Peace PsychologyPSYC 2850
Professor: Dr. Linda M. WoolfOffice Hours:
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Readings:
- Christie, D. J., Wagner, R. V., & Winter, D. D. (Eds.) (2001). Peace, conflict, and Violence: Peace psychology for the 21st century. Dehli, India: I A Books.
- Selected readings to be provided on reserve in the library - each noted below. Go to eReserves to download the articles in PDF format - http://ereserves.webster.edu/eres/
Course Description:
Peace psychology is broad discipline as conflict and the need for peace occurs in all human arenas. Peace psychology research has been conducted in a variety of contexts examining such disparate concerns as domestic violence; school shootings; structural forms of violence (e.g., institutionalized forms of bias and the systematic violation of human rights); and mass violence, including ethnopolitical conflict, genocide, terrorism, and war. Peace psychologists have also worked to develop and assess programs aimed at teaching concepts and strategies of peace, effective conflict resolution skills, as well as reconciliation and reconstruction following conflict. Such programs have been implemented around the globe with such disparate populations as young school age children in the United States to survivors of the Rwandan genocide.Peace psychology is not a stand-alone discipline. Rather it draws on research from other disciplines outside of as well as within psychology, including but not limited to clinical psychology, social psychology, political psychology, media psychology, developmental psychology, political science, history, education, sociology, international relations, and peace studies.
This course examines the key concepts, themes, theories, and practices involved in peace psychology. You will be introduced to the issues of peace and conflict across a wide range of interpersonal, community, national and international contexts. We will focus on multiple levels of analysis from micro to macro, and multi-disciplinary perspectives.
For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it. -- Eleanor Roosevelt
Course Objectives:
- Objective: To become more knowledgeable concerning the core concepts and methods involved in peace psychology.
- Objectives: To become familiar with various forms of direct violence ranging from intimate violence to mass violence and war.
- Objective: To examine the concept of structural violence and its impact on individuals, groups, and communities.
- Objective: To become familiar with the importance of and the strategies involved in understanding the various aspects of conflict including partisan perceptions.
- Objective: To examine the nature of conflict resolution including the psychological dimensions associated with peacekeeping and peacemaking for all parties involved in a conflict.
- Objective: To examine the psychological aspects of peacebuilding as individuals, groups, and communities move from intervention to reconciliation and reconstruction.
- Objective: To examine the steps involved in thinking like an activist.
Course Outcomes:
- Outcome: Students will be able to articulate and define the core concepts and methods involved in peace psychology.
- Outcome: Students will be define and highlight the core issues related to forms of direct violence including violence between intimates and violence within and between groups (e.g., genocide, war).
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss the role of structural violence in societies, its impact on groups such as women, children, minorities, and its relation to such topics as globalism and human rights.
- Outcome: Students will be able to analyze a conflict and articulate the problem from multiple frames of reference. They will be able to articulate the concept of partisan perceptions and apply this concept to a conflict situation.
- Outcome: Students will be able to articulate the ideas and methods associated with various forms of conflict resolution.
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss the psychological aspects of peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peacebuilding and the differences between the three approaches.
- Outcome: Students will be able to address the issues of forgiveness, reconciliation and reconstruction in situations post-conflict.
- Outcome: Students will be able to develop and implement an activism plan addressing some area of peace psychology.
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. --Martin Luther King, Jr.
Class Meetings:
The class will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00-11:50. Attendance is strongly recommended as material will be presented that is not in the book and class discussion will enhance your understanding of the material. Due to the importance of not only class attendance but also class participation, class participation constitutes a significant percentage of your final grade.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. --Bishop Desmond Tutu
Course Requirements:
Four exams, a paper, and class participation/discussion.
Percent of Grade:
Examinations: The four exams are designed to test for basic understanding of core concepts and ideas. They will cover material presented in class, readings, videos, and discussion. Each exam will be worth 20% of your final grade. Paper: The purpose of the paper is to provide you with the opportunity to explore an area of peace psychology in depth. The paper is to be a 7-10 page (approximately 2300 to 3000 words) literature review of some topic pertinent to peace psychology and will constitute 15% of your final grade. Policy: Topics must be approved by the instructor. Directions for topic submission will be discussed during the first week of class. Topics that have not been approved will not be accepted. Topics must be approved via email, woolflm@webster.edu, by September 18. Deadline for acceptance of papers is November 27, 2009. Note: These deadlines are not suggestions; papers accepted following the deadline will experience a drop in grade(s) except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor.
Examinations 80% Paper 15% Class Part./Disc. 5%
All papers must reference a minimum of five references from refereed journals (not Psychology Today or Newsweek, for example). Of course to do most topics justice, more than five journal references are needed. Additionally, minimum performance on a paper equates to "average" performance in the grading scale provided above. Note: Do not rely heavily on popular literature, for example, a book you happen to see at Borders Books. Often, these books are not empirically based. Also, do not take the bulk of your paper from one source or from secondary sources. Use of information in your paper that is not empirically based will impact the grade negatively. I want an integration, analysis, and critique of the current research literature relevant to your paper topic.
Papers must be submitted electronically in Word format to woolflm@webster.eduAll papers must be typed, double-spaced, have 1 inch margins and in APA format. If you are in doubt as to what this means, see me for details.
Class Participation & Discussion: Please realize that your participation in this class is extremely important. As such, class participation will constitute 10 percent of your final grade. The class participation grade will derive from regular attendance and everyday discussion and analysis. Please be aware that skipping class (either excused or unexcused absences) will impact your grade in this area.
"There is no greater fallacy than the belief that aims and purposes are one thing, while methods and tactics are another." ---Emma Goldman
Policy Statements:
Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Please respect others in the class by turning off all cell phones and pagers before entering the room. Text messaging during class is not acceptable. Laptops may be used in class but are only to be utilized for class related activities (e.g., taking notes). If it becomes apparent you are using the computer for non-class activities (e.g., checking your email, playing games) then you may be asked to turn off your computer and refrain from bringing it into class in the future. Laptop use is restricted to the back or sides of the classroom so that other students are not distracted during lecture.Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable. Plagiarism includes copying all or part of another's writings (even a single sentence), inappropriate paraphrasing, using another student's paper as your own, submitting a paper for more than one class. All papers will be submitted to the university's plagiarism database for review. Plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment and will be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.
Here are some Web sites that will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. -
- Establishing Authorship by Paul C. Smith, Alverno College
- How to Avoid Plagiarism Tutorial
- The University of Indiana's Online Plagiarism Tutorial - You can print out a certificate of completion!
It should be noted that, as is common in many university courses, little time will be spent lecturing on topics adequately addressed by the text. Students are expected to arrive at class meetings having already read the material assigned, and to ask questions to clarify any areas that remain unclear. While every attempt will be made to explain or expand upon particularly difficult areas, the primary purpose of classroom lecture is to enhance, rather than to duplicate, the textbook material.
Late withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.
This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.
It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document. No grade of Incomplete will be issued for this course.