SC1a/b/c. Rewoldt
Student Peace Initiative
SC2. Genocide and Healing in Rwanda,
Land of 1000 Hills
SC3. Experiential Learning about Peace
and Justice
SC4. Economic Failure and Political
Instability in Developing Countries
SC5. Our Moral Responsibility Toward
Global Refugees: A Comparative View
SC6. Empirical Findings on Global Economic
Growth
SC7. Rights of Indigenous Peoples
SC8. Globalization at the Turn of the
Millennium: Whose Voice Will Be Heard?
SC8.5
Seeking Justice Through Educational Opportunity
SC9. Student Action-Research on Peace
and Social Justice
SC10. Rise to the Challenge: End World
Hunger
SC11. Catalyst for Positive Change
SC12. Community Development and Elimination
of Weapons of Mass Destruction
SC13. Peace Making in the Real World
SC14. Making the World Safer By Nonviolent
Action
SC15. "YIMBY" (Yes-In-My-Back-Yard):
Race/Class/Advocacy for Affordable Housing
SC16. Land/Identity/ the Long Road
to Postcolonial Eco. Dev.: The Story of Zimbabwe
SC17. Peace and Harmony: Music as
an Instrument for Peace Making
SC18. "Hope Not Hate" Artist's
talk in Flaten Gallery Exhibit
SC19. Peace and Change Through Public
Art; A Quincentenary Retrospective
SC20. Living Theatre workshop performance
"Not in My Name" (one session only)
SC21. Peace Through Education: Reconciliation
projects from conflict-ridden areas
SC22. Peaceful Families, Peaceful
Communities: Tools for Peaceful Conflict Resolution
SC23. New Findings in International
Conflict Resolution
SC24. The Cost of Free Trade:
Understanding the FTAA
SC25. Sweatshops as Engines of
Economic and Social Liberation
SC26. Honoring Diversity in the
Elementary Classroom
SC27. A Long Haul: Highlander
Folk School & Research Center
SC28. The Environmental Roots
of International Conflict/the Economic Roots of Change
SC29. Ecological Agriculture:
Creating Sustainable Environments and Communities
SC30. Peacemaking and Eco-Justice
SC31. CEO's and Moral Intelligence.
An Oxymoron?
SC32. Northern Ireland: Conflict
Transformation and Roots of Social Change
SC33. Global Health: Why should
we care?
SC34. Culturally Responsive Health
Care
SC35. Children with Disabilities
and the Global Quest for Peace
SC36. Earthenwork: Two Performance
Poems about Global AIDS
SC37. Connecticut Yankee in Saddam's
Court? Mark Twain on Benevolent Imperialism
SC38. America through the Eyes
of Islam
SC39. Islam and Democracy
SC40. Militant Islam, Saudi Arabian
Wahhabism, and the War on Terrorism
SC41. Restorative Justice: Striving
for Community Connectedness
SC42. With Creation, Peace was
Born!
SC43. Give Peace a Chance: Lessons
from the Global South
SC44. How to Meditate for Peace:
Thomas Merton as a Contemplative Activist
SC45. Being Peace
SC46. Falun Dafa Around the World.
Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance
SC48. Routes to Change
SC49. Killing in the Name of God:
Faith, Violence, and Religion
SC50. Suffering, Peace and Justice:
A Challenge to Christian Beliefs
SC52. Long Road Behind/Ahead:
Prospects for Reconciliation after Vietnam's Civil War
SC53. Finding the Roots of Sexual
Violence. and Educating for Change
SC54. Cultural Knowledge. A Bridge
for Engaging People Across the 'Divides'
SC55a. Preserving Tradition in
an Era of Globalization (one session only)
SC55b. Learning from the Global
Semester (one session only)
SC55c. ‘Fair Trade’
Coffee and You (one session only)
Seminar #1 Sponsored
by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rewoldt
SC1. The
Rewoldt Student Peace Initiative 2004 – The Opportunity and
Challenge of Direct Democracy
1A: Robert H. Rewoldt; 1B and 1C: student essay competition
winners
Under this project, funded through a donation by R.H. Rewoldt,
founder of the Peace Race International, an Iowa-based non-profit
corporation, students at the five sponsoring colleges are invited
to submit essays considering direct democracy and other models of
governance and their potential for creating a more just and peaceful
world. One student from each campus is selected to present his or
her essay at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. back
to list
Seminar #2–3
Sponsored by the
Kloeck-Jenson Endowment for Peace and Justice
SC2. Genocide
and Healing in Rwanda, Land of 1,000 Hills
Scott Homler, assistant professor of French, St. Olaf College
Many elements contribute to the outbreak and continuation
of armed conflict in Central Africa. This seminar will explore the
historical misconceptions that led to the prominent role ethnicity
played in the Rwandan genocide, summarizing Rwanda’s colonial
history and its chaotic decolonization. Then, we will discuss the
International Criminal Tribunal and its efforts to achieve reconciliation
through litigation. Finally, peace mediation interactive exercises
will illustrate the near inevitability of conflict under certain
environmental pressures and the need for honest, critical inquiry
in genuine reconciliation.back
to list
SC3. Experiential
Learning about Peace and Justice
Rachel Dixon, Pamela Parnell, Mike Shoemaker, LivKarin Sulerud,
students, with Kris Thalhammer, associate professor of political
science, St. Olaf College
With support from the Kloeck-Jenson Endow-ment, St.
Olaf students have recently completed internships exploring issues
of peace and justice. They will summarize their experiences at the
International Center for Conflict Resolution in Monterrey, Mexico;
working with Friends for a NonViolent World in St. Paul; exploring
differences between Russian and U.S. understandings of voluntarism
at Kuban State University, Krasnodar; and using technology to empower
Congolese citizens at Katanga Methodist University, Democratic Republic
of the Congo. back
to list
Seminar #4–8.5
Sponsored by the Social and Applied Sciences' annual "Globalization
and Social Responsibility" conference
SC4. Economic
Failure and Political Instability in Developing Countries
Economics 382: "International Economics" students,
with Xun Pomponio, associate professor of economics, St. Olaf College
The economic success of developing countries enhances the well being
of the rest of the world, including the United States. The economic
failure of developing countries sows the seeds of violence, terrorism,
international criminality, mass migration and refugee movements,
drug trafficking and disease. How do the causes of economic failure
in developing countries correlate with their ensuing instabilities,
and how can we help, as individuals and as developed countries?
We will suggest hands-on remedies for various problems. back
to list
SC5. Our
Moral Responsibility Toward Global Refugees:
A Comparative View
Students Anna Kiel and Anna Valento, with Lynn
Overvoorde, instructor in social work, St. Olaf College
The number of refugees seeking asylum from war-torn
countries — Ethiopia, Somalia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghanistan,
Iraq — continues to grow. During summer 2003, two students
and a faculty adviser from the St. Olaf Social Work program traveled
to Norway on a service-learning internship. For three weeks the
trio worked in Dale, Norway’s largest refugee receiving center.
Their experience will launch a discussion of how attitudes and government
policies differ between Norway and the United States toward the
growing number of asylum seekers worldwide. back
to list
SC6. Empirical
Findings on Global Economic Growth
Economics 399: "Economic Growth" students, with Terry
Fitzgerald, assistant professor of economics, St. Olaf College
The session will contribute to the broad discussion about global
changes in recent decades by providing empirical facts on prominent
issues related to economic growth and development. Students will
present current research findings on the relationship between economic
growth and worldwide income inequality, poverty, international trade,
education and more. back
to list
SC7. Rights
of Indigenous Peoples
Sociology/Anthropology 249: "Indigenous Peoples" students,
with Carolyn Anderson, assistant professor of anthropology, St.
Olaf College
Indigenous peoples worldwide have united in an international
movement for the recognition of their rights as the first inhabitants
of lands now under the jurisdiction of state societies. As a human
rights issue, the collective rights of aboriginal groups present
different issues from the human rights of individuals. We will discuss
these issues, as well as whether the United Nations’ “Draft
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” and other
relevant documents are an effective response. back
to list
SC8. Globalization
at the Turn of the Millenium: Whose Voice Will Be Heard?
Students Beth Bevis, Ashley Colasanto, Eranthie Mendis, Rachel
Ricker and Nathan Soland, with Tony Lott, assistant professor of
political science, St. Olaf College
Students will present research
on topics related to decision-makers and marginalized groups. The
group will analyze the globalization process as both a creator of
negative consequences and a provider of the tools to address them.
The interactive seminar will explore the idea of “voice”:
Which voices are heard in today’s globalized world? The session
will weave as many voices as possible into the discussion, so each
person can be an effective voice for social change.back
to list
SC8.5 Seeking
Justice Through Educational Opportunity
Mark Schelske and Myron Solid, professors of education, St.
Olaf College; Frances Thomforde, Elementary Education Coordinator,
Knoxville Public Schools; Alumni and current students from St. Olaf
College TRiO Programs
This session will focus on proactive strategies to achieve social
justice through public education. Addressing the concept of education
as “the great equalizer,” panelists will describe an
array of educational opportunity programs
that address socio-economic disadvantage in America. Specific programs
and strategies include the St. Olaf TRiO and GEAR UP programs, St.
Olaf’s teacher education diversity requirements and efforts,
and a set of unique holistic educational, health and human service
pilot projects in Knoxville, Tenn.
back
to list
SC9. Student
Action-Research on Peace and Social Justice
Natalie Brenner, Dara Fernandez-Perez, Elsa Maxwell, students,
Augsburg College
Roundtable discussion of current student research projects on free
trade, immigration, conflict resolution and economic development,
leading to a conversation about avenues for working toward peace,
collaborating on future research and applying those findings in
work after graduation. Geared toward students nearing graduation
and looking at work or internship opportunities related to peace
and justice, the session will include a written guide to local peace-related
organizations and internship sites. back
to list
SC10. Rise
to the Challenge: End World Hunger
Erin Luchenbill, campus organizer, Bread for the World
Nations are rising to the challenge of overcoming world hunger and
poverty, and advocacy plays an important role. More than 800 million
people, however, are still undernourished. In 2003, President Bush
and Congress made new commitments to address issues of health, education,
agriculture and poverty for developing nations, including a famine
initiative. But with mounting federal deficits, can Congress provide
the funds to carry through on these promises? Learn how advocacy
helps fight world hunger, how to influence your representatives
and how to organize an effective advocacy campaign on your campus.
back to list
SC11. Catalyst
for Positive Change
Scott Parker and Caroline Ticarro-Parker, Catalyst Foundation
More than 50,000 orphans and abandoned and homeless children reside
in Vietnam. Ignited by a conviction that “one person can make
a difference,” Catalyst Foundation works with volunteers to
serve children who are at risk of dropping out of school and thus
vulnerable to exploitation. The seminar will inspire participants
to make their own passion or conviction be the catalyst for positive
change in the world, one step at a time. back
to list
SC12. Security
Through Stability – Community Development and Elimination
of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Dr. Montgomery "Monk" Elmer, president,
Communities for International Development (CID), and Sandra McCormick,
World Services of LaCrosse
CID links U.S. and Russian communities in which weapons of mass
destruction are designed, developed, produced and/or stored. This
seminar will illustrate the ongoing work of model “grassroots”
community development programs between U.S. and Russian communities
in the areas of health care, education, civil society and economics.
The program’s community-to-community relationships are one
way to create sustainable, accountable and replicable change. back
to list
SC13. Peace
Making in the Real World
Grace Hanson, youth coordinator and trainer, Lutheran Peace
Fellowship
How can we confront the reality of violence in our world and still
hold to our spiritual values of love, respect and justice? This
workshop will use participatory activities, multimedia presentations
and group interaction to examine practical and spiritual means of
addressing social injustice. We’ll explore the dimensions
of violence, key insights of nonviolence and historical cases of
conflict transformation. Participants will leave with an understanding
of the depth and spirit of active nonviolence. back
to list
SC14. Making
the World Safer by Nonviolent Action
Patricia Keefe, J.D., office of administration and outreach,
Nonviolent Peaceforce, St. Paul
Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is an international organization
of citizens expanding the power and potential of nonviolent peacemaking.
The first NP project is now in Sri Lanka, which has suffered under
civil war for 20 years. The project plans to train 2,000 people
in 10 years for trouble spots around the world, using nonviolent
methods that have succeeded in stopping violence and war. Find out
how you can become involved in this paradigm shift in our violent
world. back to
list
SC15. "YIMBY"
(Yes-in-My-Backyard): Race, Class and Advocacy for
Affordable Housing
Douglas Mitchell, associate pastor for Faith in Action, Westminster
Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis
Using the YIMBY strategy developed by the Metro Interfaith
Coalition for Affordable Housing (MICAH), we will look at faith-based
organizing to counter race- and class-based opposition to affordable
housing in many Twin Cities communities. Considering regional equity
and responsibility, what are strategies to demonstrate that affordable
housing is good for communities? What is affordable housing, anyway?
What can faith communities say about the issues? This session will
examine how grassroots organizing for justice can overcome exclusionary
behaviors. back
to list
SC16. Land,
Identity and the Long Road to Postcolonial Economic Development:
The Story of Zimbabwe
Student Danai Mupotsa, Luther College
This seminar will provide a brief history of the construction
of Zimbabwe as an independent nation and analyze the connections
among land, race, class and gender in the historical context of
social, political and economic enfranchisement. An examination of
the role of international organizations, the recent sociopolitical
and economic climate, and the land resettlement program will frame
conversation about future problems and prospects for the uplift
of Zimbabwe. back
to list
SC17. In
Peace and Harmony: Music as an Instrument for Peace Making
Peter Hamlin, associate professor of music, St. Olaf College
A rich and growing repertoire of vocal and instrumental
music celebrates and promotes peacemaking. This seminar will explore
themes of peace and justice in music through a variety of works
that inspire music-makers and listeners alike to work for peace.
The recently premiered "Nobel Symphony” by Steven Heitzeg
will be a featured selection. Participants will strengthen their
skills as purposeful, discerning and empowered listeners. back
to list
SC18. "Hope
Not Hate" – Artist’s talk in Flaten Gallery exhibit
Apo Torosyan, independent artist
Apo Torosyan, born in Istanbul, Turkey, to Armenian and Greek parents,
uses his “Bread Series” to discuss issues of ethnic
persecution, genocide and immigration. “To eliminate hunger,
we must all work for justice,” he says. His “Immigration
Installation” seeks to re-create the experience of an immigrant
wandering in an unfamiliar land. back
to list
SC19. Peace
and Change through Public Art: A Quincentenary Retrospective
David Greenlund, artist and pastor, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America
The project featured took place amid the Quincentenary celebrations
in downtown Denver in 1992. It imagined for its participants a fictitious
and yet believable National Historic Site sparking both controversy
and healing. Amid a massacre site it tells the 500-year story from
the perspective of native peoples and culminates with an apology,
setting the stage for hope and reconciliation in the years to come.
back to list
SC20. Not
in My Name (one session only)
Living Theatre workshop performance
Jerry Goralnick and Lois Kagan Mingus, artists in residence from
the Living Theatre, spent a week at St. Olaf exploring political
theater with students. The residency culminates with this performance
and discussion of the short play Not in My Name, examining the place
of capital punishment in our society.
back
to list
SC21. Peace
through Education: Reconciliation Projects for Students from Conflict-Ridden
Areas
Einar Vannebo, director, Oslo International Summer School
(ISS)
This seminar will focus on two projects at the Oslo International
Summer School: the Shalom-Salam program for Israeli and Palestinian
students, and a program for students from the former Yugoslavia
representing different ethnic backgrounds. Following a brief description
of these projects, seminar participants will undertake a dialogue
exercise similar to those used in reconciliation sessions in Oslo.
back to list
SC22. Peaceful
Families, Peaceful Communities: Tools for Peaceful
Conflict Resolution
Stephen Erickson and Marilyn McKnight, co-directors,
Erickson Mediation Institute
Peaceful families are the building blocks of peaceful societies.
Most of us learn about and practice peacemaking first in our own
families. The lessons continue when we leave our families of origin
and enter our families of choice. We will explore how the principles
and practical strategies for successful conflict resolution in families
can also help build more peaceful communities. Participants will
practice selected conflict-resolution skills. back
to list
SC23. New
Findings in International Conflict Resolution
Dr. Cris Toffolo, director, Justice and Peace Studies, and associate
professor of political science, University of St. Thomas
This seminar will cover some of the latest international
research on ending conflicts. Participants will examine the role
of grassroots groups in creating the will to stop violence and the
channels for rebuilding divided societies. The session will examine
the debates over the use of truth commissions as a way to handle
human rights violations and other atrocities of war, as well as
the “justice gap” by John Paul Lederach — how
to call attention in peace accords to the causes of violence. back
to list
SC24. The
Cost of Free Trade: Understanding the FTAA
William Gyude Moore, student, Berea College
This seminar will discuss the threat that the proposed Free Trade
Area of the Americas (FTAA) presents to people in the Americas.
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is being used as the
model for the FTAA. This seminar will assert that NAFTA’s
provisions undermine basic rights of people, with a cost in human
pain, suffering and anxiety, and a loss of justice, equality and
human dignity. “The FTAA will spread this model to the entire
hemisphere,” the presenter says. back
to list
SC25. Sweatshops
as Engines of Economic and Social Liberation
Ian Maitland, professor of management, Carlson School of Management,
University of Minnesota
The controversy over sweatshops — factories in developing
countries with allegedly substandard wages and working conditions
— is a familiar one on most campuses. This seminar will set
out facts and arguments that debunk the negative stereotype of such
factories. Sweatshops actually raise living standards and liberate
the toiling masses from backbreaking labor. Indeed, they are the
first rung on the ladder of economic development. Korea, Hong Kong,
Singapore and Taiwan, in recent memory, all have graduated from
sweatshops into industrial powerhouses. back
to list
SC26. Honoring
Diversity in the Elementary Classroom
Julie Ashworth, assistant professor of education, Augustana
College
Participants will actively explore “best practice”
strategies, activities and resources that will help them create
a classroom environment that celebrates diversity and promotes acceptance
of differences. Hands-on activities will demonstrate how to promote
more peaceful communities in general by fostering community building
in a diverse classroom every day. back
to list
SC27. A
Long Haul: Highlander Folk School & Research Center
Walter Enloe, associate professor, Graduate School of Education,
Hamline University
Seventy years ago, Myles Horton organized Highlander Folk School,
a grassroots agency for social justice, in the mountains of Tennessee.
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 by Andrew Young, President
Carter’s ambassador to the United Nations, Highlander was
where both Rosa Parks and members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) learned to be active citizens for social change.
Participants will take part in a learning circle, a Highlander teaching
strategy. back
to list
SC28. The
Environmental Roots of International Conflict and the Economic Roots
of Change
Joseph B. Underhill-Cady, assistant professor and director of
international relations, Augsburg College
This seminar will examine the increasing interconnection among environmental
problems, war and our personal economic choices. Discussion will
focus on specific, concrete actions and decisions we can each make
as students, citizens and consumers in light of these relationships.
Global issues can be understood at the level of our everyday choices,
and participants will be empowered to make informed economic choices
as one form of political action in this postmodern, globalizing
world. back to
list
SC29. Ecological
Agriculture: Creating Sustainable Environments
and Communities
Students Megan Gregory, Milena Klimek, Dan Marx, Martha Steenberg
and Sarah Steingas, with Gene Bakko and Kathy Shea, professors of
biology,
St. Olaf College
In recent years, there has been growing awareness of connections
between preserving the environment, alleviating poverty and building
a just and sustainable society. In this seminar, students will share
their experiences working with ecological, community-based agriculture
in Latin America. Students will also discuss issues of sustainability
in North American agriculture. Participants will consider how they
— as citizens of communities and of the world — might
contribute to a more sustainable foundation for human sustenance.
back to list
SC30. Peacemaking
and Eco-Justice
Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics,
Union Theological Seminary
Environmental degradation is both a cause and a result of conflict.
This seminar will explore those linkages, along with examples of
successful peacemaking by local groups that address local conflict.
This workshop continues from a Friday discussion but will not assume
participants attended that session. back
to list
SC31. CEOs
and Moral Intelligence -- An Oxymoron?
Fred Kiehl, Ph.D., co-founder and director, KRW International
Inc.
“Corporate executives may not have signed up
to be moral leaders, but they are,” says workshop presenter
Fred Kiehl. “In my experience in working with Fortune 500
CEOs on leadership skills, there is cause for hope. In spite of
‘bad actors’ who get all the media exposure, most corporate
leaders want to leave the world a better place.” This session
will include a model Kiehl uses to help executives examine their
moral compasses, as well as a discussion about strategies that successful
and morally competent leaders use. back
to list
SC32. Northern
Ireland: Conflict Transformation and Roots of Social Change
Will Delaney and Jessica McGlauflin,
students, St. Olaf College
Drawing from the students’ experiences studying in Northern
Ireland and their internships with social-change organizations,
this seminar will focus on the conflict in Northern Ireland and
the peace efforts that have affected social and political change
there. The seminar will discuss specific conflict-transformation
initiatives, including integrated schools, cross-community contact
schemes and grassroots efforts. Small-group activities will facilitate
the discussion. back
to list
SC33. Global
Health: Why Should We Care?
Dr. Anil T Mangla, director of global health and infectious
disease, United Nations Association
Infectious disease has impacted the world for centuries. AIDS kills
8,000 people per day, and new HIV infections occur at the rate of
14,000 per day, according to UNAIDS 2003. Water-related diseases
affect more than 500 million people annually worldwide. Malaria
kills 2,700 people a day in Africa, 20 percent of whom are children.
Are we prepared to face another devastating global catastrophe as
history repeats itself? What can we do? How can we help? back
to list
SC34. Culturally
Responsive Health Care
Karen G. Gervais, Ph.D., and Dorothy Evawter, Ph.D., Minnesota
Center for Health Care EthicsHumans have inherent dignity and
equal worth; their treatment as such is essential to a just and
peaceful society. Health care situations often challenge people’s
sense of self and ability to act in accordance with what is important
and meaningful to them. Conflicts may arise between people from
non-Western cultures and Western health care professionals and institutions
over different concepts of health, causality, the self and the benefit/harm
of health care interventions. What ethic should inform their cross-cultural
interactions: tolerance or accommodation? back
to list
SC35. Children
with Disabilities and the Global Quest for Peace
Thomas J. Delaney, theologian, Immram Resource Center,
and Eric Kloos, M.Ed.
Theologian Tom Delaney will present the perspectives and current
projects of world religious institutions working to ensure social
justice for children with disabilities. Education and disability
policy expert Eric Kloos will focus on the human and civil rights
policies and current efforts of several international governmental
and non-governmental organizations. The session will conclude with
a prospectus for social justice for children with disabilities.
back to list
SC36. Earthenwork:
Two Performance Poems about Global AIDS
Luther College students, with Carol Gilbertson, professor of
English,
Luther College
Luther College students will perform two brief works in spoken word
with drums and dancers (written by English Professor Carol Gilbertson
and choreographed by Professor of Dance Jane Hawley). “The
Sky Is Falling” is a powerful chant about the effect of AIDS
on families and communities and its crumbling of the social fabric,
which leads to violence and war. “Earthenwork” is a
collage that weaves disparate poetic voices on the personal griefs
of HIV-AIDS, but ends with hope. back
to list
SC37. A
Connecticut Yankee in Saddam’s Court? Mark Twain on
Benevolent Imperialism
Joel A. Johnson, assistant professor of government and international
affairs, Augustana College
Is America’s attempt to build a peaceful, democratic Iraq
doomed to failure? Are we sufficiently attentive to the complexities
of the task, or is our benevolence too shortsighted and naive? This
seminar will address these questions through a discussion of Mark
Twain’s darkly ambiguous novel A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur’s Court, in which a devoted American democrat unsuccessfully
tries to transform a theocratic hierarchy into a popular republic.
back to list
SC38. America
through the Eyes of Islam
Robert F. Shedinger, assistant professor of religion, Luther
College
American political discourse today tends to construe traditional
Islamic ideology as an enemy of fundamental American values and
ideals. Participants will try to go beyond this discourse and listen
critically to the images of American society that have emerged in
the writings of traditional Islamic scholars over the past 50 years.
Such critical listening may be the key to moving beyond rhetoric
and opening up a dialogue that could foster peaceful coexistence
— and, possibly, cooperation — between American and
Islamic value systems. back
to list
SC39. Islam
and Democracy
Paul Gardner, professor of political science, Luther College
Can Islam and democracy be compatible? Can compatibility exist between
Isam and human rights, especially the rights of women? Source material
will include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the investigations
of two human rights organizations: Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International. The seminar also will examine the scholarship of
Fatema Mernissi (professor of sociology at University Mohammad V
in Rabat, Morocco) and the work of Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights
advocate and winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. Ample discussion
time will be allowed. back
to list
SC40. Militant
Islam, Saudi Arabian Wahhabism and the War on Terrorism
Colonel B. Wayne Quist ’58, United States Air Force (retired);
senior vice president and managing director, Northstar Industries
The seminar will examine the origins of the Saudi form of Sunni
Islam known as “Wahhabism” and how it became the dominant
ideology motivating international Islamic militants. Participants
will better understand the nature of Saudi-funded militant Islam,
as well as the ideological struggle within the world of Islam today.
Peace, justice and security in Iraq and the Middle East will be
examined as critical components in an overall global strategy against
militant Islam. back
to list
SC41. Restorative
Justice: Striving for Community Connectedness
Trace Martinez, restorative practices coordinator, Rice County
Community Corrections
Restorative Justice is a method of responding to injustice and conflict.
It also is used to repair harm and restore communities. This seminar
will examine the different methods used to practice Restorative
Justice, including victim offender mediation, restorative group
conferencing, talking circles and victim services. Participants
will experience the circle process firsthand and discuss the restorative
movement in Minnesota and across the globe. back
to list
SC42. With
Creation, Peace was Born!
Emiliano Chagil, director, Hispanic/Latino Student Services,
Augsburg College
Conditions in Latin America are as chaotic as before creation. What
do war, injustice, poverty, oppression and deceit do to our Christian
faith or democratic beliefs? “Reading the Bible with Third
World eyes” will help participants understand part of this
from a Guatemalan perspective. We will discuss Guatemala’s
new presidential elections and the “peace accord” that
survives constant threats. Participants will acquire practical ideas
on how peace
can be practiced through justice in our neighborhoods, communities,
schools and houses of worship. back
to list
SC43. Give
Peace a Chance: Lessons from the Global South
Michelle Tooley, Eli Lilly Professor of Religious Ethics, Berea
College
A community of Tzotzil Mayans practices peacemaking in
a context of economic and military violence. Las Abejas, the pacifist
Christian community in the mountains of Chiapas, experienced a massacre
in 1998, as well as continued threats from the military and paramilitaries.
The people counter with prayer, fasting and imaginative actions
of nonviolent direct action. Several members
of the community served with the bishop of San Cristobal as mediators
in the San Andreas Peace Talks between the Zapatistas and the Mexican
government. Their mission is to build a world of peace with justice.
Can the lessons they have learned apply to the United States? back
to list
SC44. How
to Meditate for Peace: Thomas Merton as a Contemplative Activist
Brad Holt, professor of religion, Augsburg College
This seminar will provide a brief introduction to Thomas Merton
(1915–1968), spiritual writer and activist for peace. We will
practice directed and undirected silent meditation, “followed
by discussion on the role of meditation in peacemaking. “Roots
of change” grow within us. back
to list
SC45. Being
Peace
Sherry Saterstrom, assistant professor of dance, St. Olaf College
Understanding peacefulness requires, in part, having experienced
it oneself. This session will explore a variety of body-mind activities
geared toward generating an inner state of peace. Participants also
will explore peacefulness as a relationship with one’s environment
and with others in one’s environment. We will work with the
movement principle of “yield,” which is crucial in early
perceptual motor development. “Yield” can continue to
propel adults toward physical, mental, emotional and spiritual change.
back to list
SC46. Falun
Dafa Around the World – Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance
Xuedong Chi, Jane Hudson and John Nania
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a traditional Chinese discipline
of meditation, study and exercise. Its principles are based on truthfulness,
compassion and tolerance. People in the more than 60 countries that
practice it find that Falun Dafa brings better health and deepened
morals. Falun Dafa practitioners in China face persecution, torture
and death, but throughout their struggle they have never used violence.
This seminar will offer examples of the peaceful means used to appeal
for their basic human rights. back
to list
SC48. Routes
to Change
Fredrick Goodman, professor of education, University of Michigan,
with graduates Robert Holmberg ’72 and Jayme Holmberg ’73
The seminar will engage participants in XRAY, a face-to-face game
that illustrates the “anatomy of the body politic” by
emphasizing the role of decision rules in determining “fair
play.” The seminar also will describe CONFLIX, a character-playing
simulation in which students assume the role of real-life politicians
in a series of web-based policy conferences, and invite participation
in the International Youth Initiative — a global offspring
of the Michigan Youth Caucus. back
to list
SC49. "Killing
in the Name of God": Faith, Violence and Religion
Murray Haar, professor of religion, Augustana College
Sometimes religious commitment and faith seem to require using violence
in support of truth, in opposition to evil and to serve the will
of God. Why are people willing to kill in the name of their religion?
The nature and use of violence within Jewish, Christian and Islamic
historical traditions will be discussed. When religious people decide
to use violence, how do they justify their actions? The acts and
rationalizations of Bonhoeffer and bin Laden will be compared, and
the specific case of religious martyrdom will be examined.
back to list
SC50. Suffering,
Peace and Justice: A Challenge to Christian Beliefs
Students Rafe Anders, Lauren Baske, Jonathan Davis and David
Truesdale, with Elaine Siemsen, associate professor of religion,
St. Olaf College
Proposing that Christian views of suffering can empower —
or inhibit — efforts for peace and justice, seminar leaders
will examine two of the more common views of suffering in the Christian
historical tradition. Then they will ask whether these views lead
toward or draw away from actions seeking peace and justice. Through
role-playing, description and discussion, participants will identify
components of Christian theodicy that may stand in the way of present
action toward peace and justice. back
to list
SC52.
The Long Road Behind and Ahead: Prospects for Reconciliation
in Vietnam After Its Civil War
Stewart Herman, Asst Prof of Religion, Concordia
Little has been written about whether and how the contending sides
in Vietnam’s civil war (late 1950s–1975) might achieve
true reconciliation. Professor Herman will make an illustrated presentation
based upon his time there during the war (1970–72) and some
30 years later (visits in 2000 and 2001.) While most outside observers
have focused on reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam,
he will describe reconciliation along the major fault lines (North
vs. South, communist vs. anti-communist.) back
to list
SC53.
Finding the Roots of Sexual Violence -- and Educating
for Change
Eleni Pinnow and Mary Schmidt, co-chairs, Sexual Assault Resource
Network (SARN), St. Olaf College
This seminar will address some of the most prominent socialized
attitudes regarding sexual violence. By examining these root causes,
the seminar will move into a closer look at how attitudes about
sexual violence affect society. The majority of time will be spent
discussing ways to educate our communities to change these attitudes
— and thus reduce sexual violence. back
to list
SC54.
Cultural Knowledge – A Bridge for Engaging People
Across
the "Divides"
John and Susan Blood, Madii Institute, and Teshite Wako, Oromo
Community of Minnesota
Building on cultural traditions of indigenous peoples from Scandinavia
and East Africa, this session will explore how cultural roots influence
our beliefs and actions relating to peace, justice and equality.
Viewing cultural knowledge as a resource, the Madii Institute created
bridges among cultures and generations in a Minneapolis neighborhood
of 17,000 people and 83 languages. “Madii” is from the
North Sami language of the indig-enous people of northern Scandinavia
and Russia. In 10,000 years, the Sami have never been to war as
a people. back
to list
Seminars SC55a/b/c,
“Lessons from Study Abroad,” all are one session only
SC55a.
Preserving Tradition in an Era of Globalization (one
session only)
Michelle Crottier, Lauren Gloede and Eric Palmer, students,
St. Olaf College
This session addresses globalization through observations from the
2002–03 St. Olaf Global Semester, including a capitalist venture
of traditional arts from Egypt and a women’s cooperative in
India, as well as numerous intercultural exchanges. The elements
necessary for successful globalization include individuals who root
themselves in their traditions. Such a structure allows individuals
to feel like an intricate part of their culture while attaining
the freedom to expand beyond their borders. back
to list
SC55b.
Learning from the Global Semester (one session only)
St. Olaf College students currently studying abroad on the Global
Semester
Students who participated in the 2003–04 Global Semester will
share ideas for embracing cultural, religion and social differences.
Their observations are provocative and profound: 1) Different schools
of religious thought and traditions coexist successfully in some
parts of the world. 2) Some developing states have potential for
changing women’s role in society. 3) Cross-cultural misconceptions
exist, are detrimental to peace and need to be confronted. 4) The
United States’ role in world affairs is complicated. 5) Diversity
in opinions, thoughts and lifestyles exists between cultures and
within cultural communities. back
to list
SC55c.
‘Fair Trade’ Coffee and You (one session
only)
Concordia students, with Harvey Stalwick, Prof of Social Work,
Concordia College
Student participants in the Lutheran World Relief January 2004 travel
seminar
in Nicaragua will focus on the global issue of Fair Trade Coffee
and how social justice campus organizations may promote public education
and social action. back
to list
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