A couple of interviews that address the big pictures of nonviolent action, militarism, and peace praxis have appeared online. See them here!
Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, the authors of the award-winning book, Why Nonviolent Civil Resistance Works were interviewed on NPR on August 21, 2014
Peace researcher Jan Oberg recently conducted a half-hour interview on RT.
Note from Lee Smithey: There is lots of useful thought here, though his labeling the Ukrainian resistance in Kiev a Western coup is unlikely and unsubstantiated in the interview.
Intro PCS students, check out this event next week at U. Penn. since you’ve read the U.S. Global Peace Index report. See the announcement at The Peace Day Philly site.
How Do We Measure Peace?
Thursday, March 28th
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Carriage House/LGBT Center
3907 Spruce St. (Walkway to the Center heads north from Spruce st.)
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA 19104
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
How Do We Measure Peace? The Pillars of Peace and the Global Peace Index
While the drivers and impact of violence receive widespread attention, there is comparatively little research on the factors that create and sustain peaceful societies. Michelle Breslauer will present the work of the Institute for Economics and Peace to measure and map national peacefulness and to identify the attitudes, institutions, and structures most closely associated with peace.
The Institute for Economics and Peace is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit research organization dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. IEP produces the Global Peace Index, national peace indices such as the US Peace Index, the Pillars of Peace framework, and analysis of the economic impact of peace.
About the Speaker:
Michelle Breslauer represents the programs of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in the Americas, including IEP’s US-focused research. Michelle has significant experience managing complex communication strategies on an international scale, including a 5-year tenure at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. She has also consulted for various humanitarian initiatives, advising on strategic planning and external affairs for both public and private clients. She presents frequently to groups working in academia, policy, and international development. She has completed research around social capital and urban development for her master’s degree from The London School of Economics. She also holds a bachelor’s in International Affairs from the American University of Paris.
For more about the Institute for Economics and Peace, please visit theirWEBSITE
For their sister site, Vision of Humanity, and more about the GPI, CLICK HERE
In the wake of the Newtown, CT shootings and a renewed national conversation over gun control, “Peace Studies and Action” PEAC 077 will partner this spring with GunCrisis.org, an open source reporting community developed to address the epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia through online journalism and social media.
Peace Studies and Action aims to bridge the gaps between peace research, theory, and implementation by encouraging students to move between each as we study nonviolent ways of conducting conflict and the challenges of developing and sustaining effective peace work, like GunCrisis.org. Emphasis is placed on getting close to the experience of peacemakers and activists by reading autobiographical writings, visiting local peace organizations, and/or dialogue with invited guests. As a class, we will collaborate with GunCrisis.org to contribute to the work of the organization while developing our own research skills.
Discussion over course readings and exploration of peace studies literature will also be emphasized. This course will encourage collaboration and active participation in delivering the content of the course.
The spring semester begins on Martin Luther King day, and as on many topics, Dr. King illuminates peace studies with his vision for education:
“Education without social action is a one-sided value because it has no true power potential. Social action without education is a weak expression of pure energy. Deeds uninformed by educated thought can take false directions. When we go into action and confront our adversaries, we must be as armed with knowledge as they. Our policies should have the strength of deep analysis beneath them to be able to challenge the clever sophistries of our opponents.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr. Where Do We Go from here: Chaos or Community? (p. 155)
The class will meet on Tuesdays 1:15-4:00 in the Lang Center Seminar Room (#106).
The pre-requisite of PEAC 015 Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies has been suspended, so the course is open to all students.
For a brief introduction to the problem of gun violence in Philadelphia, view this short video by Jim MacMillan, a founder of GunCrisis.org and Journalist in Residence at Swarthmore.
“Education without social action is a one-sided value because it has no true power potential. Social action without education is a weak expression of pure energy. Deeds uninformed by educated thought can take false directions. When we go into action and confront our adversaries, we must be as armed with knowledge as they. Our policies should have the strength of deep analysis beneath them to be able to challenge the clever sophistries of our opponents.”