Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - POL 434W D100

Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict (4)

Class Number: 6742

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    POL 201 and eight upper division units in political science or permission of the department.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Nationalist movements and intrastate ethnic conflict around the globe. Begins with an overview of nationalism, including its historical emergence, its roots, and different types. Moves on to ethnic conflict, focusing on its sources and potential solutions to this problem. Students with credit for POL 338W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Quantitative.

COURSE DETAILS:

Course Description:

The general theme of this course is to understand ethnic conflict and political violence, with case studies from South Asia. There are various types of political violence studied by scholars, but we will mostly focus on ethnic riots, vigilantism, and different types of insurgency movements. We will first study theories related to these topics and then focus on examples drawn from South Asia. While there has been a lot of insurgency movements and ethnic violence in this region of the world, it has been less studied by scholars of political violence. In this course, we will focus on some of the important literature on these forms of political violence in South Asia. We will read some canonical literature, as well as some newly emerging themes in the study of civil wars/ insurgencies and ethnic violence in South Asia.

The first part of the course will focus on Hindu Muslim riots which are a specific form of political violence, and we will watch some documentaries and read some well-known scholars on this topic. We will also have a week on a new form of political violence called ‘cow vigilantism’ in India, in which Hindutva forces target Muslim minorities in India for selling cow meat. Then in the second part of the course, we will look at ethnic secessionist insurgency in India and Pakistan and also leftist insurgency in India and Nepal, which are different forms of insurgency. We will also study colonial legacies of state formation and conflict in South Asia.

Note:  This course is combined with POL 832.

Grading

  • Class participation 40%
  • Presentation 10%
  • Research Proposal 15%
  • Research paper 35%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All required readings will be available either as an electronic link, or as a scanned copy online at the course website on Quercus.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

The Department of Political Science strictly enforces a policy on plagiarism.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.