The Politics of Peace (American University Syllabus, 2006)
The Politics of Peace
Spring Semester ’06
American 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
I’d Rather Teach Peace
Two papers between1,000 and 1,200 words each are expected. The first is due March 7, the second April 25, the final class. 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.
Questions will be based on readings from the course texts and material covered in class.
Each paper counts for a third of the final grade, with the remaining third from the exam. 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. Papers 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. Poor attendance can affect the final grade. If you miss a class, 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 cmccarthy@starpower.net. Appointments can be easily scheduled.
An introductory discussion of the relationship between politics and peace, including the differences between practical pacifism and spiritual pacifism, and the differences between legal violence and illegal violence.
What exactly is meant by peace? If politicians claim they want peace and if every human heart yearns for peace, why is there little of it? For this class, we’ll read chapter one in “Strength Through Peace.”
Where has nonviolence worked? The question is perennially asked. To get an answer or two on how it works both personally and politically, read chapter one in Solutions to Violence.
Time now for Gandhi. All four books have essays by and about Gandhi. Let’s dig in so the class discussion can be information-based and not merely opinion-based..
February 14.
Some more Gandhi, including a biographical documentary on his life and ideas,
February 21
A discussion of legalized violence, as in the death penalty. All four texts have writings on capital punishment and all the essays should be read.
February 28
The film documentary “From Fury To Forgiveness” will be shown, followed by a class discussion. The film is about families of murder victims who are not only opposed to the death penalty but actively work to abolish it.
An examination of the Vietnam War and the current war in Iraq: the similarities and the differences. Chapter 8 in “Strength Through Peace” and the Martin Luther King Jr. essay on Vietnam on page 69 of “Solutions.”
How are the media covering the current war in Iraq? Readings: the first chapter in “All of One Peace,” which details the difficulties that occurred during the 1991 invasion of Iraq. as contrasted with the 2003 war. “Lines in the Sand,” a documentary will be shown.
How did journalists fare during the Vietnam War?
Chapter 8 in “Strength Through Peace” should be read for the class discussion. The documentary, “Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam” will be shown and discussed
Week Eleven
How does nonviolence work in personal relationships and within families? The victimization of women in both wars across the oceans and across the living room will be discussed. Chapter 11 in “Strength Through Peace” should be read.
Week Twelve
An examination of the longest war in recorded history, the war of human beings against animals . All four texts have essays on animal rights and human wrongs.
Week Thirteen
A discussion of anarchism and pacifism, as found in the writings of Tolstoy and Gandhi. For class, read the essays by and about Tolstoy in Chapter 12 in “Solutions.” A documentary film on how films influence the public’s perception of war, patriotism and nationalism.
April 25 Week Fourteen
A final wrap of up of the themes of the course. For cvlass, read “Education and Success” by Thomas Merton, plus his essays “A Message to Poets.” Both are in Chapter 15 of “Solutions.”
Final Exam May 9