POL 102 Introduction to Politics (Conflict Management Assignment) : Getting Started

The Library component of Introduction to Politics (Political Science 102) is designed to introduce you to some of these resources and services and this guide is designed to compliment the library session and provide you a permanent guide toi the resources introduced in the session.

This guide presents authoritative resources for the GROUP PAPER ASSIGNMENT on "Conflict Management".

The group paper must effectively address 3 main questions related to conflict management:

1)    What are the historical origins of the conflict?

Identify the parties (groups, ethnicities, states, etc.) to the conflict.  Explain the causes of the conflict.  Note: In most cases, it is necessary to draw on historical events; however, put more emphasis on events in the last 50 years. 

2)      What are the manifestations of the conflict?

What is the scope of the conflict?  What behavior, actions, laws, etc., indicate the existence of a conflict? 

3)      What attempts have/are being made to manage and resolve the conflict?

Focus on recent/ongoing efforts.  What efforts have proved successful, unsuccessful, and/or neutral?

During the class it was mentioned that beginning with Background Reference sources is a good way to start, so in this guide start on that page. You will find eBooks, books, encyclopedic databases and some reliable websites. Then advance to the Newspapers & Articles page to access databases for finding world newspapers and academic, scholarly articles. Finally, there are also some excellent free websites suggested. Not all conflicts are available in each resource and some may be better than others for your country area or ethnic group.  

If you have difficulty finding what you need or don't know where to begin feel free to ask a librarian. You can usually find a  librarian at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor. The Reference Desk is staffed more than 60 hours each week. You can also reach us by phone (516-877-3574).