Students will learn strategies to overcome violence by interviewing individuals in the US and developing countries and will work with programs reducing violence in local areas.

We are surrounded by violence in many areas of our lives – crime, TV, wars, domestic violence and much more. The class seeks to understand why our culture is violent. We will interview leaders working to overcome violence in the US and other countries to learn how change is possible. The interconnections between violence and poverty will be explored and analyzed in order to learn new strategies to combat violence in the US and globally. We will work with American Friends Service Committee and Oregon New Sanctuary Movement to develop anti-violence programs in the Portland Metro area. Topics include: Why are we violent? Violence in Sudan, in Haiti; Factors leading to violence in cities in the US; Relationships between poverty and violence; Comparing strategies to overcome violence in the US and the developing world.

Texts:

Canada, Geoffrey , Fist Stick Knife Gun, Beacon Press, 1995 

Eggers, Dave, What is the What? Vintage Books, 2006

Gilligan, James, M.D., Violence, Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes, G.F.

Putnam’s Sons, 1996

Roy, Jody M., Love to Hate, America’s Obsession with Hatred and

Violence, Columbia University Press, 2002

Turnbull, Colin M.,The Mountain People, Simon and Schuster, 1972

Ury, William, The Third Side, Penguin Books, 1999

Waleed, DeEtte Beghtol, Messengers of Peace, Inspiring Stories of

Africans Creating Peace, CreateSpace, 2011.

Main Learning Objectives

By the end of the course students will:

• recognize psychological and sociological theories on the causes of violence
• develop strategies to decrease violence among youth
• acquire and apply interview and data analysis skills
• identify the reasons behind violence in cultures
• apply theories to real life situations of violence occurring in the local community and in the world.
• analyze situations of violence in order to explore more peaceful resolutions
• synthesize information and analysis into a final presentation
• compare strategies used in other cultures to violent situations in the US and evaluate their applicability

Final product

Students will interview leaders from developing countries and in the US who have created projects to reduce violence.  Teams of students will research political and cultural background of conflicts in the country of the interviewee. You will contact and set up interviews with peacebuilders identified through the International Fellowship of Reconciliation Women Peacemakers Program, American Friends Service Committee and others working with community based organizations to build peace in their regions or locally. The basic focus of the interviews will be techniques and strategies field workers have found helpful in overcoming violence in their situations.

Strategies learned from the interviews will be applied to local programs to change violence among youth working with American Friends Service Committee and structural violence working with Oregon New Sanctuary Movement.

University Studies Goals and Objectives

• 1. Inquiry and Critical Thinking - Students will learn to question assumptions and to think critically using various modes--problem-posing, investigating, conceptualizing—in order to become active, self-motivated, and empowered learners. Specifically students will study various forms of violence and analyze how cultures and groups become more or less violent. Students will probe social norms and practices to determine the roots of violence and the effects of various strategies. They will question their own assumptions and biases and those of people in other cultures to determine how violence is encouraged or discouraged.

• 2. Communication - Through writing, graphics, and the internet, students will enhance their capacity to communicate, to collaborate effectively with others in group work, and to be competent in appropriate communication technologies. Students will learn interviewing skills and will learn experientially through interviewing leaders in the field about strategies to overcome violence and poverty.

• 3. The Diversity of Human Experience - Students will study a variety of cultural groups to understand how violence impacts people differently. They will study a variety of social expectations about violence. Through learning about international programs and through written reflections on diversity of beliefs, they will enhance their appreciation for and understanding of the complexity of responses to violence, including the study of differences in ethnic and cultural perspectives, class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and ability.

• 4. Ethics and Social Responsibility - Students will analyze how individuals have created wars and how they might create peaceful communities and families. Students will expand their understanding of the impact of violence on culture and the value of individuals and their choices on society, both intellectually and socially. Through study of violence and strategies to decrease violence, they will expand their personal awareness of, and commitment to, ethical actions.

Reading: The first few weeks of the course will be concentrated on readings to ground students in theories of violence and on research on the subject. In later weeks you will be working on interviewing techniques and preparing for interviews.

Assigned readings are a basic introduction into the subject. They are intended to lead to more in-depth readings on the “additional recommended readings” list and to your own research into the topic. Background reading on the history of conflict and political conditions in particular countries will be necessary to prepare for interviews.

It is expected that students spend about 12 hours per week in work outside of class. The schedule for reading assignments is heavier in the early weeks of the class and less in later weeks when more time will be required in preparing for interviews.

Writing: You are expected to keep a personal journal of reflections, including your changing attitudes and thoughts about violence. In addition there will be written assignments and required participation in class discussions.

The class will divide into teams to conduct online interviews. Each team will have the responsibility of researching the history and politics surrounding the person being interviewed and preparing questions for the interview. 

Class Participation: Some ways to participate include asking questions, speaking up in class discussions, demonstrating you have done reading assignments and preparing for interviews.

Teams will be responsible for developing questions for class discussions based on readings on dates to be assigned.

Link to local partner

American Friends Service Committee is a national organization of people who believe in the worth of every person and have faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. They work for positive change in local communities and in the world through developing youth leaders. Youth projects include using art and video to raise awareness of violence, standing with oppressed communities, and working to change racism and militarism.

The Oregon New Sanctuary Movement (ONSM) is an interfaith coalition of individuals, faith leaders and congregations, called by faith and conscience to respond actively and publicly to the suffering of our immigrant brothers and sisters residing in the United States.

They work for just and humane immigration reform, and transformation of the social and economic systems that perpetuate the poverty. They build relationships of solidarity between faith community members and immigrants – relationships that have the power to change hearts and minds and transform our communities.