Hello partners, well here we are again. Our fourth year of offering this
collaborative course. Please find below a generic syllabus that you can
modify for your individual course requirements. Its intended to give you
(that are new particularly) the broad basis and content for the course. I
look forward and join with Vince in welcoming you to another exciting year.
Vince, in Poland, will be joining us soon.. Damn, Vince how does one get to
go to Poland for a year..some folks have all the luck..again welcome and
here is the Syllabus. ( A reminder: This is your lsitserv, use it as you
see fit)..rodneycoates
BWS 380A - Race and Ethnic Relations: Conflict Resolution and the
Internet
Course Objectives:
Xenophobia has reemerged throughout Europe, while Racism and ethnic
hostilities are on the rise in America. Scapegoats and groups are
being singled out for hostile reactions, discrimination, and hate.
Uncertainty, fear, economic recessions, political instabilities are
the most identifiable causes of these problems. In the light of the
latest wave of xenophobia and racism it is increasingly essential that
students become involved in race relations and conflict resolution
1. To enhance student awareness of the impact of perceived realities
upon intergroup relations, misunderstandings, and hostilities.
2. To widen the student's frame of reference in studying race
relations and conflict resolution through interaction with students in other
institutions, both in the United States and abroad.
3. To develop student awareness of the many forums and perspectives
available on the Internet from either enhance or undermine race relations.
4. To stimulate individual research into identifying, analyzing, and
cross-culturally comparing race relations problems and proposing
possible action plans for conflict resolution.
Teaching Strategies:
1. Lecture
2. Discussion
3. Role Playing
4. ListServ readings and discussions
5. Internet discussions with peers taking similar course
6. Assigned readings (that supplement those on the net and fill in any
obvious gaps .. . such as theory)
Evaluation Methods:
1. At designated intervals (usually every two weeks), students submit
a two-page paper that summarizes discussions they have had with
ListServ participants.
2. Class participation and Internet participation in seminar discussions.
3. Final paper on a pre-approved topic on a race relations topic and
the proposed conflict resolution.
Class Structure to Meet Learning Objectives:
1. Each student "hooks up" with peers in courses elsewhere to form
electronic discussion groups for weekly "chats" on the assigned topic.
2. Within the seminar class, students participate in open discussion
based the readings and electronic input.
3. Instructor serves as a facilitator in generating discussions both
in class and on the Internet, guiding students into a greater understanding
of the subject while also developing further their critical thinking skills
in the issues, hidden agendas, and social constructions of reality that
impact upon both race relations and the ongoing electronic discussions.
The nature of the Class:
(I) Syllabi and bibliographic resources could be shared via E-mail.
(II) Electronic "bulletin boards" would announce topics or themes for
dialogue or debate.
(III) Faculty and student discussion groups could "talk" back and
forth -respond to questions, "solve" problems.
(IV) Lectures would be sent via E-mail and made available for reading
at any time. (Electronic TEAM-TEACHING)
Some products of this process:
"Conflict Resolution" course that results in or produces: (a) an
innovative mode of teaching and learning, (b) instructional networking among
social scientists, (c) an electronically generated set of resources (e.g.,
films, bibliographies),
(d) a teaching product that could be submitted to the ASA Teaching
Resources Division, and/or (e) "solutions" to troubling problems of the
time.
Focused in class discussions featuring role playing.
This exercise carried out in a series of critical negotiations and
debates could lead students into deeper discussions of how perceived
history feeds into racial/ethnic hatreds which combine with current
security concerns. How these factors place obstacles while
negotiating lasting solutions to ethnic violence. By devoting time in
class over an extended period to role playing, students may gain some
understanding of how deeply felt some hatreds are and what measures
would be needed to move beyond them.
Rational:
There are literally thousands of listservs devoted to
providing a forum for specific ethnic and/or racial groups. One can find
every variant of perspective, from racist to racialist, antagonists to
protagonists, those whose aim is racial conciliation to perpetuating
racial and ethnic discord. Students, from multiple universities will
be encouraged to tap into these listservs. This will provide what
might be called some superficial and typically a more detailed first
hand introduction to various sources of conflict. After an initial
period introduction, surfing of the net and scanning published
material, students will be encouraged to select a particular regional
conflict and pair up with colleagues at other institutions. Teams
will be constructed which will be devoted to a particular side of the
conflict ( for example: If Ireland were taken as a regional location,
one set of students will take the side of Protestants while another
will take the Catholics. In America, one set could represent Native
Americans living on reservations while another federal or local
townspeople. In Canada it might be between French and English. In
the middle east one set obviously could take Palestinian while others
will take the position of Jewish settlers. ).
Through research and dialogue the student teams would explore
the historical, psychological, economic, political, sociological and
contemporary sources of conflict from the unique vantage point of the
particular group. By looking at the multiple facets of the problem
through interdesciplinarian lenses slanted from the unique perspective
of the particular groups greater clarity will be provided regarding
the exact nature of various conflicts. Through continuous and regular
dialogue with fellow students over the Internet a more dynamic
intellectual process will follow.
Pedagogical Rational
All too often racial/ethnic groups (in America and throughout the
world) and issues relating to their existence are objectified. Such
objectification reduces racial/ethnic group existence to that of
problems that are then researched, examined, and discussed but rarely
solved. The consequences of this approach are that racial/ethnic
groups and problems become inseparable in the minds of the student and
lay public. Thus rather then the problems faced by racial/ethnic
groups, the subject of inquiry becomes racial/ethnic group problems,
the problem of racial/ethnic groups, etc. Historically, to the extent
that solutions are rendered, they are done so with the aim of
rehabilitating racial/ethnic groups. While the problem(s) remain(s)
unresolved.
Alternatively, a problem focused research concentrates on
symptomatic discussions rarely identifying underlying causes, symbiotic
relationships (between problems), and structural processes that
inhibit identification of specific solutions and/or successful policy
formulation. What this means is that we periodically rediscover the
same problem set(s), offer typically the same cosmetic solutions which
results in frustration and apathy when our efforts prove ineffectual.
It is envisioned that this capstone course would be process
and solutions oriented. The course would have three primary foci: (1)
Problem identification (i.e., analysis of the historical, social,
political and ethical context by which a problem set has emerged),
(2) process identification (i.e., cross-cultural analysis of programs
and policies implemented to resolve similar types of problem sets),
and (3) solution generation (i.e., the synthesis of 1 and 2 above into
an action plan aimed at resolving, solving, eliminating the problem
set).
This capstone course is designed to be labor intensive (both
for students and faculty). A seminar format, with its implicit
informal/intimate character, would best accommodate this course.
Class size would therefore be limited to no more then 20 upper class
students.
`Students will accomplish the following and consequently learn
the following because of this course.
1) Create and maintain a listserv linking students on the
Internet concerned with Conflict Resolution
2) Understand the nature of different types of ethnic/racial
conflict to include history, theory, and practice
3) Understand the nature and complexity of conflict resolution
4) acquire knowledge and formulate ideas regarding conflict
resolution overall and particularly as it applies to a specific
conflict situation.
Optimally, seminar students will interact with their peers at other
universities on a ListServ devoted to conflict resolution. At the
very least, students will identify news groups and other listservs
devoted to ethnicity, race, and/or conflict resolution. This will
provide a practical medium to discuss and expand students
understanding and knowledge of various types of racial/ethnic conflict
and its resolution.
The Syllabus:
1st: Introduction, getting student accounts, subscribing to conres and
exploring how to use the web.
2nd Week:
The Social Construction of Race - Coates
Is Multiculturalism a Threat (Parrillo)URL:
http://bentley.uh.edu/Mintz/Ethnic/11/k4.html
Week 3: Exploring Extreme Hate on the Internet -- list of
various sites to report and discuss in class
Right Wing Violence in North America:Jeffrey Kaplan
Combating Racism on the web:
http://www.buller.se:80/USR/MARCUS.WENDEL./antirasism.htm
racist sites on the web: (this is an entire list of racist sites on the web
and will be sent out separately)
4th and 5th weeks: Exploring conflict sites - Asia and Africa
Death by Diversity -- anti-diversity home page
http://www.anet-stl.com/~civil/dv0.html
Contemporary Conflicts
http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/wars/index.html
6th & 7th Week Exploring Conflict Sites - Europe and America
Death by Diversity -- anti-diversity home page
http://www.anet-stl.com/~civil/dv0.html
Contemporary Conflicts
http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/wars/index.html
8th week: midterm exam
Week 9 Explaining the Conflict Resolution Process (readings to be
identified) Select area conflict interested (groups of 4 -5 students will
select a particular regional conflict they are interested in knowing more
about). Begin research and interaction over net (with net partners at other
institutions) regarding the history of this conflict, theories and solution
sets. (see sections above) Establish contact with these groups and
listserv's. Establish partnerships with other student colleagues at other
participating universities.
10th and 11th weeks: Infotrac/Internet Readings
Nina, Daniel. 1993. "Community Justice in a Volatile South
Africa: Containing Community Conflict," Social Justice 20
(Fall-Winter), 129-142.
Rouhana, Nadim N. And Herbert C. Kalman. 1994. "Promoting
Joint Thinking in International Conflicts; An Israeli-Palestinian
Continuing Workshop," Journal of Social Issues 50 (April), 157-178.
Kimmel, Paul R. 1994. "Cultural perspectives on
International Negotiations (Constructive Conflict Management: An Answer to
Critical Social Problems?, Journal of Social Issues 50 (April),179-198.
Week 12
Prepare an initial response paper re: policy implications of regional
conflict, infuse readings, listserv discussions into group paper.
Submit paper to listserv for debate and discussion.
Week 13
Discuss and refine group paper based upon INTERNET responses.
Resubmit paper to listserv for review, debate and discussion.
Week 14
Discuss and refine group paper based upon INTERNET responses.
Resubmit paper to listserv for review, debate and discussion.
Week 15: final paper due: Presented on net and in class for
discussion, review and revision.
End of course rap-up.
rodney coates
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