HUMN 425V / PLSC 400V
Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., & the Dalai Lama: The Fate of NonViolence in the 21st Century
Spring 2012
Mahatma Gandhi
Martin Luther King,
Jr.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Textbooks:
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•
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I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches that Changed the World, 1992.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Edited by James M. Washington with a
foreword by Coretta Scott King. Harper San Francisco. ISBN: 0-06250552-1.
Gandhi on Non-Violence. Edited by Thomas Merton; Preface by Mark
Kurlansky. New Directions, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-8112-1686-9.
Ethics for the New Millennium. His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Riverhead
Books. ISBN: 1573228834.
• Website: http://web.me.com/minyak/Non-Violence
Logic of the Course:
“The whole gamut,” Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “of man’s activities today
constitutes an indivisible whole. You cannot divide social, economic, political,
and purely religious work into watertight compartments.” Written over fifty
years ago, Gandhi’s words are even more relevant today as we round out a
“long” century of genocidal wars, concentrations camps, urban riots, terrorist
attacks, and ethnic cleansing. Struggling to fashion credible and effective
responses to these debilitating eruptions of violence within our society, we
offer this course on the history of non-violence in the single hope that it will
encourage us to understand the sociological, political, and personal
implications of a non-violent platform. As a political theorist, Gandhi is often
overlooked, particularly in American academic circles, yet he deeply
influenced Martin Luther King, Jr., and he is especially prominent in many of
the Dalai Lama’s speeches and conversations. Accepting the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1989, His Holiness recognized Gandhi’s work as central to his own.
“I accept [the prize] as a tribute,” he said, “to the man who founded the
Professor Burris (sburris@uark.edu) | Geshe Dorjee (tdorjee@uark.edu) | Office: 517 Old Main | 5-2509 | Office Hours by Appt.
The Fate of Nonviolence in the 21st Century 2
modern tradition of nonviolent action for change—Mahatma Gandhi—whose life taught and
inspired me.” Drawing its own inspiration from Gandhi’s insistence on a synthesis of disciplines,
this course will primarily examine the political, ethical, socio-cultural and spiritual traditions that
lie behind the rich legacy of non-violence and civil disobedience as exemplified in the life and
work of Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
This course will also ask you to develop, as well, an awareness of your own place in the
complex spectrum that extends from the radical pacifism of our culture’s saints to the
deliberate violence of a wartime campaign.
Format of the Course:
Over the course of the semester, Professor Burris will begin each class with a one-hour lecture
on the week’s readings—these lectures will be largely historical in nature and will foreground
the major issues that compose each week’s assignments. We will then take a short break, and
for the remainder of the class, Geshe Dorjee will discuss the spiritual traditions that inform the
practice and logic of non-violence. The readings that will be relevant to Professor Burris’s and
Geshe Dorjee’s lectures are listed on the syllabus as “Lecture Readings.”
General Requirements of the Course:
• Attendance—Regular attendance is required (one unexcused absence is acceptable; further
unexcused absences will result in lowering the final grade five points for each absence).
• Academic Honesty—As a core part of its mission, the University of Arkansas provides
students with the opportunity to further their educational goals through programs of study
and research in an environment that promotes freedom of inquiry and academic
responsibility. Accomplishing this mission is possible only when intellectual honesty and
individual integrity prevail. Each University of Arkansas student is required to be familiar with,
and abide by, the University’s ‘Academic Integrity Policy,’ which may be found at
http://provost.uark.edu/. Students with questions about how these policies apply to a
particular course or assignment should immediately contact their instructor. It is absolutely
essential that you familiarize yourself with the guidelines posted on the website above.
Teachers are obligated to report all cases that they believe constitute a violation of Arkansas’
policy on academic honesty, and they are not allowed to negotiate with the student.
Enrollment in this class indicates that you agree to abide by the policies regarding academic
honesty stipulated by the University of Arkansas.
• Cell Phones, Recorders & Other Issues—The use of cell phones and other electronic devices,
except for laptops, are strictly forbidden while class is in session. Silence your cell phones
and other devices and keep them in your pockets or your pack. Five (5) points will be taken
from your point-total each time you are found in violation of this policy. Also: recording my
lectures or our class discussions is forbidden, as is photographing the class or class notes on
the board in any way. Enrollment in this class indicates that you agree to abide by these
policies.
• Inclement Weather: In the case of inclement weather, consult the University’s website to see
if classes have been cancelled or, alternatively, call the Honors office (575-2509) to see if we
are holding class.
Professor Burris (sburris@uark.edu) | Geshe Dorjee (tdorjee@uark.edu) | Office: 517 Old Main | 5-2509 | Office Hours by Appt.
The Fate of Nonviolence in the 21st Century 3
• Grading: Your grade will be based on a total of 250 points, distributed over a mid-term, a
final, discussion groups, and a paper (specific information on each of these items is included
below).
•
•
•
•
•
Mid-Term
100
Discussion Groups
25
Personal Statements 25
Film
100
Total Points
250
Grade Breakdown:
250-225
224-200
199-175
174-150
149 >
A
B
C
D
F
Mid-Term: The mid-term will include a few objective questions, a few short-answer questions,
and a discussion question.
Discussion Groups: Periodically, we will organize the class into groups to tackle a philosophical
problem related to non-violence. The group will work together toward a consensus (an
important component of non-violent deliberation) on the issue at hand and then select a
spokesperson to present their conclusions to the class.
Personal Statements: Your personal statements will involve a 300-word assessment of your
own personal position within the world of nonviolence. Each week, I will give you more
information to help you undertake this inventory.
Film—Your final project will entail a short film devoted to the subject of nonviolence. Details
to follow—but no experience is necessary, and the equipment is readily available in the Union.
Reading Schedule:
January 23
Introduction: course methodology; overview of non-violence.
January 30
Class will meet in Giffels Auditorium, Old Main, at 6:30 pm. Speaker: Geshe
Dakpa Topgyal; Lecture Title: “The Foundations of Nonviolence.”
February 6
Film: A & E Biography, “Ghandi”
Lecture: “Mahatma Gandhi: A Life of Commitment”
Lecture Reading: “Preface,” by Mark Kurlansky; “Introduction,” by Thomas
Merton; Section 1 (pp. 35-48).
Professor Burris (sburris@uark.edu) | Geshe Dorjee (tdorjee@uark.edu) | Office: 517 Old Main | 5-2509 | Office Hours by Appt.
The Fate of Nonviolence in the 21st Century 4
February 13
Lecture: “Mahatma Gandhi: The Salt March”
Lecture Reading: Sections 2-3 (pp. 49-64).
February 20
Lecture: “Mahatma Gandhi and the Future of Non-Violence;”
Lecture Reading: Sections 4-5 (pp. 65-94).
February 27
MIDTERM
March 5
Film: A & E Biography, “Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Film Reading: From I Have a Dream: Introductory material (pp. vi-xxx); “Facing
the Challenge of a New Age” (pp. 14-28).
March 12
Lecture: “Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi”
Lecture Reading: From I Have a Dream: “The Power of Non-Violence” (pp. 2933); “Speech Before the Youth March for Integrated Schools” (pp. 34-36); “My
Trip to the Land of Gandhi” (pp. 39-48).
March 19
SPRING BREAK
March 26
“Martin Luther King, Jr.: Birmingham and a Letter”
Lecture Reading: From I Have a Dream: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (pp.
83-100).
April 2
“Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American Tradition of Non-Violence”
Lecture Reading: From I Have a Dream: “A Time to Break Silence” (pp. 135-
152).
April 9
Film: “Compassion in Exile,” a film on the Dalai Lama’s life
Lecture Reading: read HHDL’s biography at the following website:
http://www.dalailama.com/page.105.htm; also, Ethics for the New Millennium, Pt.
I: “The Foundation of Ethics,” pp. xi-77.
April 16:
“The Dalai Lama: A Political Institution and a Sacred History”
Lecture Reading: Ethics for the New Millennium, Pt. II: “Ethics and the
Individual,” pp. 81-158.
April 23:
PERSONAL STATEMENTS DUE; “The Tibetan Question: Non-Violence
and Cultural Sovereignty”
Lecture Reading: Ethics for the New Millennium, Pt. III: “Ethics and Society,” pp.
161-237.
April 30:
LAST DAY OF CLASS; FILM PROJECTS DUE; Film: “10 Questions
for the Dalai Lama” (2008), Rick Ray.
May 3:
LAST DAY OF UNIVERSITY CLASSES
Professor Burris (sburris@uark.edu) | Geshe Dorjee (tdorjee@uark.edu) | Office: 517 Old Main | 5-2509 | Office Hours by Appt.
The Fate of Nonviolence in the 21st Century 5
Professor Burris (sburris@uark.edu) | Geshe Dorjee (tdorjee@uark.edu) | Office: 517 Old Main | 5-2509 | Office Hours by Appt.