There is overwhelming evidence that insecurity, conflict and violence have a significant impact on development, as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs). In SDG16 the international community for the first time has recognized the impact of violence, calling on States to “Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere….End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children…..Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all….By 2030, significantly reduce illicit arms flows…..Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime. These social conditions will be explored in this course as well as those topics that the instructor has been professionally involved with at the local, national and global level….gang violence reduction, gun control, the arms trade, landmines, child soldiers, and demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants.

Course requirements include a midterm and final exam. Students may select an individual project in lieu of the final exam, in which you select a social condition (e.g., youth violence), determine the causes for this condition, and evaluate the programs that have been developed and implemented to improve this social condition.