Eugene Finkel

Autocracy is the most prevalent regime type throughout human history and more than a half of world's population currently live in authoritarian states. This class focuses on the development of autocracy as a global phenomenon from the early states to the 21st century. We will discuss the historical evolution of this regime type, how and why autocracies are born and die, varieties of autocracy, the sources of autocratic stability and collapse, autocratic governance, how autocracies respond to crises and the external and domestic challenges authoritarian rulers and societies face in contemporary world.

Genocide is often described as the worst of crimes, the nadir of human behavior, and the world’s most "odious scourge." The goal of this course is to examine the origins and causes of genocide and to introduce students to the key works and major debates in the growing field of genocide and mass violence research. This course is divided into three parts. First, we will discuss how genocide is conceptualized and defined, explore the theories that try to explain why genocides occur, and discuss why people may participate in genocidal killing. In the second part we will examine several key case studies of genocide and mass violence. Third, we will complete the course by debating policy approaches to genocide and mass violence including prevention, intervention, post-genocide justice, reconciliation and memory.

Violence between, but especially within states is a critical and constant feature of Russian and Eastern European politics and societies, both in the past and nowadays. These events can be large scale, such as wars, ethnic conflicts, revolutions and genocides, but also less visible, such as criminal violence or police brutality. Whereas some instances of violence are well known, only recently experts have started paying serious attention to understanding the many forms of violence in Russia and Eastern Europe. The goal of this class is to introduce students to the different types of political and social violence in Russia and Eastern Europe since 1945, their causes, forms and impact. The class will present the key research on various aspects of violence in Russia and Eastern Europe, will discuss the similarities and differences between types and forms of violence, and will analyze the different approaches to studying violence in the region. We will also discuss the impact of violence on the societies and the people of the region and the ways to prevent, manage, and overcome violence in the post-communist world.

The war in Ukraine is the most import event in Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is also arguably the key global geopolitical development since 9/11. The Russian invasion reshaped relations between key global players, and redefined existing alliances and international organizations, such as NATO and the European Union. It killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, revived the threat of a nuclear war between Russia and the West and might unleash a global famine. The violence has and will continue to shape European and global politics for decades to come. This class centers on this war, its causes and conduct and places the conflict in the broader framework of Russia-Ukraine relations over the last 100 years. The class also leverages the war as a lens to understand Russia and Ukraine, their societies and politics.