Riots, Rebellions, Revolutions
Violent political conflict is the subject of this MIT political science course, which compares psychological, sociological, and political explanations for why riots, rebellions, and revolutions break out, how long they last, and how they end. Case studies include the 1960s race riots in the United States, communal riots in India, the wars that broke up Yugoslavia, and the Russian Revolution, alongside contemporary events analyzed through the same theoretical lenses. Materials include the full syllabus, weekly readings drawn from social science literature, and assignments that ask students to apply competing frameworks to specific historical cases. As part of MIT OpenCourseWare, all lecture notes and course materials are freely downloadable, with no certificate offered. The course works through why some grievances turn violent while similar ones stay peaceful, and why some uprisings end quickly while others drag into prolonged war.