I decided to overhaul my Master's level course this year, adding new material and dropping old. I was laboring under the reading and re-reading and stress of a new syllabus. Just as I was getting to the point where I thought, "OK, this is good enough, I can get it perfect as the class gets moving," a close colleague reminded me that a syllabus is a contract, and the more time I invest it in now the easier my life is going to be.

So I persevered, and indeed have one more week, but there are new topics where I'm not sure what I should cover. And maybe good ideas or readings I've missed. So the syllabus is below for those who enjoy these things.

You can search for "TBD" if you want to see where I'm undecided: how to talk about "strong societies" and how they shape states and institutions; what to cover on successful state-building in the modern era (ideally domestic reform strategies but also external interventions; and the role of peacekeeping, military intervention, occupation and trustee states.

Recommendations welcome, especially if you can say why.

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