CHM 322 -Introduction to Conflict Transformation

M.K. College, Rainy Season 2011, July 11-29 Instructor: Brian R. Gumm Course Syllabus Description: This course examines the nature and causes of conflict at the personal and interpersonal level, in the Church, and in cultures and societies. It surveys theories and practices of conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Students learn conceptual frameworks, processes, and skills through engagement with assigned readings, peer discussion, case studies, and role-playing. The practical lessons from this course are useful to Christians working in any vocation, such as church ministry, counseling, business, education, or social work. It also focuses on the special complexity of conflict in churches and the options for responding constructively and biblically. As a result, special attention will be given to what the Bible teaches about peace and conflict transformation, particularly through the person of Jesus Christ and his lordship. Placement of the Course: This course will help students on their way to becoming servant leaders, passionately committed to their discipleship to Jesus in the church, and being a peaceful, Spirit-filled witness to a world being transformed by God's powerful reconciling love through Christ. Objectives: At the end of this course, students will... Have an introductory understanding of... The discipline of conflict transformation The various fields of peacebuilding practice Biblical-theological integration with these topics Be able to... Make use of conflict analysis tools Design interventions for conflict transformation Envision how Christian conflict transformation can be practiced... In your personal and family life In your congregation and workplace In the broader society and across cultures Course load: In order to satisfy the assigned work (reading and assignments) for this course, students are expected to spend up to 7.5 hours per week on coursework outside of class. Collaboration with other students is encouraged and in some cases required. Note on small groups: In the first class session, students will be gathered into small groups that will work together for the remainder of the class on 1) splitting up reading assignments and 2) completing work for the two group projects described below. Assignments: Readings from the course reader (see Course Schedule & Required Texts below) Papers (2) Two papers will be assigned, due on the second and third Mondays of class, giving students time over the weekend to write. Papers will offer a personal reflection on the reading material and discussions from each week of class. Quizzes (3) One in-class quiz will be given each week of class. Group projects In weeks 2 & 3, each small group will design and present on a specific topic

CHM 322 Intro to Conflict Transformation Syllabus

related to conflict transformation, using the assigned readings, class discussions, and additional reading resources on the reserve shelf. Each group's presentation will include question-andanswer time with the class. A summary paper turned into the instructor will also be required as part of this assignment. Course Schedule with Readings and Assignments: In general, each day of class will open with a circle process to update each other on 1) what we're learning from the class and still have questions about, and 2) what's happening in our lives outside class. We will then pray for each other, our learning, and our lives together in the body of Christ. The class will then proceed with the topic discussions and/or activities for the day. At the end of each week there will be a time for class evaluation, offering students an opportunity to interact with the instructor on how the class is going and how things may be adjusted as we progress through the course. Week 1: Personal and Interpersonal
Date Topics/Activities Readings -EK-1&2 EK-3&4 EK-5&6 EK-7&8
Quiz 1

Assignments --

July 11 Introductions circle, Syllabus review, Genesis 3: What is conflict?, Formation of small groups; Schedule discussion w/ instructor July 12 Deuteronomy 6: We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt..., Story July 13 Ruth: Your God will be my God..., Peoplehood July 14 Luke 6: First take the plank out of your eye..., Conflict Analysis Tools 1 July 15 Conflict Analysis Tools 2, Week 1 summary & evaluation

Week 2: Organizations and Congregations

July 18 Summary, Introduction to group presentations, U.S. case study analysis July 19 Christian Conflict Transformation, Communication & Leadership July 20 Restorative Justice, Guest speaker: Tigist Alamirew Dessie July 21 Group presentations 1 July 22 Quiz, Group presentations 2; Guest speakers: Negash Kebede & Loren Hostetter; Week 2 summary & evaluation (gather topics for week 3 discussions) --Tigist's paper GJCM-1 GJCM-2
Group presentations Group presentations, Quiz 2 Paper 1

Week 3: Cultures and Societies

July 25 Summary, Forgiveness, Introduction of final group project July 26 Forgiveness (continued); Guest speaker: Mekonnen Desalegn, MCC July 27 Jeremiah 29: Seek the peace of the city...; Church & State/Market July 28 Group presentations 1; Peer evaluation July 29 Group presentations 2; Closing circle, Course evaluation GJCM-3 GJCM-4 GJCM-5 --Quiz 3 Group presentations Group presentations Paper 2

CHM 322 Intro to Conflict Transformation Syllabus

Grading: Students will be evaluated on various aspects of their work in this course along the following criteria:
Attendance Class participation - Readings, class discussions, discussions with instructor Individual assignments Papers, quizzes Group projects Role play, Final project 10% 20% 30% 40%

The M.K. College standard grading scale is as follows:

93-100 ------------------- A 90-92 --------------------- A87-89 --------------------- B+ 83-86 --------------------- B 80-82 --------------------- B77-79 --------------------- C+ 73-76 --------------------- C 70-72 --------------------- C67-69 --------------------- D+ 63-66 --------------------- D 60-62 --------------------- DBelow 60 ----------------- F

Student conduct: We are to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting disciples of Christ. Loving God and neighbor demands a humble, patient, and honest spirit. The instructor and the students will treat each other and carry out their work in accordance with the core values of M.K. College, including the aspects of mutual respect and empowerment. When disagreements or conflicts in class occur, we will practice the very skills we are learning in this course. Work for individual assignments will be the student's own, while recognizing that a collaborative learning environment amongst peers enhances learning and is encouraged by the instructor, especially for reading assignments. Work for group projects must be fairly distributed amongst members. Special attention should be paid to gifts of each member, while making sure each contributes their fair share to the projects. Plagiarism and cheating in the class will be handled with serious deliberation, referring the instance to the academic dean.

CHM 322 Intro to Conflict Transformation Syllabus

Required Texts: Assembled for the course reader...

Dessie, Tigist Alamirew. The Traditional Mediation/Conflict Resolution Mechanisms in Gojjam: With Special Emphasis in Finote Selem. Senior paper. Debre Zeit, Ethiopia: Meserete Kristos College, 2011. (GJCM) Jones, L. Gregory, and Clestin Musekura. Forgiving as We've Been Forgiven: Community Practices for Making Peace. Edited by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice, Resources for Reconciliation. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2010. (EK) Katongole, Emmanuel M., and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Mirror to the Church: Resurrecting Faith after Genocide in Rwanda. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009.

Additional Texts: Available on the Library reserve shelf, some material used as in-class handouts...
Brubaker, David R. Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2009. A Handbook of International Peacebuilding: Into the Eye of the Storm. Edited by John Paul Lederach and Janice Moomaw Jenner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. Gumm, Brian. "'Yes' and 'No' to Restorative Justice as a 'Mennonite Thing'." In Student Learning and Global Justice Conference, hosted by International Justice Mission and Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Vienna, VA, 2011. Hauerwas, Stanley. Peacemaking: The Virtue of the Church in The Hauerwas Reader. Edited by John Berkman and Michael G. Cartwright. Durham N.C.: Duke University Press, 2001. Healing Memories: Reconciling in Christ, Report of the Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission. Geneva, Switzerland and Strasbourg, France: The Lutheran World Federation and Mennonite World Conference, 2010. Katongole, Emmanuel, and Chris Rice. Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing. Edited by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice, Resources for Reconciliation. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2008. Lederach, John Paul, Reina Neufeldt, and Hal Culbertson. Reflective Peacebuilding: A Planning, Monitoring, and Learning Toolkit. South Bend, Ind.: The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2007. MacRae, Allan, and Howard Zehr. The Little Book of Family Group Conferences: New Zealand Style: A Hopeful Approach When Youth Cause Harm. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2004. Mambula, Musa A. Are There Limits to Pacifism?: The Nigerian Dilemma. Kaduna, Nigeria: Prudent Universal Press & Publishing, 2009. Nation, Mark Thiessen. The First Word Christians Have to Say About Violence Is 'Church': On Bonhoeffer, Baptists, and Becoming a Peace Church in Faithfulness and Fortitude: Conversations with the Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas. Edited by Samuel Wells and Mark Thiessen Nation. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 2000. Peacebuilding in Traumatized Societies. Edited by Barry Hart. New York: University Press of America, 2008. Various authors. Little Books of Justice & Peacebuilding. Intercourse, PA: Good Books. (8 books) Brubaker and Hoover Zimmerman, The Little Book of Healthy Organizations Lederach, The Little Book of Conflict Transformation MacRae and Zehr, The Little Book of Family Group Conferences Marshall, The Little Book of Biblical Justice Pranis, The Little Book of Circle Processes Yoder, The Little Book of Trauma Healing Zehr, The Little Book of Restorative Justice Yoder, John Howard. When War Is Unjust: Being Honest in Just-War Thinking. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House, 1984. Zehr, Howard. Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice. 3rd ed. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2005.