Voices of Nonviolence

We begin this course with an overview of the teachings of various world religions relating to the theme of nonviolence. We then proceed to examine the religious inspiration, activism, and writings of Tolstoy, Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., César Chavez, and Thich Nhat Hanh. We will test the adequacy of nonviolence as a response to conflict by exploring themes such as the humanity of the opponent, the challenge of despair and cynicism in the face of great obstacles, the place of spiritual practices in individual and community life, and the value (or problem) of redemptive suffering. This course counts as elective credit towards the Religion major. (Students who have taken INTD 1071 will not be eligible to register).