theories of Zygmunt Bauman, Norbert Elias, Michel Foucault and Johan Galtung among others. It will focus on classical and contemporary sociological theories to familiarize students with traditional topics of concern as well as contemporary key issues.

Students will learn how to connect the methodologies and theories introduced in class by connecting them to current political issues and topics. As members of society, it is indispensable for students to understand themselves and their surroundings. Therefore, the main aim of the course will be to develop in students what C. Wright Mills called the “sociological imagination.”

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, “DP 3”, and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

Each class will be divided into two parts: the introduction of the topic and the active learning section. By the end of the course, students will have developed the ability to connect social theories with real world problems.
Feedback will be given directly to every student after each task in verbal and/or written form.

あり / Yes

なし / No

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Introduction

What is Violence?

2[対面/face to face]：Sociological Theory of Violence: Functionalist Theory

Violence will be analyzed from the functionalist perspective

3[対面/face to face]：Sociological Theory of Violence: Interactionist Theory

Violence will be analyzed from the interactionist perspective

4[対面/face to face]：Sociological Theory of Violence: Control Theory

Violence will be analyzed from the perspective of Control Theory in Sociology

5[対面/face to face]：Modernity, State Monopoly and the Civilizing Process

Norbert Elias' and Max Weber’s work will be briefly discussed to show how processes of modernization enable the state to systematically control violence

6[対面/face to face]：Structural Violence and Perpetrator-less Crimes

Social injustice and perpetrator-less crimes will be presented as a form of structural violence throughout the theories developed by Johan Galtung

7[対面/face to face]：Bureaucracy and Violence

Bureaucracy and the Milgram experiment will be discussed to show how certain social mechanisms enable large-scale atrocities

8[対面/face to face]：The Problem of Agency

Reinterpretations of the Milgram experiment that emphasize individual action and its unintended consequences will be reviewed

9[対面/face to face]：Review and Mid-term Examination

Review and Mid-term Examination

10[対面/face to face]：Case Study: Homicide in Honduras

Recent developments and consequences of the high murder rate in Honduras will be analyzed with the theories and ideas that were presented during the first half of the course

11[対面/face to face]：The Lesser Evil

Depending on the method and circumstance, counter-measures for crime, terrorism, war and inequality may also be considered as violence. Academic arguments supporting the “lesser evil” view will be addressed

12[対面/face to face]：Perpetrators, Victims and Bystanders

The relationship between perpetrators, victims and bystanders will be explored by analyzing how social interactions change depending on the situation

13[対面/face to face]：The Problem of Accountability

The concept of “structure of unaccountability” developed by Masao Maruyama will be presented in relation to the way violence is done in large-scale organizations

14[対面/face to face]：Final Exam and Conclusion

Final Exam and Conclusion

Preparatory study and review time for this class are 2 hours each.
Read the materials explained during class.

The instructor will prepare materials to be distributed in class or downloaded from the university portal.

Arendt, Hannah. Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. New York: Penguin, 2006.
Baert, Patrick. Social Theory in the Twentieth Century. Polity Press, 2004.
Bauman, Zygmunt. Liquid Evil. Malden, MA: Polity, 2016.
―――――. Modernity and the Holocaust. Cambridge: Polity, 1989.
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Vintage, 2009.
Galtung, Johan. “Violence, Peace, and Peace Research” Journal of Peace Research. Vol. 6, No. 3: pp. 167-191. Sage Publications, 1969.
Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust. New York: Vintage, 1997.
Kekes, John. Against Liberalism. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1997.
Vetlesen, Arne Johan. Evil and Human Agency: Understanding Collective Evildoing. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2005.
Zimbardo, Philip. The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil. Rider, 2009.
Zizek, Slavoj. Violence: Six Sideways Reflections. New York: Picador, 2008.

40% mid-term exam, 40% final exam, 20% participation and course work

None

Students are recommended to have taken other courses on sociology.

None