beyond conflict resolution: the evolution of grassroots ...€¦ · 1. assess, research, describe,...

1

Beyond Conflict Resolution: The Evolution of Grassroots Peacebuilding

Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Program, DePaul University

Winter Quarter 2012

Adar Cohen, Ph.D. Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:20 – 5:50pm

[email protected] Lincoln Park Campus

Office hours: Mon and Wed by appointment O’Connell 250

Learning objectives

Like the discipline of peace studies, this course is an interdisciplinary inquiry. Drawing on

learning from our respective disciplines as well as our experiences in service, activism, and

other forms of civic engagement, we will engage critically, creatively, and collaboratively with

texts through student-led discussions and weekly writing assignments. Class readings and

independent research will culminate in a project. Through readings, discussions, and research,

students will deepen their capacity for critical inquiry and integrative analysis concerning the

causes, sustaining factors, and possible resolutions of conflict, violence, and injustice. We will

ask challenging questions about conflict resolution, investigate contemporary developments in

grassroots peacebuilding, and assess the comparative advantages and distinct applications of

various conflict resolution modalities.

Response Papers

A one-page response to each reading completed in a given week is due Sunday, by midnight,

submitted through D2L. Most weeks, we will all read from the Lederach text (as outlined in the

Course Schedule, below) and each student will also select at least two readings from the

Additional Reading List (also below). This means that, most of the time, students will write

three one-page responses per week. Please put all three of these responses into a single

document before uploading to D2L. If briefly summarizing the reading is helpful to you, that’s

fine – but what’s most important is analytical engagement with the text (see the Response

Paper Rubric, below). This is your opportunity to think critically and creatively in preparation for

the in-class discussions. Late response papers will not be accepted; response papers count

toward the participation grade.

Facilitating Discussion

For most class meetings, a team of students will lead discussion. To achieve our course

objectives, it is essential for each individual to have an active role in guiding the course. Every

student will lead discussion at least once. For more details on facilitating discussion, see the

Evaluation Rubric below.

2

Project

The project is an opportunity for students to engage their personal interests in a cumulative

and creative final assignment, and to delve deeply into a particular topic area from the course.

First, choose a prompt (or develop your own):

1. Assess, research, describe, and propose a resolution process for a conflict at DePaul

University.

2. Is reconciliation an indispensible component of conflict resolution? Using case studies,

assess the impact of reconciliation efforts on conflict resolution.

3. Apply Lederach’s theories of peacebuilding to a contemporary national or international

conflict. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these theories?

4. Is Johan Galtung’s concept of “structural violence” relevant to modern-day conflict

resolution?

Next, begin to think about how you will approach your research. Obviously, you will make

extensive use of the assigned readings and the Additional Reading List. But do your own

research as well, spending time in the library as well as out in Chicago. What follows is a very

brief list of suggestions toward possible approaches. The purpose of this list is to get you

thinking, so don’t feel limited by these suggestions.

1. Attend, document, and analyze event(s) addressing topics from the class

2. Organize an event that deals with a topic from the class

3. Create an oral history project related to a topic from the class

4. Read fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, opinion pieces, news stories, comics, scripts and

screenplays, investigative journalism

5. View theater, film, visual art

6. Listen to music recordings, live performances, radio documentaries, and international

news coverage

7. Conduct observational research

Finally, pursue your prompt using any number of approaches and refer to the Project Rubric

along the way. We will discuss our progress on the projects periodically throughout the course,

so there will be ample opportunities to share ideas, explore collaboration possibilities, and seek

further clarification or confusion.

3

COURSE SCHEDULE

Wednesday, 1/4

Introductions, syllabus, expectations

Divide facilitation responsibilities

Assignments and reminders:

Bring your name card to class

ix – 11, Lederach

Explore reading lists, begin to identify selections

No response papers are due yet

Monday, 1/9

Adar leads opening discussion


11 – 37, Lederach

One additional reading

Wednesday, 1/11

Discussion facilitated by:


37 – 63, Lederach


Response papers submitted through D2L by midnight Sunday

Monday, 1/16



63 – 73, Lederach


4

Wednesday, 1/18



73 – 87, Lederach



Monday, 1/23



87 – 99, Lederach


Wednesday, 1/25



99 – 107, Lederach



Monday, 1/30



107 – 119 (up to the “descriptive list”), Lederach


Wednesday, 2/1

Discussion of Sharp reading and A Force More Powerful film facilitated by:


http://eres.lib.depaul.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=4148&page=docs

5




Monday, 2/6



129 – 137 (up to “Creating Strategic and Responsive Tools for Evaluation”)


Wednesday, 2/8






Monday, 2/13





Wednesday, 2/15



153 – 161, Prendergast (in Lederach)



6

Monday, 2/20





Wednesday, 2/22






Written portions of projects due in class on 2/27

Presentations of projects begin on 2/27

Monday, 2/27

Project presentations

Wednesday, 2/29


Monday, 3/5


Wednesday, 3/7


Monday, 3/12


Reflection, de-briefing, evaluation

Finals Week

TBA

7

READING

Please secure a copy of Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies by John

Paul Lederach. Additional readings are available at the Library reserves desk and on the

Library’s website.

Books available at the Lincoln Park Library reserves desk

Intergroup conflicts and their resolution : a social psychological perspective / edited by Daniel

Bar-Tal. New York : Psychology Press, c2011.

Mediation : positive conflict management / John Michael Haynes, Gretchen L. Haynes, Larry Sun

Fong. Albany : State University of New York Press, c2004.

Tidwell, Alan C. Conflict Resolved? A Critical Assessment of Conflict Resolution. London:

Continuum, 2001.

Social conflict : escalation, stalemate, and settlement / Dean G. Pruitt, Jeffrey Z. Rubin. New

York : Random House, c1986.

Collaborative approaches to resolving conflict / Myra Warren Isenhart, Michael Spangle.

Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, c2000.

The handbook of victim offender mediation : an essential guide to practice and research / Mark

S. Umbreit ; foreword by Marlene A. Young ; sponsored by the Center for Restorative Justice &

Peacemaking. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass, c2001.

Beyond neutrality : confronting the crisis in conflict resolution / Bernard S. Mayer. San

Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, c2004.

Restorative justice for juveniles : conferencing, mediation and circles / edited by Allison Morris

and Gabrielle Maxwell. Oxford ; Portland, Or. : Hart, 2001.

estorative ustice in conte t international practice and directions edited by lmar G. .

eitekamp and ans-J rgen erner. Cullompton : Willan, 2003.

International conflict resolution : theory and practice / edited by Edward E. Azar, John W.

Burton. Sussex : Wheatsheaf Books ; Boulder, Colo. : L. Rienner Publishers, 1986.

8

Gopin, Marc. Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence, and

Peacemaking. New York : Oxford University Press, 2000.

Restorative justice and civil society / edited by Heather Strang and John Braithwaite.

Cambridge, U.K. ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2001.

The Blackwell handbook of mediation : bridging theory, research, and practice / edited by

Margaret S. Herrman. Malden, MA ; Oxford : Blackwell Pub., 2006.

Moore, Christopher W. The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict. San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003.

Winslade, John and Gerald Monk. Narrative Mediation: A New Approach to Conflict Resolution.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2001.

Making peace / by George J. Mitchell. New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House, 1999.

On violence./ Hannah Arendt. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1970.

Jabri, Vivienne. Discourses on Violence: Conflict Analysis Reconsidered. Manchester: Manchester

University Press, 1996.

Restorative justice : philosophy to practice / edited by Heather Strang, John Braithwaite.

Aldershot ; Burlington, USA : Ashgate, c2000.

9

eadings available online through the library’s Course eserves system (password: pax381)

Liyanage, Sumanasiri and Deepak alhotra. “Long-Term Effects of Peace Workshops in

Protracted Conflicts.” Journal of Conflict esolution 49 (2005) 908-924.

Morrison, Brenda. 2006. Restorative Justice and Civil Society: Emerging Practice, Theory, and

Evidence. Journal of Social Issues 62(2): 209-215.

Barnes, Catherine. “Democratizing peacemaking processes: strategies and dilemmas for public

participation.” Accord: An International Review of Peace Initiatives. Ed. Catherine Barnes.

London: Conciliation Resources, 2002.

Galtung, Johan. “Violence, Peace, and Peace esearch.” Journal of Peace Research 6(3): 167-

191. 1969.

Baxter, Victoria. 2005. Civil Society Promotion of Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation in Chile: Villa

Grimaldi. Peace and Change 30 (1): 120-136.

Barnes, Catherine. “ eaving the eb Civil-Society Roles in Working with Conflict and Building

Peace.” People Building Peace II: Successful Stories of Civil Society. Ed. Paul van Tongeren, Malin

Brenk, Marte Hellema, Juliette Verhoeven. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers,

2005. 7-24.

Kelman, Herbert C. The Role of the Scholar-Practitioner in International Conflict Resolution.

Pages 273-288.

Nikolic-Ristanovic, Vesna. 2008. Local Conflicts and International Interventions: Victimisation of

Civilians and Possibilities for Restorative Global Responses. Contemporary Justice Review 11 (2):

101-115.





10

Evaluation Rubric for Response Papers

A one-page response to each reading completed in a given week is due Sunday, by midnight,

submitted through D2L. This means that, most of the time, students will write three one-page

responses per week. Please put all three of these responses into a single document before

uploading to D2L. These short reflections are intended to stimulate critical and creative thinking

which uses the readings as launching points for inquiry that is both individual (written) as well

as collective (through discussions).

Response papers will be graded on a scale of 1 to 4. A response paper which earns a 4 will

engage analytically with the text, perhaps by addressing some of the following questions:

Beyond liking or not liking the reading, what is your analytical response to the reading?

Beyond summarizing the author’s points, what questions does the te t raise?

What assumptions have been made by the author? What are the implications of these

assumptions?

What are the implications of the ideas presented in the reading(s)? What are the problems with

these implications? What are the possibilities?

How do ideas from the reading complicate, clarify, or otherwise compare with ideas from class,

other readings, your own experiences, or contemporary events?

What are potential applications of ideas presented in this reading? Where in the world, and

how, could these ideas be useful?

11

Evaluation Rubric for Project

The project is an opportunity for students to engage their personal interests in a cumulative and

creative final assignment, and to delve deeply into a particular topic area from the course.

Project meaningfully integrates course content / 25

Project incorporates rigorous and appropriately cited research / 25

Project concludes with high quality, well-planned, 30 minute presentation in class / 25

Project contributes original, critical, and creative insights / 25

TOTAL POINTS / 100

Comments:

12

Evaluation Rubric for Leading Discussion

At each class meeting, a team of students will lead discussion. Because the course relies on discussion as a means

of collective inquiry, discussions should be planned for thoroughly and facilitated thoughtfully.

A succinct overview of the Lederach reading, with background information and context when necessary; this

may include supplementary items like definitions, timelines, videos, or other material

/ 25

A comprehensive summary and analysis of additional readings (from the “Additional Reading List”) – selected,

read, and discussed by the facilitation team in advance – which deepen and extend the discussion

/ 25

Balanced participation (everyone is talking and everyone is listening) and balanced facilitation among facilitators

/ 25

There are text-based questions, questions that push the group to consider the implications of the reading, and

questions that link the reading to course content, current events, and students’ research

/ 25

TOTAL POINTS / 100

13

EVALUATION

1. Participation (25%). Because the course prioritizes collaborative learning and follows a

discussion format, attendance is crucial to each student’s success as well as to the

success of the class. Students should come to class ready to share observations from the

readings, raise questions, make text-based arguments, and integrate examples from

earlier readings and their own research.

2. Response papers (25%). A one-page response to each reading completed in a given

week is due Sunday, by midnight, submitted through D2L. This means that, most of the

time, students will write three one-page responses per week.

3. Facilitating Discussions (25%). In-class discussions will be facilitated by teams of

students. To fulfill our learning objectives, it is essential for every student to be actively

engaged in every class discussion: discussion leaders have the responsibility of ensuring

this happens.

4. Project (25%). The project is an opportunity for students to engage their personal

interests in a cumulative and creative final assignment, and to delve deeply into a

particular topic area from the course.

Changes to syllabus

It is possible that the reading and class schedule may need to be modified during the quarter. Any other

changes to the syllabus will require a majority vote by students.

Learning needs

If you require any type of assistance, please speak to the instructor for accommodations.

Academic integrity

http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/homehandbook.html

Emergency evacuation policy and procedures

http://rmehs.depaul.edu/emergency/evacuation.asp

http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/homehandbook.html

http://rmehs.depaul.edu/emergency/evacuation.asp

beyond conflict resolution: the evolution of grassroots ...€¦ · 1. assess, research, describe,...

Documents