Calendar

LEC # TOPICS
1 Introductory class
Part I: Theory and Method
2 Explaining social action
3 Rationality
4 Psychological approaches, relative deprivation
5 Norms
6 Emotions
7 Structural explanations
8 In-class quiz
Part II: Contentious Politics
9–11 Dynamics of Contention
Part III: Riots
12 U.S. Riots I
13 U.S. Riots II: Relative deprivation and the 1960's urban riots
14 U.S. Riots III: The Rodney King riots in LA
15 Threshold-based models
16 Student presentations of agent-based modeling exercises
Part IV: Rebellion
17 Background to Eastern European cases
18 Cascade models applied to Eastern Europe
19 Violent rebellion in Kosovo
Part V: Revolutions
20 Revolutions I
21 Revolutions II
22 Revolutions III
Part VI: Arab Spring
23 Readings from the October 2011 edition of the Journal of Democracy
24–25 Student presentations of comparative analyses of some aspect of the Arab Spring
26 Final exam