Religious Peacebuilding EMP3619HF L0101 EMP6919HF L0101 Pamela D. Couture pamela.couture@utoronto.ca Office 112 EC Winter, 2017, Wednesdays, 9:00-11:00 TST Published course description: This course investigates the religious grounds for peacemaking today. Each student will be responsible for following and reporting on developments in one location represented by a Tanenbaum Peacemaker-in-Action throughout the course. Meanwhile, the evolution of the theological/ecclesial/interfaith discussion of peacemaking will be traced through the 20 th century debate between pacifism and just war; conflict resolution and transformation; peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding; humanitarian aid and development; NGOs and the military. Students will be expected to explore these debates in relation to their case study and may write the case study from the perspective of any faith. Interpretive Narrative: Many of the people we think of as peacebuilders Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Mohandas Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Lester Pearson, Romeo Dallaire are larger than life. But if we look around, peacebuilding is the work of untold numbers of unknown people who choose to pursue peace in the course of the ordinary daily lives they lead. Students in this course will explore the idea of the vocation of the practice of peacebuilding within any role, from the standpoint of different faith traditions, in the context of a 20 th century evolution of a conversation about peace. Each student will study a person who has been identified as one who practices the vocation of peace by Tanenbaum s Peacemaker-in-Action program, or a person or community who might fit that profile. Such people display diverse practices of peace that are grounded in religious motivations. These individuals or communities will be studied intensively through four Canadian voices that speak for different kinds of practices the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Ursula Franklin, Ploughshares, and Romeo Dallaire. The theories they represent will be put into conversation with peacemakers around the world. In this course we will work inductively, identifying practices that have emerged from a conversation, asking about how these practices are religiously motivated. The student will develop an understanding, from their own tradition and that of others, of the practice of peace as rooted within one or more spiritual and ethical perspectives. AD/BD students are encouraged to further develop their understanding of the relationship between theology, violence and peace in Tom Reynolds course, Theology, Violence and Peace (EMT 3672HS/EMT 6672), and to further develop the historical bases for peacemaking in Phyllis Airhart s course Christianity and Crisis (EMH 5801/RLG3270). EC Outcome 1: Christian Faith and Heritage: 1) Demonstrate knowledge of Christian heritage and ability to interpret theological positions in relation to it.
--as evidenced by students ability to place various peacemaking practices within the context of theological developments of the 20 th century. EC Outcome 2: Culture and Context: 1) Demonstrate an ability to employ contextual analysis and be formed by it. --as evidenced by their ability to articulate historical and contemporary Canadian contributions to peacemaking practices. 2) Demonstrate critical awareness of the intercultural character and interfaith context of the global church. --as evidenced by students ability to articulate current developments in peacemaking that are religiously motivated around the globe. EC Outcome 3: Spiritual and Vocational Formation 1) Demonstrate growth in personal faith, emotional maturity, moral integrity, and public witness. --as evidenced by students self-awareness of the way that they personally choose the practice of peace over responses that are potentially violent. --as evidenced by students ability to engage constructively with the class learning community and its academic culture. 2) Display capacity for spiritual practices requisite to leadership in church and community. --as evidenced by students ability to identify the grounding of the practices of peace in spiritual witness. EC Outcome 4: Practices of Church Leadership 1) Demonstrate ability to integrate theory and practice in congregational and community leadership. --as evidenced by students ability to evaluate the principles and effects of different kinds of peacebuilding practices in different contexts. Graded Assignments: 1) Each student will identify a Tanenbaum Peacemaker-in-Action, or another living person or community who qualifies according to the Tanenbaum criteria, whose region of the world and work the student will follow throughout the course. Each of the Tanenbaum Peacemakers-in-Action have been identified as significant grassroots leaders in their own region who 1) operate from religious motivations, 2) are relatively unknown, 3) have put their lives at risk, 4) in situations of armed conflict, 5) are locally based. In some cases, you may be able to contact these people by email. Your first assignment, the second week of class, will be to read the biographical chapter on your chosen Peacemaker in Joyce Dubensky or David Little s Peacemakers in-action Vols. 1 or 2 and on the conflict in which they are engaged at Ploughshares.ca. In the second class you will report on your chosen peacemaker, including the conflict in which he/she works and the strategies he/she engages, in class, with an outline demonstrating your preparation. If you choose, you may use a video clip and imagery in your presentation. Class presentations will be limited to eight minutes (10%). In these presentations I am looking for your clarity about your initial understand of your peacemaker s character, the conflict in which they work, their religious background, and how and why they got committed to the work they do (for example, did they face a particular turning point in their work?) 2) Masters students will be expected to lead class on one occasion (interpreting the work of your peacemaker in relationship to the material under discussion); doctoral students will lead class on two occasions (presenting the material under discussion, and presenting your peacemaker as interpreted by
this material). Doctoral students must provide the background for their presentations in writing. (35% for BD students; 20% for each class for AD students.) 3) Your final paper will explore the subject of the practice of peace as vocation the subject of the first class. Your final paper should explore the following questions: Imagine that you were writing a chapter for a book like the Tanenbaum Peacemaker-in-Action volume about yourself. What is the primary global or national level conflict that involves your faith community? What spiritual traditions within your faith can provide a foundation for the practice of peace in this conflict? What ethical traditions within your faith tradition can offer a foundation for the practice of peace in this conflict? Referring to the readings for the course, are there spiritual/ethical traditions that you might draw upon from other faith traditions? On a personal level, how do you understand your vocation, or if you don t relate to that term, the spiritual/ethical practice that you can adopt, regardless of your role in your community, to promote peace in relation to the global/national level conflict you described in the first part of the paper? What have you learned from your Peacemaker-in-Action? (35% for BD students; 30% for AD students). 4) All students will be expected to engage in excellent class participation, respecting the norms of academic culture. During the course students will be expected to read the assigned readings and come to class prepared to engage in discussion. Students will submit a rational for their grade for class participation at the end of the semester. (20%) Assigned readings: Websites as noted for each class session Chapters in books as noted for each class session Books: Pamela Couture, We Are Not All Victims: Local Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo Marc Gopin, Bridges Across an Impossible Divide Jose Innocentia (Chencho) Alas, Land, Liberation and Death Squads: A Priest s Story Tom Porter, The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation: Creating a Culture of Just Peace Ursula Franklin, The Ursula Franklin Reader, Articles: Pamela D. Couture, Books and Bytes, The Clergy Journal, April 2008, 39-42 1. Electronic resources: Andrew Mitrovica, True North: What Does Canada Stand for Now? U of T Magazine, Spring, 2011, 25-29. https:www.tanenbaum.org/programs/peace http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=3 http://disarmingconflict.ca/ernie-regehr/ http://www.ploughshares.ca/ 1 Pamela D. Couture, "Books and Bytes," The Clergy Journal 84, no. 6 (April 2008).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ursula_franklin#pacifism.2c_feminism_and_war http://www.cpt.org/ http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol2/iss3/ http://www.childhoodandreligion.com/jcr/volume_1_(2010)_files/couture%20sep%202010.pdfhttp:// www.childhoodandreligion.com/jcr/volume_2_(2011)_files/couture%20may%202011.pdf Other materials as posted to blackboard. Class sessions: Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25 Feb. 1, 8, 15, Feb 22-Reading Week-no class March. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Introduction January 4: The Vocation of Building Peace In this session we will focus on the goals of the course, the vocation of peacebuilding, and getting acquainted with the Peacemakers-in-Action. You may want to read in advance Dr. Couture s online biographical publication in the Journal of Childhood and Religion: http://www.childhoodandreligion.com/jcr/volume_1_(2010)_files/couture%20sep%202010.pdf and view Erica Chenoweth s Ted Talk on her conversion to a commitment to nonviolence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjsehrlu34w. January 11: Student Reports on Peacemakers-in-Action Please review the Peacemakers-in-Action webpage of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, and read through the biographical sketches of the Peacemakers and the nominees for the 2015. Please do this early in the week and choose the peacemaker you would like to study throughout the course. Email me with your choice, so that I can make sure that students are choosing different peacemakers. Note Assignment #1 (in evaluation, below): this oral report in class is due January 11. The Vocation of Peace and Faith Traditions The following selections will demonstrate the way that the practice of peace is located in different spiritual/ethical traditions: January 18: Methodist, Pentecostal and Indigenous African Read for discussion: Couture, We Are Not All Victims (students may purchase this book from me for the author s price of $30 CAD). As you read, please keep track of your thoughts: What is the spiritual/ethical foundation of the practice of peace in this story? Come to class prepared to contribute to that discussion. First hour: Discussion of We Are Not All Victims
Second hour: Analyzing Spiritual/Ethical foundations for peace; principled and non-principled commitments to non-violence You are invited to the Emmanuel College book launch at 4:00 in the afternoon for We Are Not All Victims. January 25 (or February 1): Jewish, Christian, Muslim Read: Marc Gopin, Bridges Across an Impossible Divide, about his relationship with the Canadian-Syrian Hind Karawat. His central theme is that the key to the peacemaker is their spirituality. As you read, please keep track of your thoughts: What is the spiritual/ethical foundation of the practice of peace in this story? Come to class prepared to contribute to that discussion. February 1 (or January 25): Roman Catholic and Mayan Read: Chencho Alas, Land, Liberation, and Death Squads: A Priest's Story, Suchitoto, El Salvador, 1968-1977 (Wipf and Stock), 2017. (If the book is not yet available, we will watch the movie Romero, and hear Chencho s commentary.) As you read, please keep track of your thoughts: What is the spiritual/ethical foundation of the practice of peace in this story? Come to class prepared to ask Chencho questions and to contribute to that discussion. Second Hour: Introduction to Canada s heritage in peacebuilding This session introduces the evolution of a conversation from the non-violent witness of Ghandi and King, into conversations about pacifism and just war, into conflict resolution and transformation, into peace keeping and peace building, and nonviolent civil resistance. Pamela D. Couture, Books and Bytes, review article on books and websites on peacemaking in The Clergy Journal, April 2008, 39-42, available on reserve at EC library; Andrew Mitrovica, True North: What Does Canada Stand for Now? U of T Magazine, Spring, 2011, 25-29. Available online at http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/feature/foreign-policy-canada-place-in-the-world-21st-century/. An information background piece on Lester Pearson can be found at http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1957/pearson-bio.html. The Canadian Practice of Peace and Faith Traditions February 8: Pacifism and Feminism Read: The Ursula Franklin Reader Presenting students refer also to: Wikipedia entry, Ursula Franklin, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ursula_franklin#pacifism.2c_feminism_and_war; Mark Twain, The War Prayer, available in several presentations on the Internet; Read: Women in Religious Peacebuilding (attached to blackboard page); Global Peace Initiative for Women http://www.gpiw.org/; Student presentations: 1. Presentation of Ursula Franklin (AD) 2. Interpretation of your case study in relation to Ursula Franklin February 8: Peacekeeping All students read: Lester Pearson and the Suez Crisis http://www.suezcrisis.ca;
Presenting students can find additional information in: Romeo Dallaire, Shake Hands with the Devil 2 ; Canadian Peacekeepers Missions: http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/peacekeepers2.html; UN Pearson Peace Medal: http://www.unac.org/en/news_events/pearson/index.asp Student presentations: First hour: Peacekeeping in Canadian tradition (AD) Second hour: Interpretation of your case study in relation to peacekeeping and the responsibility to protect February 15: Truth and Reconciliation This session studies the 20 th century development, most notably in South Africa, of truth and reconciliation commissions as a way to heal a culture after systemic violence. The sessions will be based on South African sources as well as writing on Canada s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in response to aboriginal residential schools. All students read extensively on the TRC-Canada web page: http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=3 and Apologies http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/rqpi/apo/index-eng.asp Presenting students can find additional information in: Kim Pamela Stanton, Truth Commissions and Public Inquiries: Addressing Historical Injustices in Established Democracies, thesis submitted to the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, for the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science, 2010, and International Indigenous Law Journal volume on Truth and Reconciliation http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol2/iss3/ Student presentations: 1. Presentation of Truth and Reconciliation concepts (AD): 2. Presentation of your case study in relation to Truth and Reconciliation concepts: February 22: Reading Week, no class March 1: Conflict Resolution and Transformation All students read Tom Porter, The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation: Creating a Culture of Just Peace, 3 (bibliography below.) http://justpeaceumc.org/who-we-are/about-justpeace/staff/tom-porter/ Student Presentations: Presentation of conflict resolution: Presentation of case study of peacemaker: 2 Roméo A. Dallaire and Brent Beardsley, Shake Hands with the Devil : The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, Vintage Canada ed. (Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2004). 3 Thomas W. Porter, The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation : Creating a Culture of Justpeace (Nashville, Tenn.: Upper Room Books, 2010).
March 8: Civil Resistance from Ghandi to Standing Rock All students read Peter Ackerman and Hardy Merriman, A Checklist for Ending Tyranny, in Matthew Burrows and Maria J. Stephan, eds., Is Authoritarianism Staging a Comeback? Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Council, 2015; and Chapter 3 from Erica Chenoweth and Maria J Stephan, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. New York, Columbia University Press, 2011. Available at: International Center for Nonviolent Conflict Resource Library https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/resourcelibrary/?fwp_keyword_search=why%20civil%20resistance%20works Presentation of civil resistance (Pam): Presentation of case study of peacemaker: March 22: Final Presentation of Peacemakers Presentation: Presentation: March 29: Final discussion: The Vocation and Practice of a Peacebuilder See standard posted statements on Academic Expectations, Writing Centre Support, Students with Disabling Conditions, Class Participation on Blackboard site. April 4: No class, Final Papers due by email Please email final papers on April 5, 2017, to Pamela.couture@utoronto.ca. Do not email these papers in advance. I want them all to arrive in my inbox on that date, unless you have an officially authorized extension. Bibliography Appleby, R. Scott. The Ambivalence of the Sacred : Religion, Violence, and Reconciliation Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict Series. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000. Ballard, Paul H. A Christian Perspective on Violence Britain Today & Tomorrow,. London: British Council of Churches, 1979. Cejka, Mary Ann, and Tomás Bamat. Artisans of Peace : Grassroots Peacemaking among Christian Communities. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2003. Cheeseman, Nicholas, and David Anderson. Routledge Handbook of African Politics. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Chenoweth, Erica and Maria J Stephan. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. New York, Columbia University Press, 2011. Chernus, Ira. American Nonviolence : The History of an Idea. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004.
Couture, Pamela D. "Books and Bytes." The Clergy Journal 84, no. 6 (April 2008): 39-42. Coward, Harold G., and Gordon S. Smith. Religion and Peacebuilding Suny Series in Religious Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2004. Dallaire, Roméo A., and Brent Beardsley. Shake Hands with the Devil : The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. Vintage Canada ed. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2004. Dallaire, Roméo A., and Jessica Dee Humphreys. They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children : The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers. Toronto: Random House Canada, 2010. Franklin, Ursula M. The Ursula Franklin Reader : Pacifism as a Map. Toronto: Between the Lines, 2006. Goh, Bee Chen, Baden Offord, and Rob Garbutt. Activating Human Rights and Peace : Theories, Practices and Contexts. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2012. Gopin, Marc. Between Eden and Armageddon : The Future of World Religions, Violence, and Peacemaking. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Gopin, Marc. Holy War, Holy Peace : How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2002. Gopin, Marc. Healing the Heart of Conflict : 8 Crucial Steps to Making Peace with Yourself and Others. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale, 2004. Gopin, Marc. To Make the Earth Whole : The Art of Citizen Diplomacy in an Age of Religious Militancy. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009. Gopin, Marc, Mark H. Levine, and Sid Schwarz. Jewish Civics : A Tikkun Olam/World Repair Manual. New York, NY Rockville, Md.?: Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education ; Washington Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values, 1994. Heft, James. Beyond Violence : Religious Sources of Social Transformation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 1st ed. The Abrahamic Dialogues Series ;. New York: Fordham University Press, 2004. Hoover, Dennis, and Douglas Johnston. Religion and Foreign Affairs : Essential Readings. Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2012. Kwok, Pui-lan. Globalization, Gender, and Peacebuilding : The Future of Interfaith Dialogue. New York: Paulist Press, 2012. Lederach, John Paul. Els Anomenats Pacifistes : La No-Violencia a L'estat Espanol. 1. ed. Alliberament. Barcelona: Edicions de la Magrana, 1982. Lederach, John Paul. Preparing for Peace : Conflict Transformation across Cultures. 1st ed. Syracuse Studies on Peace and Conflict Resolution. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1995.
Lederach, John Paul. A Handbook of International Peacebuilding : Into the Eye of the Storm. 1st ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. Lederach, John Paul. The Little Book of Conflict Transformation Little Books of Justice & Peacebuilding. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2003. Lederach, John Paul. The Moral Imagination : The Art and Soul of Building Peace. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Lederach, John Paul, and Conrad Grebel College (Waterloo Ont.). Inter-racial and Cross-cultural Conflict Resolution Project. Beyond Prescription : New Lenses for Conflict Resolution Training across Cultures. Waterloo, ON: Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Conrad Grebel College, 1992. Lederach, John Paul, and Angela Jill Lederach. When Blood and Bones Cry Out : Journeys through the Soundscape of Healing and Reconciliation. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Little, David, and Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. Peacemakers in Action : Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Marshall, Katherine, Susan Hayward, Esther Breger with Claudia Zambra, and and Sarah Jackson. "Women in Religious Peacebuilding." edited by Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute for Peace, 2011. Marshall, Kathleen and Susan Hayward, with Claudia Zambra, Esther Breger and Sarah Jackson. "Women and Religious Peacemaking." edited by United States Institute for Peace, 30. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute for Peace, May, 2011. Meiring, Piet, Susan Van der Walt, and Marie Luyt. Chronicle of the Truth Commission : A Journey through the Past and Present, into the Future of South Africa. 1st ed. Vanderbijlpark: Carpe Diem, 1999. Murphy, Andrew R. The Blackwell Companion to Religion and Violence Blackwell Companions to Religion. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Payan, Tony, Z. Anthony Kruszewski, and Kathleen A. Staudt. Human Rights Along the U.S.-Mexico Border : Gendered Violence and Insecurity. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2009. Philpott, Daniel, and Gerard F. Powers. Strategies of Peace : Transforming Conflict in a Violent World Studies in Strategic Peacebuilding. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Porter, Thomas W. The Spirit and Art of Conflict Transformation : Creating a Culture of Justpeace. Nashville, Tenn.: Upper Room Books, 2010. Religions Peace or a Reconciliation, between Princes & Peoples, & Nations (by Leonard Busher: Of the County of Gloucester, of the Towne of Wotton, and a Citticen, of the Famous and Most Honorable Citty London, and of the Second Right Worshipfull. [S.l.]: ProQuest (UMI). http://link.library.utoronto.ca/eir/eirdetail.cfm?resources ID=141745&T=F.
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