COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST POLI 455-POST-CONFLICT PEACEBUILDING AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

FIRST SEMESTER, 2014/2015

LECTURER: A. K. D. FREMPONG

COURSE TITLE	POST-CONFLICT PEACEBUILDING AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
COURSE CODE	POLI 455
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES	The task of building peace after violent conflict is more arduous than prosecuting the war itself. The situation is made worse particularly in post-Cold War Conflicts in Africa characterized by violation of all tenets of war,  high civilian casualty and displacement, proliferation of warring factions each carving a colony for itself and demanding a seat at the peace conference table, long periods of ‘no war, no peace’ situations, the use of Child Soldiers, etc. Upon completion of this course students should be able to: ·         Understand the tasks of post-conflict peacebuilding and the various approaches in dealing with them ·         Examine related basic concepts ·         Understand the nature of post-Cold War Conflicts and Peace Settlement as well as Post-Conflict Societies. ·         Critically discuss specific aspects of post-conflict peacebuilding with case studies - Elections, Reintegration (of the displaced, child soldiers, women, etc), Security and Transitional Justice. ·         To sensitize and enhance the ability of students to contribute to discussions on issues of Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice On each of the various topics, worst case scenarios and/or best practices will be examined. Readings on some case studies are assigned to give student practical meaning to the theoretical issues discussed. CASE STUDIES: Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone
WEEK NO	Date	Lecture Course	Tutorials	Venue	Assessment
1-3		Understanding Post Conflict, Peacebuilding & Transitional Justice	What is Post-conflict, Peacebuilding &Transitional Justice	Lecture: NNB2 Tutorial: DLR
4-6		Nature of Post Cold War Conflicts and Overview of Post Conflict Societies	Features of Post-Cold War conflicts & Post Conflict societies	Lecture: NNB2 Tutorial: DLR
7		Peace Settlement	Discuss Peace Settlements Case Studies: Liberia & CIV	Lecture: NNB2 Tutorial: DLR
8		Post-Conflict Elections	Analyse Post Conflict Elections Case Studies: Liberia/ CIV	Lecture: NNB2 Tutorial: DLR
9-11		Reintegration of the War Affected: The Displaced, Women, Child Soldiers	Define Reintegration & discuss IDPs, Child Soldiers etc	Lecture: NNB2 Tutorial: DLR
12-13		Transitional Justice	Examine different modes of Transitional Justice Case Study: Sierra Leone	Lecture: NNB2 Tutorial: DLR

Reading List

Michael W. Doyle & Nicholalas Sambanis (1999) Peacebuilding : Challenges and Strategies After Civil War http://www.worldbank.org/research/conflict/papers/building.pdf

Eugenia Date-Baah (2007) Challenges of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Some Reflections, Accra: Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) Inaugural Lecture.

Priscilla B. Hayner (2002) “Confronting Past Crimes”, in Unspeakable Truths, New York/London: Routledge, Chapter 2, pp. 10-23

Goliath Business News (2007) “Intra-State Conflicts in the Post-Cold War Era”, International Journal on World Peace Online, 1 December, http://goliath.ecnext,com/coms2/gi_0199-7634177/Intra-state-conflicts-in-the.html

E. H. Bombande and Z. S. Takwa (2007) Ouagadougou Peace Accord: A Break-Through At Last? WANEP Policy Brief.

M. Ndulo and S. Lulo (2010) “Free and Fair Elections, Violence and Conflict”, Harvard ILJ Online, Vol. 51, July.

S. Michailof, M. Kostner and X. Devictor (2002) Post-Conflict Recovery in Africa: An Agenda for the Africa Region, World Bank African Region Working Paper Series, No. 30.

C. A. Crocker, F. O. Hampson and P. Aall (2004) “Recipes for Securing Settlement” and “Making Settlement Stick”, Taming Intractable Conflicts: Mediation in the Hardest Cases, Washington D. C: USIP Press, Chps. 7 & 8, pp. 149-184.

W. Kune (2010)  The Role of Elections in Emerging Democracies and Post Conflict Countries: Key Issues, Lessons Learnt and Dilemmas, FES International Policy Analysis.

K. D. Loetzer and A. Casper (2011) After the Presidential Election in Cote d’ Ivoire, KAS International Report.

Priscilla B. Hayner (2002) “Why a Truth Commission?”, in Unspeakable Truths, New York/London: Routledge, Chapter 3, pp. 24-31.

Overview of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Report

NB: Students must as well do internet searches of their own.

Examination

The examination will be in two parts: Interim Assessment (30%) and End-of- Semester Examination 70%. The Interim Assessment will be a take-home assignment and the End of Semester Examination will consist of a two-and-half-hour paper with two sections: section A 50 short answer questions covering the entire course. Attention must therefore be paid to details on topics treated. Section B will have three essay questions from which students answer one.