Human Rights Center Course Description

Documenting War: Field Methods in Historical Context, School of Journalism 298, School of Public Health 290, International and Area Studies 230

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this course will examine several research field methods which have been applied over the past century to document war and its effects on civilian populations. Who are the chroniclers of war? What have been their motivations? How have their research methods evolved over time? What ethical dilemmas have they faced? And have they helped us better understand the causes of war and so that it may be prevented in the future? The course will examine such issues as (1) the methods and procedures forensic scientists and health professionals have developed to expose genocide and crimes against humanity; (2) the changing role of medical and health professionals in moving from treatment of war injuries to human rights advocacy; (3) the symbiotic relationship between civilian and combat medicine that has led to the development of modern medical procedures, including anesthesia and surgery; (4) the role artists, photographers, historians, and anthropologists have played as chroniclers of war; (5) journalism's role in exposing or covering up war crimes; (6) the role of psychiatry in examining the traumatic effects of war through its explorations of "shell shock," "combat fatigue," and "post-traumatic stress disorder," (7) the contributions of epidemiology in describing the spread of infectious diseases as a result of war; and (8) the development and implementation of international humanitarian law. Instructors are Eric Stover and Harvey Weinstein.

Download the course syllabus [in PDF].