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This course addresses options in the design of governing institutions for societies that are divided along lines of ethnicity, religion, language, or culture. It will cover both states with historic minorities and states that have experienced waves of immigration. The course will address issues of citizenship and membership in a community, as well as notions of group versus individual rights. It will also cover options for various democratic designs, including institutional systems and electoral structures intended to minimize conflict between identity groups. Case studies are introduced as examples throughout the course. The course emphasizes ongoing governance questions in diverse polities in order to understand how to better increase stability in highly divided societies.

By the end of this module, students will be able to critically evaluate institutional successes and failures in divided societies throughout the globe. They will be able to produce informed answers to the question of how some governance structures can preserve stability in divided societies, and how other governance structures can worsen political relations between identity groups. With this background, students will be able to assess both academic and policy arguments regarding governing arrangements for divided societies. Finally, students will develop skills of critical reading, thinking, and writing though a combination of readings, lectures, practical exercises, and writing assignments.