RE299W: RELIGIOUS CONFLICT & PEACE-BUILDING
Spring 2009
T-R 1:10-2:35pm: Bracy 21
Dr. Nicole L. Johnson
Email: johnsonl@muc.edu
Phone: 330.829.6808
Office: Keener 8
Office Hours:
Monday 10-11:30am
Tuesday 2:30-3:30pm
Wednesday 10-11:30am
(or by appointment)
Course Description
This course investigates the role that religion plays in conflict and peace-building. Through a
case-study approach to analyzing selected conflict zones, both past and present, the course
explores the complexity of such conflicts and the role of religion in exacerbating and alleviating
conflict.
Course Objectives
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Explore the relationship of religious identity to national, cultural, and ethnic "belonging"
among groups involved in conflict.
Analyze concrete conflict zones in an effort to understand their origins and the role
religion plays in the trajectory of those conflicts.
Explore the capacity of various religious traditions for creating space for dialogue and
stimulating movement toward peace.
Examine the work of individuals and organizations within various religious traditions
who can serve as models of religious peace-building.
Study and evaluate teachings within religious traditions that have been utilized both in
fomenting conflict and in working toward peace.
Develop writing skills in the field of Religious Studies.
Required Texts
The Gods of War: Is Religion the Primary Cause of Violent Conflict? Meic Pearse. Downers
Grover, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2007.
Religion & Peacebuilding. Harold Coward and Gordon S. Smith, Eds. Albany, New York: State
University of New York Press, 2004.
Selected additional articles and readings will be assigned throughout the semester. Students are
expected to print, read, and bring to class as required.
Recommended Texts
Interfaith Dialogue & Peacebuilding. Ed. David R. Smock.
The Bosnian Muslims: Denial of a Nation. Francine Friedman.
The Long Road to Peace in Northern Ireland. Ed. Marianne Elliott.
War Without End: Israelis, Palestinians, & the Struggle for a Promised Land. Anton La Guardia.
Course Assignments
Participation
50 pts.
Dialogue and reflection are key to helping you to digest and wrestle with information and
materials in class. Remember that meaningful contribution is not just about how much you say but also
the kinds of questions you raise, the intelligence and reasonableness of the insights you provide, the
meaningfulness of the contributions you provoke in others, and the manner in which you handle
disagreement. Having the “right” answers is less important than demonstrating that you are thinking
and wrestling with the material. Every student begins with zero points and earns them throughout the
semester.
Short Writing Assignments
100 pts.
Various types of brief writing activities will be assigned throughout the semester. These
will include focused homework questions assigned for you to answer based on the reading, brief
in-class “minute papers,” and other forms of writing. Reading carefully and keeping up with
assigned reading will certainly help you toward success in this aspect of the course assignments.
Paired Presentation
100 pts.
In pairs, students will give presentations on one of two options during the semester. The
first option is a presentation on what might be considered a “model” of a religious peace-builder
(Weeks 4-6). These models include individuals and organizations. A list of possibilities will be
generated in the first few weeks of class. The second option involves leading the class discussion
on peace-building within a specific religious tradition (Weeks 9-11). More information to follow.
Independent Research
200 pts.
Each student will research and write about a topic of her or his own choosing. The paper
will be 8 pages minimum (no maximum) and will adhere to the Standards for Writing included in
this syllabus.
A few suggestions for study: 1) a religious conflict not covered in class; 2) a major theme
within the field of religious conflict and peace-building, such as stereotyping, the role of
dialogue, third-party negotiation, education, the role of women in peace-building, etc.; 3) the
peaceful teachings of a religious tradition not covered directly in class; 4) any other topic of
interest to you, which must be approved by the professor.
Evaluation of this assignment is divided into parts. A working bibliography and outline of
your paper is due in class Thursday, February 26th. A first full paper draft is due Tuesday,
March 24th. You will give a mini-presentation about your research either Tuesday, April 14th
or Thursday, April 16th. The final paper is due in class on Tuesday, April 21st.
Process
50 pts
Presentation
25 pts
Paper
125 pts
Total
200 pts
Final Exam
50 pts.
The final exam will be a take-home exam and will consist of a single essay. The essay will be
no more than 3 typed pages and will be due during Final Exam week, as designated by the College.
Grading
500 pts = 100%
475 pts = 95%
450 pts = 90%
425 pts = 85%
400 pts = 80%
etc.
A
AB+
B
BC+
93-100
90-92.9
87-89.9
83-86.9
80-82.9
77-79.9
C
CD+
D
DF
73-76.9
70-72.9
67-69.9
63-66.9
60-62.9
< 59.9
Course Policies & Procedures
Attendance
Regular class attendance is imperative for success. Students are granted two absences
without penalty. Every absence after that lowers your final course grade by a third of a letter
(e.g. a B will become a B-). Perfect attendance combined with good standing in the class may
have the effect of boosting a borderline grade.
Please note that I do not differentiate between “excused” and “unexcused” absences.
Sporting events, illness, job fairs, and activities for other classes all count toward your two
allowable absences. Please note also that late arrival to class will adversely affect your grade.
Late Assignments
All completed assignments are due when they are due; late assignments will not be
accepted. The only exceptions are serious illness or a death in the family.
Disability Policy
If you need accommodations due to a documented disability, please contact Disability
Support Services (DSS) in the Hoover-Price Campus Center. DSS will work with you to identify
appropriate accommodations and communicate those needs to me. In addition, please see me
privately as soon as possible so that we can work together to address those needs.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Plagiarism will not be tolerated and, if discovered, will be reported directly to the
Academic Dean. The ramifications for plagiarism will be severe. If you are unclear as to what
plagiarism involves, please refer to the section on “Academic Honesty” in the MUC Catalogue
(page 63). If you are still unclear after reading the policy, make an appointment with me to discuss
it. Needless to say, it is expected that any assignments you submit will be your own original work.
Changes to Syllabus
This course syllabus is subject to revision when and if necessary. Revisions include
minor additions, deletions, and/or schedule adjustments.
Course Schedule
Week 1: INTRODUCTION
T Jan 13: Course Introduction; The Study of Religious Conflict
R Jan 15: Religion, Identity, and Conflict
 Gods of War (GW), Introduction
Week 2: RELIGION & VIOLENCE
T Jan 20: 20th Century Violence
 GW, Ch. 1
R Jan 22: Religion as a Cause of Violence
 GW, Ch. 2
Week 3: RELIGION & VIOLENCE
T Jan 27: The Problem of Conversionist Religion
 GW, Ch. 3
R Jan 29: Co-opting Religion in the Service of Conflict
 GW, Ch. 4
Week 4: CASES IN CONFLICT: Northern Ireland
T Feb 3: Historical Background
R Feb 5: Efforts at Peacemaking
 RP, Ch. 13; additional readings TBA
Week 5: CASES IN CONFLICT: The Middle East
T Feb 10: Historical Background
R Feb 12: Efforts at Peacemaking
 Readings TBA
Week 6: CASES IN CONFLICT: Bosnia or West Africa
T Feb 17: Historical Background
R Feb 19: Efforts at Peacemaking
 Readings TBA
Week 7: RESEARCH WEEK
T Feb 24: Library Research Day
R Feb 26: Flex/Catch-up Day; Guest speaker (TBA)
 Working bibliography and outline due in class.
Week 8: TOWARD UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT
T Mar 3: The Cause(s) of War
 GW, Ch. 7
R Mar 5: The Cause(s) of War (cont’d.)
 GW, Ch. 8
March 9-13: Spring Break
Week 9: RELIGIOUS PEACE-BUILDING
T Mar 17: Introduction
 Religion and Peacebuilding (RP), Ch. 1 and Ch. 3
R Mar 19: Eastern Traditions: Hinduism & Buddhism
 RP, Ch. 4
Week 10: RELIGIOUS PEACE-BUILDING
T Mar 24: Western Traditions: Judaism
 RP, Ch. 6
 First full paper draft due in class.
R Mar 26: Western Traditions: Islam
 RP, Ch. 7
Week 11: RELIGIOUS PEACE-BUILDING
T Mar 31: Western Traditions: Christianity
 RP, Ch. 8
R Apr 2: Western Traditions: Christianity (cont’d.)
 GW, Ch. 10
Week 12: RELIGIOUS PEACE-BUILDING
T Apr 7: Concrete and Constructive Peace-building
 RP, Ch. 14
R Apr 9: Inter-religious Initiatives & Dialogue
 RP, Ch. 9
Week 13: RESEARCH ROUND-TABLE
T Apr 14: Mini-presentations
R Apr 16: Mini-presentations
Week 14: COURSE CONCLUSION
T Apr 21: Concluding Reflections
 Final paper due in class.
R Apr 23: SCHOLAR DAY. No regular classes.
Dr. Nicole L. Johnson
Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Spring 2009
Standards for Writing
 All papers you submit will adhere to the following: Times New Roman, 12-point font,
double-spaced, one-inch margin on all sides, and stapled prior to submission. In the
interest of saving paper, you are welcome (in fact, encouraged) to print double-sided.
 Papers that do not meet the minimum page requirements will not be accepted.
 You are required to proofread your papers very carefully. If you do not trust your ability to
find mistakes in your writing, you should ask a trusted friend to go over your paper with
you prior to submission. You are also strongly encouraged to use the Writing Center.
 Evaluation of a well-researched paper will suffer from poor writing and expression of
your ideas and thoughts.
AN “A” (EXCELLENT) PAPER:
5 CRITERIA:
Mechanics:
Grammar, spelling, and punctuation;
sentence structure; documentation of
sources.
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Structure:
Clear and logical organization of
information and ideas; flow of paper
makes sense to reader.
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Content:
Quality of the research information
and ideas and the sources utilized.
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Analysis:
Development of topic and
arguments; critical engagement with
the information.
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Style:
“Personality” of the writing; word
choice and voice.
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Contains <2 minor mistakes or typos.
Has no serious grammatical problems.
Does not use contractions (e.g. “can’t” and
“doesn’t), text-speak, clichés, colloquialisms,
2nd-person tense, or other forms of informal
writing.
Conforms to appropriate documentation of
sources.
Contains all key components of an academic
paper (introduction, body, conclusion).
Demonstrates coherence and order.
Uses effective and smooth transitions.
Has a clearly-stated purpose and follows
through on that purpose.
Demonstrates insight and originality.
Utilizes a variety of appropriate sources.
Develops a logical line of reasoning and/or
argument.
Provides an appropriate critical response to or
evaluation of the topic or ideas presented in the
paper.
Engages the reader throughout.
Makes points clearly and concisely.
Avoids overuse of the same words and phrases
(e.g. “very” and “however”).