This course aims to give students a better general understanding of the dynamics of conflict and peace. It will attempt to sensitize students to the different dimensions of conflict and peace, of their causes and effects, and of the obstacles and opportunities for meaningful change in the contemporary world. This course may be taken for Political Science credit.
The Peace Studies course is designed for students concerned with the causes of war and organized violence and the conditions for peace. The premise for the course is the belief that war and organized violence are neither necessary nor inevitable, and while change and conflict are inevitable, the challenges that face the world today can be approached from a collaborative and humanistic perspective which relies on primarily nonviolent conflict resolution alternatives. The goal is to critically analyze the most recent theories on the cause of war and organized violence at the national and the international level, to examine alternative theories and approaches to resolving and preventing organized violence and war, as well as contending approaches to peacemaking, building cooperative global relationships, and international negotiation and to analyze current conflict situations and develop policy proposals for their resolution. Peace, in this context, includes economic, social and political justice, ecological balance, and nonviolent conflict resolution. The role of culture and cross-cultural communication is an integral component of making peace work. Students will have the opportunity to develop practical skills in conflict resolution techniques, alternative conflict resolution and peacemaking strategies, and will examine the history of stability and order in the international political system.
This course is open to students in their second or subsequent year of study.
This course starts with the traditional sources of information: books, journals and movies. However, we will make extensive use of the Internet. No previous experience on the Internet is necessary to take the course as you will be given instruction during class time and outside of class. We will make use of the Internet in three different ways: through an electronic class conference, through electronic mail, and through the use of Netscape and the World Wide Web.
The electronic discussion group will be used for class assignments, sharing work and discussions. Class assignments will be given in class, but they will also be posted in the electronic class discussion group. Student’s written work will also be put, by students, into the electronic conference, so that everyone in the class, not just the professor, can have the opportunity to see, and comment on, the work of everyone else. The electronic conference will also be used by students if they have questions, or need clarification, on issues related to assignments or class work. Again, this makes it possible for both other students and the professor to respond to such concerns.
Electronic mail will be used by the professor to give detailed comments on a student’s work, general comments will be posted to the class group. A student may also prefer to use e mail for some questions to the professor that otherwise would require a visit during office hours. Electronic mail will also be used by some students to communicate with other futurists and futurist groups who are working on topics related to their interests.
Netscape and the WWW will be used for a student research paper. This research paper will use both traditional sources--such as books and journals--as well as Internet sources--such as web sites and news groups. At the end of the course the student research projects will be displayed on our IDST 2216 Home Page. In addition, the course Home Page, that details many links to course material, will make it possible for students to link to and read information all over the world relevant to the content of the course.
Each week, at least one class session will be used for working on the Internet.
Mondays will be used for lectures and presentations. Normally, Wednesdays will be used for assignments, group work and discussions on the assigned topic.
Canadian Pugwash Group. World Security: The New Challenge. (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1994). Robert Elias & Jennifer Turpin. Rethinking Peace. (Boulder: Lynne Reinner, 1994).
Mondays and Wednesdays: 8:30-9:30, 1:30-2:00, 4:00-5:30
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8:30-11:30