This class will give students a look into the murky and ambivalent relationship between violence and political order, from the historical origins of the state to the violent breakdown of political order today. Most theories of political order begin with the perspective that state institutions set limits on the legitimate use of violence and so control the violent tendencies of an anarchic society. Yet state building is itself a deeply violent process. Moreover the state continues to be a prolific user of violence. Aside from the obvious case of war between states, both democratic and authoritarian states engage in varying levels of everyday violence. In some cases, this violence is perceived as legitimate, as in the use of imprisonment as a punishment for criminal activity. In other cases, states transgress norms of legitimate violence, engaging in activities such as torture, sexual violence, and even ethnic cleansing. This course will cover topics including state building, torture, civil war, and crime and punishment. We will read work from political science, political economy, political sociology and political theory. This is a reading intensive seminar.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand different empirical and theoretical approaches to the analysis violence and political order.
2. Develop appropriate conceptual, theoretical, and empirical research methods from political science, political sociology, and political theory.
3. Compare and analyze variation in types of political violence.
4. Apply the principals of good research design in developing their own research.
5. Communicate knowledgeably on range of topics within the area of violence and political order.

Recommended Resources

Students may wish to purchase certain books after reviewing the course reading list.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	23 July: The Formation of the Earliest States	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
2	30 July: The Rise and Decline of Imperial States	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
3	6 August: Early Modern European State Formation	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
4	13 August: The Emergence of the Modern State	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
5	20 August: Institutions, Violence, and Political Order	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
6	27 August: Colonial State Formation	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
7	17 September: Decolonization and Colonial Legacies	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
8	24 September: State Legibility, State Avoidance, State Eligibility, and Indigenous Politics	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
9	1 October: Territorial Dimensions of the State	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
10	8 October: Wars, Militaries, and States	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
11	15 October: State Power and Social Forces	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'
12	22 October: Civil Wars, Insurgencies, Secessionist Conflict, Rebel Governance, and Post-Conflict Political Orders	class participation and written 'discussion contributions'

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Critical seminar discussion	10 %	22/10/2025	05/11/2025	1, 2, 3, 5
Weekly Canvas Forum Discussion Contributions	10 %	22/07/2025	*	1, 2, 3
Seminar presentation	10 %	22/10/2025	05/11/2025	1, 2, 3, 5
Mid-term Essay	25 %	19/09/2025	10/10/2025	1, 2, 3, 5
Final Essay	45 %	07/11/2025	*	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Canvas’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

See above. If a student expects to be absent due to illness or emergency, he or she should (whenever practicable) email the convenor prior to the seminar.

Assessment Task 1

Critical seminar discussion

10% of total grade. Students are expected to attend all seminar sessions and actively participate in seminar discussions with consistent and intelligent contributions. If a student expects to be absent due to illness or emergency, he or she should (whenever practicable) email the convenor prior to the seminar.

Assessment Task 2

Weekly Canvas Forum Discussion Contributions

10% of total grade. Students will be required to submit brief comments on readings for ten of the twelve weeks of the semester. They should be roughly 200 words in length, and will be marked on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory scale. Should a student submit fewer than ten comments, a mark of zero will be given for each missing assignment.

 

The discussion contributions are to be turned in by 9:00 pm on the Tuesday evening prior to the Wednesday seminar, and late submissions will be recorded with potential impact on the final assessment score for this portion of the course grade. They should be submitted via Canvas, and thus be available for all participants to read. Submissions after Wednesday morning at 11 am will not be accepted. Please note further that you should not submit a contribution for the week in which you are providing a seminar presentation.

 

Your contributions will examine the assigned readings for the week, and there are a range of directions in which your contributions can go. You can pose questions for discussion, highlight salient quotes, draw parallels with readings in other weeks, note particular strengths/weaknesses of an argument, etc. This should be viewed as a “rapid response” exercise rather than as a polished piece of work, providing some quick reflections in advance of the weekly seminar.

Assessment Task 3

Seminar presentation

10% of total grade. Each student will make one 10-12 minute presentation to open up a seminar. These presentations should examine major issues and arguments found in the readings, and raise important questions for discussion—focusing more on the forest than the trees. In preparing presentations, students are expected to concentrate primarily on the assigned readings, but are of course welcome to supplement their analysis with the recommended readings and other relevant works.

 

Your task is not to summarize the readings, but rather to examine critically and comparatively some aspect of the author or authors' arguments, evidence, conclusion, theoretical contribution and/or interpretation. Some of the questions you might examine are: How does the analysis relate to other analyses assigned either for the same week or for previous weeks? What is the main argument of the author or authors? What evidence is brought to bear? Are you convinced by the conclusion? What do you see as particular strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or gaps that deserve further attention? What alternative explanations or interpretations might you find convincing? What interesting comparative insights come forth, and how applicable do you find them either in cross-national or cross-temporal terms? What are the key theoretical contributions that the author or authors are trying to make, and do they succeed? If the author were to join our seminar (even if this were to require coming back from the grave), what key question or questions might you want to pose to him or her?

 

These questions are intended to provide a sense of the many diverse ways in which you might structure your presentation, and you will of course need to choose a focus that is readily tractable within the time limits noted above.

Assessment Task 4

Mid-term Essay

1750 words, 25% of total grade. The questions for the first essay will be distributed on 29 August September and be due on 19 September. It will cover the readings and discussion in the first six weeks of the semester.

Assessment Task 5

Final Essay

3000 words, 45% of total grade. The questions for the second essay will be distributed on a date tbd during the final exam period; students will be given 7 days to complete the essay. It will cover the readings and discussion across the entire semester.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students