| Course Name | Transitional Justice: National, Regional, and Global Perspectives |
| Code | Semester | Theory (hour/week) | Application/Lab (hour/week) | Local Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSIR 448 | Fall/Spring | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Prerequisites | None | |||||
| Course Language | English | |||||
| Course Type | Elective | |||||
| Course Level | First Cycle | |||||
| Mode of Delivery | - | |||||
| Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course | DiscussionGroup WorkCase StudyCritical feedbackSimulationLecture / Presentation | |||||
| Course Coordinator | - | |||||
| Course Lecturer(s) | ||||||
| Assistant(s) | ||||||
| Course Objectives | The objective of this course is to understand and examine the multilayered challenges that post-conflict societies face. In this vein, this course draws insights from adjacent disciplines, i.e., law, sociology, and psychology, and will equip students with the necessary tools not only to address structural challenges and prolonged human rights violations in deeply divided societies, but also foster peaceful coexistence. |
| Learning Outcomes | The students who succeeded in this course;
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| Course Description | Transitional Justice is a new field of research focusing on human rights challenges which have now become central in international politics. Over the past decades societies have sought to address these questions by establishing international criminal tribunals, truth commissions, or by paying reparations. The course analyzes the landmark case studies in transitional justice, including Northern Ireland, Former Yugoslavia, Argentina, Lebanon, South Africa, Cyprus, and Spain. |
| Related Sustainable Development Goals |    |
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| Core Courses | |
| Major Area Courses | X | |
| Supportive Courses | ||
| Media and Managment Skills Courses | ||
| Transferable Skill Courses |
| Week | Subjects | Required Materials |
| 1 | Introduction | Iosif Kovras. Post-Conflict and Transitional Justice. (Oxford: Oxford Bibliographies in International Relations, 2016), https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199743292/obo-9780199743292-0157.xml (Online Access). |
| 2 | Violence & Reconciliation | International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA, 2003). “Reconciliation after Violent Conflict. A Policy Summary”, http://www.idea.int/publications/reconciliation/upload/policy_summary.pdf (Online Access). Umut Can Adısönmez. (2019). “When Conflict Traumas Fragment: Investigating the Sociopsychological Roots of Turkey’s Intractable Conflict”, Political Psychology, Vol. 40(6), pp. 1373-1390. |
| 3 | Retributive Justice: Trials | Kathryn Sikkink. The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World. (New York: WW Norton & Company, 2011), pp.1-30 (ISBN: 9780393079937). Helena Cobban (2006). “International courts”. Foreign Policy, https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/20/think-again-international-courts/ (Online Access). |
| 4 | Restorative Justice: Truth Commissions | Priscilla Hayner. Unspeakable Truths. Confronting State Terror and Atrocity. (London: Routledge, 2002), pp. 10-32 (ISBN: 0415924774). David Mendeloff (2004). “Truth-seeking, truth-telling, and postconflict peacebuilding: Curb the enthusiasm?”, International Studies Review, Vol. 6(3), pp. 355-380. |
| 5 | Victims & Victimhood | Erica Bouris. Complex Political Victims (Bloomfield: Kumarian Press, 2007), pp. 13-35 (ISBN: 1565492323). Vamık Volkan (2001). “Transgenerational Transmissions and Chosen Traumas: An Aspect of Large-Group Identity”, Group Analysis, Vol. 34(1), pp. 79-97. |
| 6 | Amnesties & Prolonged Silences: Lebanon | Iosif Kovras. Grassroots Activism and the Evolution of Transitional Justice: The Families of the Disappeared. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), pp. 111-126 (ISBN: 9781316711262). Louise Mallinder & Kieran McEvoy (2011). “Rethinking amnesties: atrocity, accountability and impunity in post-conflict societies”. Contemporary Social Science, Vol. 6(1), pp. 107-128. |
| 7 | Forensic Truth Recovery: Cyprus | Iosif Kovras. Grassroots Activism and the Evolution of Transitional Justice: The Families of the Disappeared. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), pp. 154-180 (ISBN: 9781316711262). Paul Sant Cassia (2006). “Guarding each other's dead, mourning one's own: The problem of missing persons and missing pasts in Cyprus”. South European Society & Politics, Vol. 11(1), pp. 111- 128. |
| 8 | Midterm | |
| 9 | Truth Commissions: South Africa & Chile | Robert I. Rotberg, “Truth commissions and the provision of truth, justice, and reconciliation”, chap 6 in Truth v. Justice: The Morality of Truth (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010) (ISBN: 9780691050720). |
| 10 | Trials: Argentina & Former Yugoslavia | Laurel E. Fletcher & Harvey M. Weinstein (2002). “Violence and social repair: Rethinking the contribution of justice to reconciliation”, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 24(3), pp. 573-639. Kathryn Sikkink & Carrie Booth Walling (2007). “The impact of human rights trials in Latin America”, Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 44(4), pp. 427-445. |
| 11 | Simulation: Negotiating Transitional Justice | No preparation needed. Instructions will be provided in the class. |
| 12 | Transitional Justice: Challenges Ahead | Tine Destrooper, Elke Evrard, The (Many) Afterlives of Transitional Justice: Practice-based Insights on Continuity, Impact and Evolving Justice Struggles, International Journal of Transitional Justice, 2025. Tricia D. Olsen, Leigh A. Payne & Andrew G. Reit balance: When transitional justice improves hum democracy”, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 32(4) Anne Leebaw (2008). “The irreconcilable goals Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 30(1), pp. 95-118. |
| 13 | Group Presentations | |
| 14 | Group Presentations | |
| 15 | Semester Review | |
| 16 | Final Exam |
| Course Notes/Textbooks | Iosif Kovras. Post-Conflict and Transitional Justice. (Oxford: Oxford Bibliographies in International Relations, 2016), https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199743292/obo-9780199743292-0157.xml (Online Access).
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA, 2003). “Reconciliation after Violent Conflict. A Policy Summary”, http://www.idea.int/publications/reconciliation/upload/policy_summary.pdf (Online Access).
Umut Can Adısönmez. (2019). “When Conflict Traumas Fragment: Investigating the Sociopsychological Roots of Turkey’s Intractable Conflict”, Political Psychology, Vol. 40(6), pp. 1373-1390.
Kathryn Sikkink. The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World. (New York: WW Norton & Company, 2011), pp.1-30 (ISBN: 9780393079937).
Helena Cobban (2006). “International courts”. Foreign Policy, https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/20/think-again-international-courts/ (Online Access).
Priscilla Hayner. Unspeakable Truths. Confronting State Terror and Atrocity. (London: Routledge, 2002), pp. 10-32 (ISBN: 0415924774).
David Mendeloff (2004). “Truth-seeking, truth-telling, and postconflict peacebuilding: Curb the enthusiasm?”, International Studies Review, Vol. 6(3), pp. 355-380.
Erica Bouris. Complex Political Victims (Bloomfield: Kumarian Press, 2007), pp. 13-35 (ISBN: 1565492323).
Vamık Volkan (2001). “Transgenerational Transmissions and Chosen Traumas: An Aspect of Large-Group Identity”, Group Analysis, Vol. 34(1), pp. 79-97.
Iosif Kovras. Grassroots Activism and the Evolution of Transitional Justice: The Families of the Disappeared. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), pp. 111-126 (ISBN: 9781316711262).
Louise Mallinder & Kieran McEvoy (2011). “Rethinking amnesties: atrocity, accountability and impunity in post-conflict societies”. Contemporary Social Science, Vol. 6(1), pp. 107-128.
Iosif Kovras. Grassroots Activism and the Evolution of Transitional Justice: The Families of the Disappeared. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), pp. 154-180 (ISBN: 9781316711262).
Paul Sant Cassia (2006). “Guarding each other's dead, mourning one's own: The problem of missing persons and missing pasts in Cyprus”. South European Society & Politics, Vol. 11(1), pp. 111- 128.
Robert I. Rotberg, “Truth commissions and the provision of truth, justice, and reconciliation”, chap 6 in Truth v. Justice: The Morality of Truth (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010) (ISBN: 9780691050720). Laurel E. Fletcher & Harvey M. Weinstein (2002). “Violence and social repair: Rethinking the contribution of justice to reconciliation”, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 24(3), pp. 573-639.
Kathryn Sikkink & Carrie Booth Walling (2007). “The impact of human rights trials in Latin America”, Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 44(4), pp. 427-445.
Tricia D. Olsen, Leigh A. Payne & Andrew G. Reiter (2010). “The justice balance: When transitional justice improves human rights and democracy”, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 32(4), pp. 980-1007.
Browyn Anne Leebaw (2008). “The irreconcilable goals of transitional justice”, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 30(1), pp. 95-118. |
| Suggested Readings/Materials | Jack Snyder & Leslie Vinjamuri (2003). “Trials and Errors: Principle and Pragmatism in Strategies of International Justice”, International Security, Vol. 28(3), ss. 5-44.
Paul Van Zyl (1999). “Dilemmas of transitional justice: The case of South Africa's truth and reconciliation commission”, Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 52(2), ss. 647-667.
Antonius C. G. M. Robben (2005). “How traumatized societies remember: the aftermath of Argentina's dirty war”, Cultural Critique, Vol. 59(1), ss. 120-164.
Eric Brahm (2007). “Uncovering the truth: Examining truth commission success and impact”, International Studies Perspectives, Vol. 8(1), ss. 16-35.
Kieran McEvoy & Louise Mallinder (2012). “Amnesties in transition: punishment, restoration, and the governance of mercy. Journal of Law and Society”, Vol. 39(3), ss. 410-440.
Juan E. Méndez (2001). “National reconciliation, transnational justice, and the international criminal court”, Ethics & International Affairs, Vol. 15(1), ss. 25-44.
Diane F. Orentlicher (1991). “Settling accounts: the duty to prosecute human rights violations of a prior regime”, Yale Law Journal, Vol. 100(8), ss. 2537-2615.
Onur Bakıner (2015). Truth Commissions: Memory, Power, and Legitimacy. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Kathryn Sikkink (2011). The Justica Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World Politics. W.W. Norton & Company.
Josif Kovras (2017). Grassroots Activism and the Evolution of Transitional Justice. Cambridge University Press. |
| Semester Activities | Number | Weighting |
| Participation | 1 | 20 |
| Laboratory / Application | ||
| Field Work | ||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
| Portfolio | ||
| Homework / Assignments | ||
| Presentation / Jury | 1 | 20 |
| Project | ||
| Seminar / Workshop | ||
| Oral Exam | ||
| Midterm | 1 | 20 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 40 |
| Total |
| Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 3 | 60 |
| Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 1 | 40 |
| Total |
| Semester Activities | Number | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | ||
| Study Hours Out of Class | 12 | 3 | 36 |
| Field Work | |||
| Quizzes / Studio Critiques | |||
| Portfolio | |||
| Homework / Assignments | |||
| Presentation / Jury | 1 | 20 | |
| Project | |||
| Seminar / Workshop | |||
| Oral Exam | |||
| Midterms | 1 | 21 | |
| Final Exams | 1 | 45 | |
| Total | 170 |
| # | Program Competencies/Outcomes | * Contribution Level | ||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | To be able to use the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in the areas of Political Science and International Relations. | X | ||||
| 2 | To be able to have the basic knowledge of, and make use of other disciplines which contribute to the areas of Political Science and International Relations. | X | ||||
| 3 | To be able to distinguish the differences between classical and contemporary theories and to assess their relationship. | |||||
| 4 | To be able to recognize regional and global issues, and develop solutions based on research. | X | ||||
| 5 | To be able to assess the acquired knowledge and skills in the areas of Political Science and International Relations critically. | X | ||||
| 6 | To be able to transfer ideas and proposals on issues in the areas of Political Science and International Relations to other people and institutions verbally and in writing. | X | ||||
| 7 | To be able to identify the historical continuity and changes observed in the relations between the actors and institutions of national and international politics. | X | ||||
| 8 | To be able to examine concepts, theories, and developments with scientific methods in the areas of Political Science and International Relations. | X | ||||
| 9 | To be able to take responsibility as an individual and as a team member. | X | ||||
| 10 | To be able to act in accordance with the scientific and ethical values in studies related to Political Science and International Relations. | |||||
| 11 | To be able to collect data in the areas of Political Science and International Relations and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1). | |||||
| 12 | To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently. | |||||
| 13 | To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout human history to their field of experience. | |||||
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest
