The Literature of Peace (Georgetown University Syllabus, 2005)
The Literature of Peace
Summer 2005
Georgetown University
Prof. Colman McCarthy
If every government claims it wants peace, and if every human heart yearns for peace, why is there so little of it? Why are fists, guns, armies and bombs routinely relied on as the ways to settle conflicts, whether across the living room or across an ocean? And one more question: why are so few of the nation’s 78,000 elementary schools, 31,000 high schools and 3,100 colleges and universities offering courses on the study and practice of nonviolent force?
This course is a modest solution. It offers a chance for students to break away from conventional thinking, worn-out politics, quick-fixes and slow progress. Studying nonviolence is not for the faint or weak of heart, nor conformists, nor the close-minded. Instead, it is for those who are intellectually brave, spiritually alive and socially engaged.
The course is discussion-based. Dissent and debate is welcomed. One skeptic enlivens the class more than a dozen passive agreers. Readings will be assigned at the end of class for the following class.
COURSE TEXTS
Strength Through Peace: the Ideas and People of Nonviolence
Solutions to Violence
All of One Peace
Two papers between1,000 and 1,200 words each are expected. The first is due July 29, the second August 12. The writing should be reflective, fresh, imaginative, cliché-free and based on the essays in the course texts. The ideal paper is a mix of personal reflection, analysis and fact-based commentary. It should not be a research paper, tilled from the depleted soil of term paper dullness. Write a paper that is uniquely and creatively your own that no one else could write. The paper should be directly related either to the readings in our texts and possibly your own life experiences involving violence or nonviolence. The best writing is fresh, clear and convincing. In addition to spell check, press the key for cliché check. That’s the one in your frontal lobe, right near the all important amygdala.
Each paper counts for 45 percent of the final grade, with the remaining 10 percent based on the intangibles: attendance, speaking skills in class discussions, being on time. Papers that are exceptionally well written, creative and unique earn A’s. Papers that are above average, flow with
well-constructed prose and have occasional flashes of creativity earn B’s. Paper that show only an ordinary command of language skills and aren’t especially noteworthy in either style or intelligence earn C’s. Papers that read as if they were dashed off the night before the due date, or give the appearance of being recycled from old papers from other classes, or cause the professor to fall asleep after the third paragraph earn a D or F depending how long the sleep lasts.
The best reason for missing class is a death: yours or mine.
Relatives, friends, roommates, personal trainers, maids, nannies, employers and assorted primates are welcomed to class. Pets, too. If you miss a class, it’s best to check with a classmate for the next reading assignment.
AVAILABILITY
I’m reachable at the Center for Teaching Peace, 450l Van Ness St., NW, Washington DC 20017 or 202 537-1372 or colman1@earthlink.net. Appointments can be easily scheduled.