Landmines: Displacement and Distorted Geographies (APA4131.01)

Noah Coburn

Despite the 1997 comprehensive landmine ban, there are over 100 million landmines in 30 countries, with millions more still being produced each year. Landmines kill and injury 15,000 to 20,000 people annually, but beyond this, the presence of landmines reshape the ways that people live, the land they can cultivate and the communities that they are connected to. Landmine clearance, in particular, is an interdisciplinary exercise with technical, economic, political and social consequences. This course takes a similarly interdisciplinary approach to look at the lived experiences of landmines from an anthropological, political and public health angle. Case studies will be drawn Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nepal, the Balkans and elsewhere. Students will be asked to conduct an independent research project as a final paper that develops a clear line of inquiry into how we live with and think about landmines.

Prerequisites: Students will be prioritized who have previous work in SCT or APA, and/or plans with overlapping interests and concerns. Please send a brief email after registration begins to ncoburn@bennington.edu stating why you are interested in this course and any potential connections to your Plan.
Credits: 2
M 2:10pm - 4:00pm; Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm (first seven weeks)
Maximum Enrollment: 16
Course Frequency:
This course is categorized as 4000, Advancement of Public Action, All courses, Areas of Study, CAPA, First Seven Week, Monday and/or Thursday Afternoons, Noah Coburn, Two Credit, and tagged , , , , , .