Sexual violence occurs in many conflicts, and affects both women, men and children. The consequences of the violence can be detrimental to the survivors themselves, their families, and entire communities; and the effects can linger long after war has ended. Only recently has the international community recognized this type of violence as an international security issue. How and why did the international community start to take this issue seriously? How prevalent is conflict-related sexual violence globally? What are the causes and consequences of conflict-related sexual violence? How can we stop sexual violence, and help survivors? These are some of the key questions in this course.

Sexual violence can be a particularly difficult topic to study due to the sensitive nature of the topic, which can create ethical dilemmas and practical challenges. We will discuss how we do research on sensitive or hidden phenomena in general, and how to evaluate and use different types of source material in the case of sexual violence in particular. The students will use this skill set to do a case study of a recent or ongoing conflict. Based on theories about causes of conflict-related sexual violence and existing data and findings, we will discuss what policies and prevention mechanisms could reduce or stop conflict-related sexual violence.

Class Format:

The course will include individual and group-based assignments. Grades will be determined based on a final written assignment (take-home exam) (50%), a midterm group assignment based on class readings and own research (30%), and class participation and quizzes (20%).