This learning community is comprised of invited students from across campus looking for a deeper understanding of peace and diplomacy and its relationship to different cultural and political issues. The students, who represent a variety of majors and disciplines, participate in hands-on activities, lectures, and off-campus excursions centered on the themes of peace and diplomacy.

The syllabus is designed so that, in ten hours over the course of the fall semester, Peace & Diplomacy members will explore three themes:

1. Personal Leadership and Intercultural Communication,
2. Peace and Conflict Resolution, and
3. Engaging Diplomacy in Our Community.

Throughout, members will be a part of hands-on activities, lectures, and two off-campus trips.

"The Peace and Diplomacy Learning Community is a great opportunity for students to learn by doing while building their resumes and generating ideas for a better world," said Jennifer Abbassi, associate professor of political science and chair of global studies.

The teaching and learning is interdisciplinary and will focus on intercultural and global issues. Community members engage in constructive conversations about critical challenges of our time and approaches that bring people together around common interests. A variety of Peace & Diplomacy projects seek to engage people across the entire campus in specialized events and activities.

The Community is the next phase of a project developed by Kate Descoteaux '08 as a Senior Fellow capstone leadership project for the Susan F. Davenport Leadership Program. Descoteaux applied for and received a grant to fund the project which included a thematic residence hall experience, enrollment in classes, and group activities. In 2008, the program has expanded into a fully extra-curricular, non-residential Peace and Diplomacy Learning Community.

Peace & Diplomacy Learning Community at DC Central Kitchen with Mr. Jerald Thomas

Participants

Students participating in the 2008 Peace & Diplomacy Community are: Tashi Dhondup, Nguwah Wah Kyaw, Mareeha Niaz, Shealin Ferguson, Jared Perminter, Wazhma Furmuli, Wenjiao Liu, Isabelle Dom, Ashley Yount, Kelly Smitham, Amanda Krzyzanowski, Foluke Beverage, Megan Steigerwald, and Kathryn Beauchamp.

Faculty and staff working with the project are Jennifer Abbassi, Mari Ishibashi, and Tina Johnson.

Peace & Diplomacy students visit the Twin Oaks Intentional Community.

Syllabus

Peace and Diplomacy Learning Community
Fall 2008
www.randolphcollege.edu/peace

"It's too easy only to blame the militarists, racists, sexists, and other pushers of violence for the mess we're in. What is harder is self-examination, moving beyond caring by looking inward to ask the personal question: What more should I be doing everyday to bring about a peace and justice based world, whether across the ocean or across the living room?"

                                                           -Coleman McCarthy, author of I'd Rather Teach Peace

The syllabus is designed so that, in ten hours over the course of the fall semester, Peace & Diplomacy members will explore three themes: intercultural communication, peace and conflict resolution, and engaging diplomacy in our community. Throughout, members will be a part of hands-on activities, lectures, and two off-campus trips.  All sessions will be held in Leggett 623

Introduction (3 hours)

Session 1 – Friday, 5 September, 2-3 PM (Jennifer, Mari, and Tina)
Introductions, syllabus, overview, Intercultural Development Inventory

Module I:  Personal Leadership and intercultural communication (Tina)

Session 2 – Friday, 12 September, 2-3 PM:

• Definitions – what do we mean by “intercultural” sensitivity and communication?
• Debrief group IDI results – This is not a test!
• Reminders about our group vision – what’s your personal
• Reports from Making a Difference

Session 3 – Retreat Sunday, 14 September (2 hours; 1-3 PM – Tina)  
Meet in the Experiential Learning Center for this session!

• Brief discussion of ideas for events, our Learning Community symbol, etc.
• Visioning Exercise – What, exactly, do we expect this learning community to be about?
• Introduction to the principles and practices of Personal Leadership
• Critical Moment Dialogue (CMD) worksheet – a valuable process tool for staying creative and “keeping the peace” in the face of difference
• Reading assignments – Making a Difference

Session 4 – Friday, 26 September, 2-3 PM:

• Picture for website!
• Critical Moment Dialogue (CMD) worksheet – everyone gets to write (30 minutes)
• Debrief CMD process – students can choose to share their “critical moment” (or not)
• How can we use what we’ve learned?
• Distribute reading for Twin Oaks trip (Belenky chapter)

Module II:  Peace and conflict resolution (Mari)

Session 5 – Friday, 10 October, 2-3 PM
What is Peace? What is your definition of peace?
Read: “The hidden structure of violence: Responding to Violence,” by Marc Pilisuk and Jennifer Tennant, ReVision, Fall 1997 v20 n2.

Activity 1 – Trip to Twin Oaks, Saturday 11 October ( www.twinoaks.org )

Session 6 – Friday, 31 October, 2-3 PM
Basic Conflict Resolution Skills – What are components of constructive conversation?

Read:

•  “How to Break the Argument Habit” by Laura Chasin, Christian Science Monitor October 26, 2004
•  Other handouts

Module III Engaging diplomacy in our community (Jennifer)

Session 7 – Friday, 7 November, 2-3 PM
Diplomacy for the 21 ^st Century – what kind of world is this and how can creative diplomacy help?

Read:

• “A Better World?” from Peter Singer’s One World: The Ethics of Globalization
• “Diplomatic Wives’ from Cynthia Enloe’s Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics

Activity 2 – Overnight trip to DC, Friday-Saturday, 7-8 November to do service work at DC Central Kitchen and other activities as time allows

Session 8 – Friday, 14 November, 2-3 PM
Global Community - what does it mean to you to be a “global citizen” and are there/can there be shared values?

Read:

• “The Global We” from Ann Florini’s The Coming Democracy: New Rules for Running a New Word
• Handout of narrative from Steffi Schutze’s We’re Global Citizens: Conversations with Tomorrow’s Leaders

Activity 3 – Talk by Robert Egger, D.C. Central Kitchen, Monday, 17 November, 7:30 PM, Student Center ( www.dccentralkitchen.org )

Peace and Diplomacy Community members are invited to a special off-campus dinner on Monday 17 November at 5:30 with Mr. Egger!  Please let us know if you can attend.

Closure: Reflecting on the community (Jennifer, Mari, and Tina)   

Session 9 – Friday, 5 December 2-3 PM: Reflection exercise on the ways the skills you have learned can be used to benefit the community