This is a course about why some societies are political unstable and violent, how order comes about, and what you, international organizations, and domestic reformers can do about it (if anything).

Course information

• We meet Mondays 10:10am to 12pm in IAB 711 (420 W 118th St.)
• You can always reach me at chrisblattman@columbia.edu
• My office is IAB 819 and you can sign up for an office hours appointment online

Course goals

In terms of the subject matter, my goals are for you to:

• Understand the demand for order and the multiple forms it takes
• Understand the causes of violence
• Understand the origins of states, formal institutions (e.g. the rule of law), and informal institutions (e.g. social norms)
• Think critically about interventions and policy reforms designed to build states, improve the quality of institutions, or keep peace

The course is also designed to help you (and me) build some broader skill sets:

• Learn to read, write, and discuss academic ideas critically
• Learn to write encyclopedically: a neutral, balanced, well-sourced article
• Think critically about information online, sourcing, and social and collaborative media
• Get Wiki-savvy

Structure of the Class and Grading

There are three main components to the class:

1. Critically reading the assigned readings before class
2. Discussing the assigned readings in class
3. Wikipedia-based assignments, designed to help you learn while also improving the quality of social science in Wikipedia

Your grade will be based on: 35% quality of in-class participation and critical discussion of readings; 15% various small assignments to get you familiar with Wikipedia and started on your article; 10% peer review; 30% your final (live!) Wikipedia article; and 10% for a short critical essay that contains original thoughts, critiques and ideas on your topic that are not appropriate for the Wikipedia article.

Look under the Timeline tab for weekly readings, assignments, and (at bottom) more detail about the grading.

Reading and in-class discussion

Each week I will assign 2-4 articles or a book, or book sections. There will be up to about 100 pages of reading a week. This reading is required, since it's really the main way you are going to learn the material.

Each week I will also note some suggested readings. these are there for your convenience, in case you are interested in the subject or want to consider them as raw materials for your Wikipedia assignments.

Look under the Timeline tab for readings. In general I will either:

• Provide a link directly to the article, typically accessible if you are on the University network or a proxy server
• For chapters and excerpts not online, I will scan and place a copy in Columbia's CourseWorks
• Or, in the cases where I want you to read most or all of a book, I will provide an Amazon.com link, since new and used versions will typically be cheapest there (with used versions cheaper than the university bookstore in my experience). I will also put a copy of the book on reserve in the social science library in IAB.

Wikipedia-based assignments

All of your assignments are going to be Wikipedia based. I've never done this before. This is an experiment. We're going to do it in collaboration with the Wiki Education Foundation, which is a non-profit spin-off of Wikipedia that aims to improve education while also improving the quality, quantity, and diversity of knowledge available for free to all.

I like the idea that the class contributes to some public good. We're going to be putting more and better quality social science into the public domain, the Wikipedia way. Ultimately you're going to write a new Wikipedia article or dramatically improve an existing one. Plus some other stuff.

Fortunately we will have our hands held by a Wiki Edu representative. Learning the norms and practices of encyclopedia writing, especially an online collaborative tool, will be a learning experience for us all.

I think you'll be motivated to do well, and feel pressure to work hard, but also feel a sense of accomplishment.

Writing clearly and in a balanced way is a useful skill. You will use writing in every aspect of your professional and personal life. And this style of encyclopedic writing has much in common with academic writing, journalism, policy memos, briefings to your boss or client, and so forth.

My one hesitation is that Wikipedia does not allow you to write critically or creatively. I usually design my courses to develop these critical thinking and writing skills. This course will not accomplish that nearly as well. Nonetheless, I hope to foster critical reading and thinking in class discussions of the weekly readings.

You can read more about the specific timeline, assignments, and Wikipedia work under the Timeline tab.

Academic integrity

As you work in Wikipedia, you will learn its codes of conduct and guidelines for integrity.

But of course you will also be held to a similar high standard by Columbia University. This is a reminder that all Columbia College students now make the following pledge:

We, the undergraduate students of Columbia University, hereby pledge to value the integrity of our ideas and the ideas of others by honestly presenting our work, respecting authorship, and striving not simply for answers but for understanding in the pursuit of our common scholastic goals. In this way, we seek to build an academic community governed by our collective efforts, diligence, and Code of Honor.

In addition, all Columbia College students are committed to the following honor code:

I affirm that I will not plagiarize, use unauthorized materials, or give or receive illegitimate help on assignments, papers, or examinations. I will also uphold equity and honesty in the evaluation of my work and the work of others. I do so to sustain a community built around this Code of Honor.

I will assume you are familiar with these codes and how to faithfully abide by them. You can read more here.