Peace Studies

Class 3: "Theories of War", October 4th On-Demand Assignment (due on October 10th before 11:59pm)

Part 1: Quotes and Reading

Please read the story: "The Blind Men and the elephant" https://app.box.com/s/y6kv6rbf5rmwyjggtenkwbsvv4dlwwyo

Answer the questions here: https://bit.ly/3a9QNzv

Part 2: Lecture Slides

Please see the lecture slides here: https://bit.ly/3FhjDwv

Read and review the lecture, and answer the questions here: https://bit.ly/3FeUFxH

Class 5: "Causes of Conflict and War", October 11th On-Demand Assignment (due on October 17th before 11:59pm)

Part 1: Reading and Videos

1. Read the New York Times article at the link below. (*Since this is complex writing you can use a translation program if you wish, to help get the main idea in Japanese, and then return to looking at the English text). Then answer the questions at the link to the Form below.

New York Times Reading: https://app.box.com/s/v071l1hoe5s6709zya2xxolqy2ify8oe

2. Watch the three videos below, about civil wars. (You can turn on the subtitles, if you want, to read them too.) Then answer the questions at the link to the Form below.

Video 1 (South Sudan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkWldwFdTPo

Video 2 (Colombia) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZwkzPx037s

Video 3 (Democratic Republic of Congo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIW648jFLmU

Questions: https://bit.ly/2Yvw3jj

Part 2: Lecture Slides

Please see the lecture slides here: https://bit.ly/3lt8bpy

Questions: https://bit.ly/3oN4jSr

Class 8: "Consequences of War", October 21st On-Demand Assignment (due on October 24th before 11:59pm)

For this week’s topic, the “Consequences of War”, I wanted to show videos and photos, and have you write personal responses about them. I do this because, as we say in English, “a picture is worth 1,000 words”.

A. VIDEOS

It took me some time to find videos that I think are a balance between being too simple, and too graphic. I hope that what I have found shows some of the consequences and reality of war, but in a way that is OK. I also chose three different time periods: World War II (75 years ago), Bosnia (nearly 30 years ago), and Yemen (now).

* Please be aware that there are some scenes of war in these videos, and I list them below. If you feel uncomfortable watching them, or looking at the photos, please let me know and I can make another assignment.

1. 75 years after Stalingrad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftyA2h7IDlQ

* Note: At about 2:25 in the video it shows skeletons.

2. The Butcher of Bosnia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwChX2Ih91c

* Note: Early on, the video shows the head / skeleton of a dead person. It also refers to torture and sexual violence (rape). At 7:00, there is a short scene, after a bombing, showing blood on the ground and some bodies.

3. The Women Fighting to Protect Yemen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbU37lo5fV4

* Note: There is discussion of domestic violence around 3:25 in the movie, and at 4:15 a woman describes seeing her parents die. They also talk about the topic of underage marriage.

(Please see the link for the Questions below.)

B. PHOTOS

In addition, there is a link below to five photos by the award-winning war journalist James Nachtwey, who is an alumnus of my university in the United States. He made it his mission to document violence around the world so that others can see and know about it. Please look at this site, and answer the questions about any one of the photos you choose.

https://news.dartmouth.edu/photos/galleries/images-archives-photographer-james-nachtwey

Questions for Part A and Part B: https://bit.ly/3nhPSU9

Optional (you do not have to do this). For more photos from James Nachtwey about war and violence (please note, some are sad to see): http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/ In addition he has a TED talk, discussing his work: https://www.ted.com/talks/james_nachtwey_my_wish_let_my_photographs_bear_witness?language=en#t-890136

Class 9: "Genocide", October 25th On-Demand Assignment (due on October 31st before 11:59pm)

For this week’s topic, the “Genocide”, there is a combination of reading and videos.

A. INTRODUCTORY VIDEO

Watch the general video, by the United Nations, about the Genocide Convention. * Again, so that you are aware ahead of time, in this video there are brief images of skeletons and the bodies of dead people.

"The Genocide Convention: A Call for Action" (United Nations)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPvAGmiFuTI

(No questions to answer about this).

B. READING

Read the Holocaust summary: https://app.box.com/s/awx07bgbvmosy21ghpfo7aunskvn1se0

Answer questions #1-4 at the link below.

Read the genocide convention: https://app.box.com/s/ob9pprsrfqq9lxf187ggps43wxenqbyx

Answer questions #5-8 at the link below.

C. APPLYING THE DEFINITION TO CASE STUDIES

Genocide is not limited by time periods (the past or present), and it is not specific to a particular part of the world. Read the two cases here, and apply the genocide convention to them: https://app.box.com/s/q54lrfkti17iqnd2f8rsgf36s9f5f94v

Answer questions #9-12 at the link below.

D. TESTIMONIES

Read 1 (one) of the testimonies from victims of the Rwandan genocide in 1994: https://app.box.com/s/d7wmjrkqspwiebazrskob54qnnqxquho

Watch the responses by Christiane Amanpour, Eric Dachy, and Dragan Obrenović, about Srebrenica in Bosnia: https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/bosnia-herzegovina/eyewitness-testimony

Answer questions #13-16 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3pCGWLE

Class 11: "Humanitarian Principles, Law", November 8th On-Demand Assignment (due on November 14th before 11:59pm)

For this week’s topic, the “Humanitarian Principles and Law”, there is a combination of reading and a video.

A. ICRC OVERVIEW

Watch a Video about the ICRC’s work today (please turn on sub-titles if you wish):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nyZdzGA1Q0

Answer questions #1-4 at the link below.

B. ICRC HISTORY

Read the Brief History of the International Committee of the Red Cross:

https://app.box.com/s/bu5bqv6nyc299j2rtc6753q9f7ozcbc2

Answer questions #5-7 at the link below.

C. ICRC PRINCIPLES and SCENARIO

- Review the ICRC’s 7 Fundamental principles, which guide its work. Go to http://www.redcross.int/en/, and then clink on the link for "The Fundamental Principles", to find them there.

- Read the scenario below, and then think about how the principles of the ICRC relate to the situation.

[In the Country of Apama, a civil war has taken place and several regions are controlled by the rebels. In these areas controlled by the rebels, some doctors say there are medicine and food shortages among the local civilians. The ICRC, and the local Apamian Red Cross in are the two organisations with permission from the government of Apama to distribute aid. It seems that only a small amount of aid is reaching the areas defended by the opposition. All sides of the conflict (the rebels, and the government) are using the media to accuse the others of committing war crimes (e.g. indiscriminate bombardments, destruction of cultural objects).

The ICRC is present in the capital and can supply food and medical aid in the regions controlled by the government, but does not have access in the rebel zones due to the lack of permission from the government. Recently, a Human Rights NGO « Justice for All » accused the ICRC of «playing the game of the Apamian government while maintaining a silence of guilt”.]

Answer questions #8-9 at the link below.

D. SHORT RESEARCH

Look up a humanitarian organization of your choice (any is fine - if you have trouble finding one, please email me and I will help), and find its main principles on its webpage.

Answer questions #10-13 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3ETuqf5

Class 13: "Conflict Prevention", November 8th On-Demand Assignment (due on November 21st before 11:59pm)

For this week’s topics, we are looking at "Conflict Prevention" and "Conflict Resolution". If you have any questions on the assignment, please email me at any time.

A. SLIDES

Please look at the slides for the class, posted here (I will not make a video, since I think you can read the slides more quickly).

https://app.box.com/s/42guxjde35888f8qm4ftp2sd6m8lshu6

Answer the four questions here:

https://bit.ly/3FdjGbN

A. COUNTRY ANALYSES

Look at the country situations on this website: https://www.crisisgroup.org/crisiswatch#overview

Choose any country, select it, and then click "expand" to see more information. Using the summary provided there, fill out this chart: https://app.box.com/s/1t0y1nueqc9k8pgsn6a51rxrdzmp88fr

Upload your answers here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/t0dBFgRofuCnIRymQOrK

* Do not worry at all if the table / boxes in the document change, or if it goes onto a second page. What I care about is your answers, and not the way the document looks.

* Also, I realize that the Crisis Group information may not give exact answers to any of the 9 risks. If you can, please use your thoughtfulness to make any connections, even if they include your opinion and an assumption. For example, if there is some internal fighting in the country, maybe that will lead to problems with human rights?

* Choose another country, and follow the same instructions above (so you do this for two different countries)

Class 16: "Peace Agreements / Peacekeeping", November 25th On-Demand Assignment (due on November 28th before 11:59pm)

A. VIDEO

Please watch the video, about “UN Peacekeeping: Challenges from the field today and tomorrow”, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyJULAN7-so

Answer questions #1-3 at the link below.

B. READING

Please look at the brief “History of United Nations Peacekeeping”. You can skim it to find the answers (you do not need to read the entire document in detail).

Article: https://app.box.com/s/iib8mxzc8kp72k3eaka54352szvkdf55

Answer questions #4-8 at the link below.

C. WEBSITE

Look at the website for current peacekeeping operations: https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/current-peacekeeping-operations

Answer questions #9-10 at the link below.

D. POWERPOINT

Check out the two slides here, from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://app.box.com/s/9q1mkermha39dz8c34vr7fnrbp2x0rx5

Answer questions #11-13 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3l7wUiw

The focus for this Self-Study Assignment is "The Future of Conflict, War, and Peace". There are many different viewpoints about what will happen, but let's look at this article in the Financial Times, which gives a nice overview: https://app.box.com/s/0rfji42itjdarb2ybua37iwi1xt90gzy

Hopefully the article will make you think about a few key issues and possibilities for future conflict. It is also a highly-respected paper, which uses strong English vocabulary.

I made this assignment more simple, since I know this is the end of the semester, and you should also be working on your conflict analysis paper, due on January 28th. Please answer the questions here: https://bit.ly/3sBw9Ra

Also? https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/1973-10-01/does-war-have-future

Class 17: "Profiles of Peacemakers", November 29th On-Demand Assignment (due on December 5th before 11:59pm)

PEACEMAKERS

This class looks at the people who help make peace possible.

* I know that these assignments can be difficult. I hope that they are still interesting and can help with English. You can try your best, and put some answer for each!

A. Mozambique – A Peace Agreement that Weakened

Skim (look briefly at) the Foreign Policy Magazine article – “How Africa’s Most Successful Peace Treaty Fell Apart”

(If you want to use a translation program to read the document, you can do that too.)

Download here: https://app.box.com/s/fial05tkk3i7jrp8daaroexl2px2xmg0

Answer questions #1-2 at the link below.

B. Northern Ireland – A Peace Agreement that is Used as a Successful Model

- The main conflict in Northern Ireland goes back more than 200 years, when the British army occupied part of Ireland. The conflict was (and is) between Irish Catholics, and the British protestant populations.

Watch this video about the main peace negotiator for the Northern Ireland conflict.

1st Video: https://www.usip.org/public-education/educators/george-mitchell-building-peace-northern-ireland

Answer questions #3-4 at the link below.

Watch this video as about the situation in Northern Ireland now (I realize the Irish accents are probably very difficult, don’t worry if you cannot understand everything!):

2nd Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j48XwoTeFC4

Answer questions #5-6 at the link below.

C. The Elders as Modern-Day Peacemakers

Watch the basic video introducing The Elders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cy4jxz835Y

Answer question #7 at the link below.

Choose one of the Elders, and read their profile. Why do you think this particular person was chosen to be a member of this honorable group?

https://theelders.org/who-we-are#the-elders

Answer question #8 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3nYwLjp

Class 19: "Small Arms and Light Weapons", December 6th On-Demand Assignment (due on December 12th before 11:59pm)

SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS

There is a lot of focus on nuclear weapons (and there should be!). But another topic of concern is small arms and light weapons, which are responsible for at least 300,000 deaths around the world each year.

1. Read (skim) the “primer” (an introduction to a topic) here: https://app.box.com/s/p5kuad8driin52qks96asa6yjoy6h1bi

* I know this is a long document - you can use a translation program, and also look directly for answers to the questions

Answer questions #1-6 at the link below.

2. Read (skim) the book pages: https://app.box.com/s/wq854mgiijo4ux3nx7vabejxyd47yha6

Answer questions #7-13 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3DvjKSO

Class 21: "Terrorism", December 13th On-Demand Assignment (due on December 19th before 11:59pm)

1. What is terrorism? Read the definition of terrorism here: https://bit.ly/3gCqpAN

Answer questions #1-3 at the link below.

2. Factors related to causes of terrorism? Read the document here: https://bit.ly/2ICDI7N

Answer questions #4-6 at the link below.

3. Where does terrorism take place? Look at the Global Terrorism Index Briefing 2020 here: https://bit.ly/2JUSyar

Answer questions #7-11 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3EUtGa4

4. Summarizing a terrorism attack. Choose a terrorist attack, and fill out the form from here: https://bit.ly/2W62aSg

Submit your completed form here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/t0dBFgRofuCnIRymQOrK

Class 23: "Human Rights Law", December 20th On-Demand Assignment (due on January 16th before 11:59pm)

1. Watch the video about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RR4VXNX3jA

Answer questions #1-6 here: https://bit.ly/3sY2G6h

2. Review the Summary List of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Please use this as an opportunity to learn new vocabulary. You can look up words that you do not know.

Write your vocabulary (word and definition) in questions #7-11 here: https://bit.ly/3sY2G6h

3. Look at the images here (https://bit.ly/3FYulYr) and fill out the worksheet "Human Rights Through Pictures" from here: https://bit.ly/3zvcV3q

Submit your completed worksheet here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/t0dBFgRofuCnIRymQOrK

Class 26: "Nuclear Weapons", January 13th On-Demand Assignment (due on February 3rd before 11:59pm)

1. Powerpoint Slides

Please find the slides about this class topic here: https://bit.ly/347ZMBQ

Answer questions #1-6 here: https://bit.ly/32wfTZh

Class 27: Individual Presentations, January 20th

- Please read the explanation of the assignment here: https://app.box.com/s/3iri0txrcph1p70c0tu4kiw5hqboz03v

What you need to do: please 1) email me to let me know what your presentation topic is; 2) on the day you present, send me the Powerpoint you will use before 12 noon.

Class 28: "The Future of Conflict, War, and Peace", January 24th On-Demand Assignment (due on February 3rd before 11:59pm)

The focus for this Self-Study Assignment is "The Future of Conflict, War, and Peace". There are many different viewpoints about what will happen, but let's look at this article in the Financial Times, which gives a nice overview: https://app.box.com/s/0rfji42itjdarb2ybua37iwi1xt90gzy

Hopefully the article will make you think about a few key issues and possibilities for future conflict. It is also a highly-respected paper, which uses strong English vocabulary. (I know the English might be difficult - you can translate.)

Please answer the questions here: https://bit.ly/3nYssnG

I made this assignment more simple, since I know this is the end of the semester, and you have your final response paper due on January 30th.

Final Response Paper (due before January 30th at 11:59pm)

Assignment: Write your response to some of the issues that we have discussed in class. Please organize your ideas in coherent (understandable) paragraphs, each with a clear topic sentence.

Class Slides: For materials to use as a reminder of what we talked about this semester, see this link: https://bit.ly/3Abn4CR

Explanation:

• “A personal response essay is a type of essay that asks students to think critically”, and to do so in “comparison to their own beliefs and personal experiences”

• “It asks students to dig deep and justify their personal beliefs and feelings in terms of concrete description, logic, philosophy and reasoning”

Length: Three pages, 750-1,000 words

--> You can upload your paper here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/t0dBFgRofuCnIRymQOrK

*** ALL OF THE INFORMATION BELOW IS OLD, and SO PLEASE DO USE IT YET ***

Class xxx "Tables and Charts" Self-Study Assignment (due on December 23rd at 11:59pm)

SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS

There is a lot of focus on nuclear weapons (and there should be!). But another topic of concern is small arms and light weapons, which are responsible for at least 300,000 deaths around the world each year.

1. Read the “primer” (an introduction to a topic) here: https://fas.org/asmp/campaigns/smallarms/primer.html

Answer questions #1-6 at the link below.

2. Read the book pages: https://app.box.com/s/wq854mgiijo4ux3nx7vabejxyd47yha6

Answer questions #7-13 at the link below.

3. Look at the charts and tables from the "Small Arms Survey": https://app.box.com/s/k117f8pu52xqrwnbednwys91ja3fgda4

Answer questions #14-18 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3DvjKSO

Conflict Analysis Paper (due on January 28th)

Please find the details for the paper here: https://bit.ly/38hiXbM

Class 21 "Terrorism" (due on December 16th at 11:59pm)

TERRORISM

1. What is terrorism? Read the definition of terrorism here: https://bit.ly/3gCqpAN

Answer questions #1-3 at the link below.

2. Factors related to causes of terrorism? Read the document here: https://bit.ly/2ICDI7N

Answer questions #4-6 at the link below.

3. Where does terrorism take place? Look at the Global Terrorism Index Briefing 2020 here: https://bit.ly/2JUSyar

Answer questions #7-11 at the link below.

Questions: https://bit.ly/3oBnV8C

4. Summarizing a terrorism attack. Choose a terrorist attack, and fill out the form from here: https://bit.ly/2W62aSg

Submit your completed for here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/4rZXljwIfX8K6MpHl7l9

Presentation (for December 16th)

- Please find the explanation of the assignment here: https://app.box.com/s/3iri0txrcph1p70c0tu4kiw5hqboz03v

- I will explain / show more about the presentation when we meet on December 9th

What you need to do: please 1) email me to let me know what your presentation topic is; 2) on the day you present, send me the Powerpoint you will use before 12 noon.

Zoom Classes

Powerpoint Slides

Link: https://app.box.com/s/3o3aoo6k9f1ra1dv5xk0mi9wkefq2o8q

Video Lectures

Video Lectures on Vimeo

Class 1: https://vimeo.com/463878200/e8e854d7d8

Class 2: https://vimeo.com/466399869/09ae2a3790

Powerpoint Slides

Link: https://app.box.com/s/evryjmv8uwg4ml67r8njz1vmvqwiz5ec

Class Style

The class sessions (and its assignments) will be held in English. The course will use readings taken from a variety of published sources, ranging from the Atlantic Magazine, to the Brookings Institution, to Foreign Policy. All students are welcome, though an ability to speak aloud and share ideas in English, as well as read a few pages of English text, will make the class more interesting and enable greater understanding. Students will enhance their skills and ability to communicate, express ideas, and make oral and written arguments in English. A further aim of the class includes review of key terms and learning new vocabulary. Assignments will include small group discussions (and activities), short response papers / vocabulary assignments, making two individual presentations to teach other students, and a final paper.

Teaching Style

The course will be taught in an interactive manner, though at times it will include some short lectures. In order to encourage communication and deepen critical thinking skills, students should be prepared to read the assigned materials, complete the homework assignments, and actively engage in class activities. Sometimes they will work together in pairs and small group sessions, in addition to taking part in broader discussion. Students are encouraged to share their own ideas and experiences.