Student Responses from Peace Studies Courses

Peace Studies

Catholic University

2nd Semester ‘05

Prof. Colman McCarthy

A sampling of answers….

I’m the one who….

--has unorthodox ideas, like war is wrong, killing is bad, strange ideas like that.

--loves a good argument.

--is completely confused but wants to do good for the world.

--inspires people and embraces people who I don’t even know.

--can name 10 beers but barely one pacifist.

--came to C.U. despite odd looks and comments from my peers.

Why are you taking the course and what do want to get out of it?

--because I devote my life to peace and nonviolence, and I am always looking to expand my knowledge.

--I have three free electives and thought “hey, I’m peaceful.”

---Most people think of peace as the absence of war and violence. I want to find out if there is more to it.

--I would like to learn conflict resolution and how it applies to world politics.

--I hope that in whatever direction my life goes I can somehow help to make it better and to serve others in that manner. I have chosen to pursue politics in my academic life and if my career brings me in that direction I hope to become involved in the international community. If God chooses to lead me in that direction, I hope that His guidance as well as this class might serve as a basis for the aid I can give to the world.

A basic math question. What are you paying for each class in this course?

--approx. $380 per hour

--I’m going to skip this. I’m not good at arithmetic.

--Isn’t it like $60 an hour?

--$120 an hour

Give three answers to the question, who are you?

--teacher, learner, talker

--an idealist, a child of God and a firm believer that all people have some good in them.

--an Irish-American female, a liberal, someone interested in a little bit of everything.

--a person looking to help people in countries like Sudan and Russia, a believer in Jesus Christ, a member of a global community.

--isn’t this a repeat of question one?

Name 10 brands of beer.

--Magic Hat, Dog fish Head, etc.

--Coors, Bud, Amstel, Guinness, Miller, Sam Adams, Rolling Rock, Milwaukiee’s Best, Busch, Corona.

--um, I am one of approximately 1% of the campus that does not drink…

--I don’t drink, so this will be challenging: Bud, Sam Adams, Miller, Michelob, Guinness, Corona.

--I’m not a beer drinker, I much prefer wine. My favorites are Pirot Grigio, Frescati, Pouilly Fusse (sp?), Montepulciano e abruzzo, Shiraz—and champagne, of course!

Name 10 pacifists.

--Jesus, Ghandi, MLK

--Colman McCarthy, John Paul II. Wow, I need some work.

--My brother Chad, Henry David Thoreau, Mel Gibson, Susan Sarandon.

--Doothy Day, Ghandi, MLK, Jesus Christ, workers at Dorothy Day House on Rock Creek Church Road: Kathy, Art, Colleen.

--Ghandi, MLK, Mother Teresa, AnwaR Sadat, Jesus, Dali Lama,. This is really sad!

What do you stand for?

--I stand for womens rights over their own body and the chance for the future to be the best it can be.

--Apparently beer, but also human rights, equality for all, nonviolent activism.

--I don’t know.

--Pro-life movement, strong family values, a good show.

--womens rights, environment, abortion rights, global conflict resolution.

Making a helpful difference to others.

Literature of Peace

Georgetown University

2nd Semester ‘05

A sampling of answers….

l. I’m the one who

--laughs all the time.

--gets made of fun of by all my pro-war friends for having a tattoo of a Picasso dove of peace.

--whose father made me read Gandhi’s autobiography in the 6th grade as “punishment” for fighting with my sister and complete a written report about it.

--is constantly looking to do something more, be something and someone more, to create and change the world as I know it.

--is here with slightly more than the clothes on his back, fighting to keep his head above water and seeking the empowerment to make a difference.

2. Why are you taking the course and what do want to get out of it?

--I took a class called the Romance of War last semester and I thought this would be an interesting compliment.

--My roommate took this class two years ago and it made a huge impression on her. She even became a vegetarian.

--It seemed like a novel English course to fulfill otherwise stuffy SFS requirements.

3. Your definition of peace?

--when diverse people can harmoniously co-exist without resorting to violence.

--it is that state where creativity is explored in substitute of naturally inclined violent habits. It is not about a rosy Kumbaya scenario where conflict is not evident but rather it’s about approaching conflict as human beings.

4. Give three answers to the question, who are you?

--a concerned citizen, a conflicted individual, an impressionable but contemplative person open to new ideas.

----confused college senior trying to figure out what to do with my life.

--a thinker and a seeker of truth.

--loyal, honest and friendly.

--I am always in search of something but I don’t know what it is I try to be a good person but find myself being hypocritical far too often. (I am) disillusioned with the present age.

5. Name ten brands of beer.

--Yengling, Iron City, Bud, Bitburger, Kolsuh, Heineken, Miller, Coors, Guiness, Harp.

--I don’t drink beer. It’s crappy and heavy and isn’t sweet.

6. Name ten pacifists.

--Gandhi, Allen Ginsberg, John Lewis, John Lennon, MLK Jr., Marley.

--Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Dali Lama, my Dad. Can’t think of any more.

--Merton, Thich Nhat Hanh, Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Thich Quang Duc.

--MLK, Gandhi, Buddha, Chris Tansey, Bono, the Pope, John Lewis, Father Maher, Meghan Devaney and Harriet Tubman.

--MLK, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Chris Gormley, George Bush, myself.

7. What do you stand for?

--For brutal honesty about oneself and energetic passion without alloweing others to make decisions for me.

--I stand for those who need someone to stand for them.

--I’m not quite sure yet.

--I stand for solid Roman Catholic morality.

Love (unbiased).