As
a discrete discipline, peace and conflict studies has
only recently come into its own. With roots in the United
States going back to post World War II, most colleges
that supported such programs in the beginning had missions
that were aligned with pacifism or nonviolence. Peace
and conflict studies does not lend itself to easy description.
At times, it has been considered politically radical and
therefore not objectively academic, especially in public-education
settings. In fact, peace and conflict studies today is
less politically doctrinal and more interdisciplinary
in its approach. Its central mission is to assist students
in understanding the sources of and responses to conflict.
Courses and programs frame the material in a global and
multicultural context. Peace and conflict studies curricula
focus on exploring not only “negative” peace,
often thought of as the absence of violence and war, but
also “positive” peace — that is, the
proactive efforts society and individuals can make in
creating and maintaining a just and nonviolent world.
In
my introductory course, coverage starts with a social-science
understanding of conflict and violence. The “nature”
versus “nurture” argument on human violence
is considered. From there, we explore conflict in various
contexts, including family life, school, media portrayals,
literature, past and current world events, various forms
of discrimination, historical figures such Mahatma Gandhi
and Martin Luther King, Jr., conflict resolution, Native
American cultures and the visual and performing arts.
As a culminating activity, students prepare a paper and
presentation on a topic related to peace and conflict
in the context of their major or area of interest. Of
late, students have given presentations on rap music,
violence in children’s programming, domestic violence,
Buddhism and conflict, the persecution of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses in World War II and the process of claiming
conscientious-objector status.
It
is a fluid course. I made changes after the Columbine
school shootings, and will make changes this fall to reflect
our post-9/11 reality, adding units on terrorism and understanding
Islam.
As
mentioned, few community colleges have dealt with the
subject as a separate program or course. The study of
conflict and violence is often treated as an intracourse
unit in other subjects such as sociology, history, philosophy
or political science. Unfortunately, such treatment is
sometimes unavoidably scant and often fails to show the
connectedness that violence and conflict have to other
fields — a connectedness that can only be grasped
through an interdisciplinary analysis. Many community
colleges — including mine — that offer a legal
assistant/paralegal studies program offer a skills-based
conflict resolution course emphasizing mediation. Though
valuable, most of these courses focus exclusively on the
legal system and how different means can be used in lieu
of litigation to settle disputes. Little time is devoted
to understanding the nature and underlying causes of conflict
or how overall peaceful resolution can be reached and
sustained.
Which
brings me back to September 11. What should community
colleges commit themselves to in a post 9/11 world? Does
peace and conflict studies add to the community college
academic environment? Can community colleges support this
field? There is now an urgent need to expose students
to world traditions and cultures. Council for International
Exchange of Scholars Executive Director Patti McGill Peterson
told the American Council for International Intercultural
Education in April, “Responding to the international
imperative requires going beyond area studies to design
courses that examine where cultures intersect, integrate
or clash, because that is the world the ‘globally
competent learner’ will need to understand."
There
is considerable and appropriate support for multi-cultural
and international education, but more needs to be done
— especially in understanding conflict and violence.
Helping students understand how conflict affects their
lives — as well as the lives in other parts of the
world — is a valuable experience, and should be
an essential component of global learning. Our community-college
colleagues are no less capable of presenting this material
than faculty at four-year institutions. In fact, many
community college instructors are far ahead of our four-year
colleagues in teaching in interdisciplinary ways, because
we are often configured in multi-disciplined units or
teach in several content areas.
As
community colleges come to grips with the impact of 9/11,
we need to consider appropriate curriculum initiatives
that will make our students better equipped to understand
the world of today and tomorrow. Peace and conflict studies
can be an essential part of the solution.
David
J. Smith, JD, is a tenured associate professor in the Social
Sciences Division at Harford Community College in Bel Air,
Maryland. He teaches legal studies, conflict resolution,
and peace and conflict studies. He is a member of the Maryland
bar and a trained mediator. David also serves as a commissioner
on the Harford County (Md.) Community Mediation Program.
Page
last updated
11/27/2005
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