PJCS 312: War, Peace, and Nonresistance

Goshen College

Spring 2003; MWF, 12:00 noon

Administration Building, Room 28

Prof. Steve Nolt

office: LIB 008

telephone: (office) 535-7460; (home) 534-6438

e-mail: stevemn@goshen.edu

course web site: http://courses.goshen.edu

Course overview:

The field of peace studies—and even the more specific arena of religious responses to violence and war—is vast. This course is one of several at Goshen College that looks at a particular aspect of this larger subject. Our approach will be primarily historical and intellectual, though such explorations never take place in a vacuum and we will be keenly interested in social and political contexts. The course will focus on Christian ideas about and responses to war and organized violence, even though we will see that non-Christian influences were often significant and that understandings of war cannot be separated easily from broader definitions of violence. Given our semester parameters, however, this focus will guide our reading and class time.

The course has an interpretive bias insofar as the instructor is a pacifist and is a Mennonite. However, you need not be a pacifist to do well in the course! Indeed, one of the goals of this class is to have people of various convictions think about ways that others have taken seriously questions of war and peace. Working at understanding another perspective is itself an important moral discipline. In addition, it can also help one think through the implications of one’s own position.

Our course of study has several sections. During the first half of the semester we will look chronologically at major Western Christian approaches to war and peace from the late antique period to the present. The second portion of the course is a two-week unit examining changing North American Mennonite thought and action. During the third section we will look topically at a number of contemporary issues, challenges, and choices related to war and peace. Finally, we will consider examples illustrating the origin and decline of pacifist convictions.

Course goals:

(1) Gain an historical overview of various Christian perspectives on war and peace, and their attendant social and political contexts and assumptions.

(2) Understand how Mennonites have engaged the wider conversation of war and peace.

(3) Consider the many ways pacifism has been interpreted, lived, extended, and connected to other issues, especially in the last half-century.

(4) To reflect critically on one’s own beliefs and actions regarding peace, including their bases, assumptions, and implications.

Grading and other requirements:

Course grades are based on the following assignments:

Twenty brief written response

papers (5 points each) 100 points

Two personal statements 25 points (each)

Three 5-page papers 50 points (each)

Midterm and final exams 100 points (each)

There are 500 total points. Final grades are figured at 90%=A; 80%=B; 70%=C; 60%=D.

Attendance policy: Attendance is expected. Notice of excused absences for athletic or school-related functions should be presented prior to the absence. Inform me of absence due to illness as soon as possible. Exams given on days of unexcused absences cannot be made up, nor will I accept any of the twenty brief response papers handed in late due to unexcused absences.

Extensions on written assignments are granted only in very unusual circumstances. If you miss class due to an illness or other medical reason, please let me know as soon as possible. The grade for any late written work other than for medical reasons or cleared with the instructor in advance will be reduced ten percent per day for each day that it is late. Assignments due on days when a student has a school-related activity (e.g., field trip, athletic event) must be handed in the day before.

Assignments:

(1) Brief written response papers. As a guide to your reading and preparation for class I will often provide several study questions to accompany the reading. On twenty days you will receive notice ahead of time that you should choose one of the day’s questions and write a brief (one double-spaced page) response to it. This response is due the beginning of class for which that reading was assigned. These twenty one-page responses are worth 5 points each. I will read them and grade them on the basis of “good faith effort.” The questions and your written responses may be the beginning point for class discussion. Indeed, a few of the response papers will be written in class.

(2) A 2-3 page personal statement regarding peace is due Friday, January 24. More details about the assignment are on the course web page under “assignments.” Another 3-4 page personal statement is due on Monday, April 14. This second paper does not have to represent a change in your thought (though it may), but it must reflect some engagement with or connection to the material read and discussed during the intervening weeks.

(3) Three essays: Each paper will be 5 pages in length and will be evaluated on content and argumentation, as well as writing style and grammar. Two are literature reviews on topics of your choice, and the third is a review essay responding to the Roth book. See guidelines and other details on the course web site under "assignments." The first paper is due at the beginning of class, Friday, February 21, the second at the beginning of class Friday, March 21, and the third at the beginning of class Monday, April 7. Topics for the first two essays are due by Friday, February 7.

(4) A mid term and final examination are scheduled for Friday, February 28 and Wednesday, April 23. Both exams will include short answer identification and essay response questions.

Textbooks:

Lisa Sowle Cahill, Love Your Enemies: Discipleship, Pacifism, and Just War Theory (Fortress, 1994).

Perry Bush, Two Kingdoms, Two Loyalties: Mennonite Pacifism in Modern America (Johns Hopkins, 1998).

John D. Roth, Choosing Against War: A Christian View (Good Books, 2002).

Full citations for abbreviated book titles from which chapter reading are assigned on the syllabus, below:

Walter Wink, The Powers that Be: Theology for a New Millennium (Doubleday, 1998).

Staughton Lynd and Alice Lynd, eds., Nonviolence in America: A Documentary History (Orbis, 1995).

Theron Schlabach and Richard Hughes, eds., Proclaim Peace: Christian Pacifism from Unexpected Quarters (Illinois, 1997).

Philip McManus and Gerald Schlabach, eds., Relentless Persistence: Nonviolent Action in Latin America (New Society, 1991).

Cynthia Sampson and John Paul Lederach, eds., From the Ground Up: Mennonite Contributions to International Peacebuilding (Oxford, 2001).

Academic Integrity: Plagiarism (the undocumented use of words or ideas from the works of others or from your own work prepared for another class) is not acceptable. Plagiarized assignments receive no credit. All cases of plagiarism or exam cheating are reported to the Office of the Associate Academic Dean for processing.

The following course outline lists class topics, assignment due dates, and how to prepare for class. The spatial format visually suggests that fact that you should spent about twice as much time preparing for class as we spend together in class.

Readings marked with (*) are on E-reserve (see Good Library web page). They are also available as hard copies in traditional reserve format at the Good Library Circulation desk.

Date Preparation for Class Class

W Jan 8

Course introduction, themes, goals, assumptions, assignments.

An Overview of Western Christian Traditions

F Jan 10	*Walter Wink, The Powers that Be, 37-62.	War and peace: Biblical and Jewish sources and questions.
M Jan 13	Cahill, chapters 1-2.	Peace and the Early Church.
W Jan 15	Cahill, chapter 3.	Church, state, and violence: the Constantinian ‘shift.’ Discussion of day's reading.
F Jan 17	Cahill, chapter 4.	Context and assumptions for ‘Just War’ thinking.
M Jan 20	Martin Luther King, Jr. Study Day
W Jan 22	Cahill, chapter 5.	Development of the Just War tradition.
F Jan 24	Finish personal statement.	Examples of Medieval pacifism. Personal statement due
M Jan 27	Cahill, chapter 6.	War, peace, and the state among Protestant Reformers.
W Jan 29	*Patricia McNeal, “Harder than War,” 231-45 in Schlabach and Hughes, eds., Proclaim Peace.	War, peace & Roman Catholicism Guest: Rev. Michael Baxter, CSC
F Jan 31	*Schleitheim Confession. http://members.iquest.net/~jswartz/schleitheim/	The Radical Reformation and the ‘the sword.’
M Feb 3	Cahill, pp. 119-39; articles by Humbert of Romans and Jonathan Riley-Smith (handouts).	The Crusading ideal: Christians, Muslims, and heretics.
W Feb 5	Cahill, pp. 139-48.	Crusades, continued. Discussion of day's reading.
F Feb 7	Cahill, chapter 8.	The Quaker ‘peace testimony.’ Submit literature review topics
M Feb10	*Valarie H. Ziegler, “Antebellum Peace Movements and the Religion of the Republic,” Mennonite Quarterly Review April 1991, 128-60.	A look at U.S. peace movements, 1800s-early 1900s.
W Feb12	*Lynd & Lynd, Nonviolence in America, 65-75 (William James, “Moral Equivalent to War”); 91-99 (Jane Addams, “Personal Reactions”).	U.S. peace movements, cont., early 1900s-1945. Discussion of day's reading.
F Feb14	Cahill, chapter 9.	Reinhold Niebuhr, ‘Realism,’ and Just War reconsiderations
M Feb17	Cahill, chapters 10 and 11.	The village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and the Holocaust. Film: "Weapons of the Spirit"
W Feb19	*Lederach, “Journey from Resolution to Transformative Peacebuilding,” 45-55, in From the Ground Up.	From pacifism to peacebuilding: Guest: John Paul Lederach.
F Feb21	*Lynd & Lynd, Nonviolence in America, 209-43 (King, CORE, SNCC).	Gandhian thought and action comes to Western society. Literature review 1 due.
M Feb24	*Walter Sawatsky, “Truth Telling in Eastern Europe,” Journal of Church and State 1991, 701-29.	Gene Sharp and nonviolent direct action.
W Feb26	*Ted Koontz, “Thinking Theologically about War Against Iraq,” Mennonite Quarterly Review, January 2003, 93-108.	Discussion of day's reading.
F Feb28	Study for midterm exam.	Midterm exam.

Spring Break

North American Mennonites and Peace

M Ma 10	Bush, chaps. 1-2.	Mennonites and peace: the logic of ‘Two Kingdom’ nonresistance.
W Ma 12	Bush, chaps. 3-4.	Film: "The Good War and Those who Refused to Fight It."
F Ma 14	Bush, chap. 5-6.	Mennonite peace thought and action, 1950-1970s.
M Ma 17	Bush, chap. 7.	Guest: J. Lawrence Burkholder.
W Ma 19	Bush, chap. 8.	American Mennonites since Vietnam.
F Ma 21	Bush, chap. 9.	Canadian Mennonites and the state in the 20^th century. Literature review 2 due.

Some Contemporary Issues, Challenges, and Choices

M Ma 24	op-ed pieces on U.S. military intervention in Somalia (handouts).	The UN, Non-governmental organizations, & ‘peacekeeping.’ Discussion of day's reading.
W Ma 26	*McManus and Schlabach, eds., Relentless Persistence, vii-xi, 48-62, 79-99, 252-65.	Justice, violence, & nonviolence. Discussion of day's reading.
F Ma28	Begin reading Roth (p. 3ff).	Getting involved in conflict: background for next two days.
M Ma 31	Continue reading Roth.	Getting involved in conflict: Guests Joe Leichty & Rich Meyer
W Apr 2	Continue reading Roth.	Getting involved in conflict: Guests Joe Leichty & Rich Meyer
F Apr 4	Finish reading Roth (through p. 203).	Training for war. Film: "Anyone's Son Will Do."
M Apr 7	Finish Review essay.	Guest: André Gingerich Stoner, experiences with military personnel. Review essay due.

The Rise and Demise of Peace Movements and Communities

W Apr 9	*Murray Dempster, “Pacifism in Pentecostalism: The Case of the Assemblies of God,” 31-57 in Schlabach and Hughes, eds., Proclaim Peace.	The origin and decline of peace movements and communities.
F Apr11	*Thomas Hamm, et al., “The Decline of Quaker Pacifism in the 20^th Century,” Indiana Mag. of History Mar. 2000, 44-71.	The origin and decline of peace movements and communities.
M Apr14	Work on personal statement 2.	Summing up, looking forward. Personal Statement 2 due.

Wednesday-Thursday, April 16-17: Reading/Advising Days

Final Exam: Wednesday, April 23, 8:00 am.