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POL 314 Power, Inequality, and Violence

This course considers how violence is used systematically by organized political and social actors and how the use of violence by such actors responds strategically to competition over power and resources. It considers violence both as an effect of or response to status quo structures of power and economic inequality. It also considers how various actors use violence as an attempt to maintain or change the status quo. It approaches these questions using political economy and game theoretic methods, with an emphasis on defining and testing hypotheses about the use of violence.
4 Undergraduate credits

Effective December 15, 2025 to present

Meets graduation requirements for

Learning outcomes

General

  • Analyze specific theories of violent actor behavior.
  • Construct novel theories about violent actor behavior in new contexts using historical, economic, cultural and other data about the context.
  • Appraise empirical testing strategies for their own theories that focus on drafting observable implications and generating observation protocols that produce plausible estimates.
  • Evaluate arguments about why violence occurs or how to reduce violence in specific contexts, including editorial arguments and concrete proposals for violence reduction.
  • Appraise their own novel theories about violent actor behavior using data relevant for testing their hypotheses.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

Goal 5: History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences

  • Employ the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.
  • Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.
  • Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
  • Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.

Goal 8: Global Perspective

  • Describe and analyze political, economic, and cultural elements which influence relations of states and societies in their historical and contemporary dimensions.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, social, religious and linguistic differences.
  • Analyze specific international problems, illustrating the cultural, economic, and political differences that affect their solution.
  • Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.

Spring 2026

Section Title Instructor books eservices
50 Power, Inequality, and Violence Porten, John Books for POL-314-50 Spring 2026 Course details for POL-314-50 Spring 2026