PSIR 448 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of Political Science and International Relations

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	Discussion Group Work Case Study Critical feedback Simulation Lecture / Presentation
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	-
Course Lecturer(s)	Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Umut Can Adısönmez
Assistant(s)	Araş. Gör. Nil DİKMENGİL

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; Compare key policies of transitional justice such as trials, truth commissions, and amnesties. Discuss political, moral, and legal challenges that post-conflict societies face, with particular emphasis on human rights violations. Explain the role of different political actors, institutions, and international organizations in transitional justice. Describe how countries deal with their violent past in different ways. Classify basic concepts in the field of human rights and reconciliation in post-conflict societies with rigor and consistency.
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

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses	X
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
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	Weigthing
Participation	1	20
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury	1	20
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
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
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)	16		0
Study Hours Out of Class	12	3	36
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques			0
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments			0
Presentation / Jury	1	20	20
Project			0
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms	1	21	21
Final Exam	1	45	45
		Total	170

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	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.	-	-	-	-	-