International Relations Group Projects
IR 4701E: 2010-2011
Beyond the Heart of Darkness: A Diagnosis of the Failed State and Recommendations for Reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In 2010-2011, the students of IR4701E
studied the causes, forms and evolution of ‘hot’ conflicts of
the 20th century, meaning conflicts that have
involved violence or force.
The conflicts took various forms, including inter-state,
civil, ideological, economic, ethnic, cultural and
environmental. The
class examined case studies and adopted a comparative approach
to understand the causes and resolution of conflicts.
The second term was devoted to a group project which
focused on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the mid-1990s, Congo (formerly Zaire) was the scene of
years of violent conflict, following the upheaval of the Rwanda
genocide. At various
points, almost half of Africa’s states were either directly or
indirectly involved in the various wars in Congo.
These wars led to more than 5 million people being
killed, many indirectly through disease or starvation.
Some have termed this “
The class presented their final report to two experts in the study of conflict: Professor Kim Nossal (Queen’s University) and Professor Ian Spears (University of Guelph).
IR 4701: A Blueprint for Peace in Afghanistan
In 2009-2010, the students of IR4701E studied
the causes, forms and evolution of ‘hot’ conflicts since 1900; the
case studies included global, regional, inter-state, and sub-state
conflicts, civil wars, and genocide. The seminar had three particular aims: to understand the causes
of conflicts; to trace the course of conflicts; and to determine the
goals, instruments and effectiveness of peace settlements. The group project was to draft a proposal to resolve the
on-going conflict in Afghanistan. The class split into two ‘teams’. Team A analysed existing international agreements and
objectives (outlined in the the Afghan Compact) and proposed ways to
make them work more effectively; Team B was asked to conceive of an
entirely new proposal that might lead to a more stable and peaceful
situation in Afghanistan and minimize the involvement of the
international community. Despite some pointed differences, the
two teams reached similar positions about the importance of Afghan
agency, far-reaching development, and the removal of international
forces. The report can be found
here.
The class presented and defended their findings to three
specialists in the study of conflict: Professor Kim Nossal
(Queen's University), Professor David Welch (the Balsillie School
of International Affairs and the University of Waterloo), and
Professor Ian Spears (University of Guelph).
The First Graduating Class in International Relations
In 2008-2009, the undergraduate program in International Relations was
completely phased in as IR4701E was offered for the first time.
Francine McKenzie (History) and Tom Deligiannis (Political
Science) designed the course as a study of
Tired but happy: the class of IR4701
The students with their distinguished guests.