Phone: 293-3627 Email: Comptonc@BYUH.Edu
1. Pearce,
W. B., Littlejohn, S. W. (1997). Moral Conflict: When Social Worlds Collide.
2. Berry,
W. (1989). The Hidden Wound.
3. Chua,
Amy, (2003). World on Fire.
4. Online articles.
Course Web Location
Online articles and other course materials are found on Blackboard.
Course Description
At graduation a year ago, President Hinkley referred to “…this mean old world.” The long and sad history of the world is characterized by meanness which includes a catastrophic orientation to conflict between cultures. Over the millennia, millions upon millions have been killed in these conflicts. Billions of others have suffered the ill effects of interpersonal, group and organizational conflict. Our unhealthy approach to social and political life has somehow managed to become entrenched as “normal,” as the expected state of human affairs. In this class we seek to gain insights into the dynamics that create conflict and “violence” as standard fare in our personal lives and among communities of all types.
What must be obvious to all of us is that if it was easy to find a more peaceful and productive way to engage conflict, we would have found it by now. After all, one would think the death of millions and millions of our fellow human being would be sufficient motivation to find new and more productive ways of understanding and engaging in conflict. Even though many have devoted their energies to the task, relatively little progress seems to have been made as destructive conflicts continue to plague humanity. Because interpersonal as well as international conflicts are immensely complicated, our insights will necessarily be partial, but for every piece of the conflict puzzle we can grasp, we can help make the world a little better.
As a part of the class we seek to improve our skills as mediators in conflict situations. Simply understanding conflict is a virtue in its own right, but that good can be magnified when we develop intervention and mediation skills that turn understanding into action. Without these skills, our knowledge and understanding may simply feed a tendency to be cynical, to feel that the world is hopelessly entrenched in conflict and there is nothing to be done. There is always something that can be done. Our task is not to rid the world of conflict or evil—something truly hopeless—but to improve our understanding of conflict and culture and to acquire the communication and relational skills that will enable to us to intervene.
The problems inherent to conflict are structural (political, economic, and sociological) but they are also woven into our individual identities and psyches. Due to the defense mechanisms we use to protect our egos, it is harder to see the ways in which the meanness of the world, using President Hinkley phrase, has integrated itself into our patterns of interaction and ours ways of understanding. It is necessary that for each of us to understand that we are contributors to destructive conflict and that it is our tendency to hid that fact from ourselves. Our efforts to understand conflict and mediate in difficult situations, requires that we become the object of our own analysis.
Course Requirements
Assignments Number of Points
Midterm 50
Final Exam 100
Short Papers (3 pages)
My Hidden Wound 30
Film Analysis 30
BYUH and Laie 30
9/11, Terrorism,
Group Case Study (2-3 members)
Oral Presentation and Paper 50
Total 360
*Exams are a combination of multiple choice, true/false, short answer and/or essay questions.
Late Assignments
Assignments turned in late are penalized 10% and an additional 5% for each day thereafter. Late means that it was not turned in during the class period in which it was due.
Special Needs
Brigham Young University-Hawaii is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere, which reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability that may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the students with Special Need Coordinator, Leilani A'una at 293-3518. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Human Resource Services at 780-8875.
Preventing Sexual Harassment
Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds, including Federal loans and grants. Title IX also covers student-to-student sexual harassment. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please contact the Human Resource Services at 780-8875 (24 hours).
Final Examination
All students should be
aware of the BYUH policy that there are no early final exams. An exception to this policy is the case of a
school sponsored activity which takes an individual or a team away from the
University at the time an examination is scheduled to take place. Faculty and administration who are
responsible for scheduling official University activities attempt in every way
to avoid scheduling activities in conflict with the scheduled
examinations. Students must plan travel,
family visits, etc., in a way that will not interfere with their final
exams. Emergency situations should be
presented in writing as soon as possible to the Dean of the college or school
of the student’s major.
Blind Grading
All exams and papers should be identified only with your student number. Do not put your names anywhere on your tests or papers.
Grading
Final grades are based on the following grading scale:
100-92% A 76-72% C
91-89% A- 71-69% C-
88-87% B+ 68-67% D+
86-82% B 66-62% D
81-79% B- 61-59% D-
78-77% C+ 58% & below F
Reading Schedule
|
Date |
|
Location |
|
9/1 |
Orientation |
|
|
9/6 |
The Hidden Wound *Study questions online in “course information” |
|
|
9/8 |
The Hidden Wound |
|
|
9/13 |
The Hidden Wound Can Love Save the World |
Blackboard |
|
9/15 |
The Hidden Wound Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Moral Themes in African American Narratives of Racial Conflict (Ward) |
Blackboard |
|
9/20 |
Moral Conflict * Hidden Wound Essay Due |
Chapters 1 and 2 |
|
9/22 |
Moral Conflict |
Chapters 3 and 4 |
|
9/27 |
Moral Conflict Practice and Paradox: Deconstructing Neutrality in Mediation (Cobb) |
Chapters 5 and 6 Blackboard |
|
9/29 |
Moral Conflict |
Chapters 7 and 8 |
|
10/4 |
Moral Conflict |
Chapter 9 |
|
10/6 |
Exam One |
Testing Center |
|
10/11 |
World On Fire |
Blackboard, Introduction and Chapter One |
|
10/13 |
World On Fire |
Chapter Five and Six |
|
10/18 |
World On Fire |
Chapter 7 and 8 |
|
10/20 |
No Classes, Jubilee Celebration |
|
|
10/25 |
Guest Lecture:
Conflict, Culture, and the Laie Sugar |
Blackboard |
|
10/27 |
Dr. Wineera's Paper and Slides Help, Help, I Need Your Help (Zach) Blackboard Dawn Wassen |
Blackboard (Vervice Wineera’s folder) |
|
11/1 |
World On Fire Philosopher of Islamic Terror Laie Paper Due |
Chapter 9 Blackboard (article is in the 9/11 folder) |
|
11/3 |
Response to Terrorism by Pearce Amy Chua on |
Blackboard Blackboard |
|
11/8 |
Civilization
Envy by Johan Goldberg In Defense of
Torture by Johan Goldberg William
Buckley on |
Blackboard Blackboard Blackboard |
|
11/10 |
Individualizing Justice through Multiculturalism: The Liberals Dilemma (Coleman) 9/11 and |
Blackboard |
|
11/15 |
|
|
|
11/17 |
|
|
|
11/22 |
Discussion of Film |
Film yet to be decided |
|
11/24 |
Thanksgiving |
|
|
11/29 |
|
|
|
12/1 |
Case Study Presentations |
|
|
12/6 |
Case Study Presentations |
|
|
12/8 |
Case Study Presentations |
|
|
12/15 |
Final Exam, 4-7
p.m. |
Testing Center |
General Concepts
The Lunch
is Free but Work We Must by Hugh Nibley
On the Concept of Peacemaking by Howard Richards
http://www.howardri.org/Peacemaking.html
The Conflict and Culture Reader (Chew)
Everyone Agrees to Peace (
Practice and Paradox: Deconstructing Neutrality in Mediation (Cobb)
Harmony Models and the Construction of Law (Nader)
Gender Regulation as a Source of Religious Schism (Zuckerman)
Anti-Essentialism, Relativism, and Human Rights (Higgins)
Conflict Resolution, Cultural Differences, and the Culture of Racisim (Gadlin)
Use and Abuse of Race:
Black-Korean Tension in
To Set Right: Ho’oponopono,
Conflict Resolution among Peaceful Socities: The Culture of Peacefulness (Bonta)
A Critique of Western Conflict Resolution from a
Non-Western Perspective (
Conflict Resolution Approaches: Western and Middle Eastern Lessons and Possibilities (Abu-Nimer)
The Telltale Heart: Apology, Reparation, and Redress (Gurevitch)
Pirates, Dragons, and
Values and Tensions in Ethics Away from Home (Donaldson)
How War Was Ended (
Do Unto Others: Searching for Peace Among World Religions (Jared Ludlow)
Hot Spots
Middle East, 9/11
&
Amy Chua
and
http://www.parapundit.com/archives/001962.html
http://www.law.yale.edu/outside/html/Public_Affairs/430/yls_article.htm
Guardian Article
http://www.law.yale.edu/outside/html/Public_Affairs/450/yls_article.htm
Failure of War (Wendall
Steve Weber (
Speech To The Nation (George Bush,
Starting From
Scratch (Thomas Friedman on War in
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thoughts in the Presence of Fear Response to Terrorism by Pearce |
Blackboard Blackboard |
|
The Setting The Riot |
Kakar, 1-24 Kakar, 25-51 |
|
The Warriors |
Kakar, 52-86 |
|
Victims and Others I: The Hindus Victims and Others II: The Muslims |
Kakar, 87-118 Kakar, 119-142 |
|
|
|
|
Religious Conflict in the Modern World |
Kakar, 186-197 |
|
The Setting The Riot |
Kakar, 1-24 Kakar, 25-51 |
|
The Warriors |
Kakar, 52-86 |
|
|
|
|
Thanksgiving |
|
|
Jared Ludlow A New Hindu Identity |
Blackboard Kakar, 143-169 |
|
A New Hindu Identity The Muslim Fundamentalists Identity |
Kakar, 143-169 Kakar, 170-185 |
|
Final Exam 4-7 |
|
The Meeting by John Paul Lederach http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/transform/jplchpt.htm
The
