PHI 2227 - Violence and Non-Violence

Credits: 4.0
Can violence be warranted as a mean to an end, seeking justice and peace? Is nonviolence an effective option in times of political and social unrest? This course will analyze and reflect on concepts of violence and nonviolence in various traditions and examine historical examples from the United States, Europe and Asia, e.g. the American and French Revolutions, colonialism in Asia, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia as well as U.S. farmworkers’ strikes and boycotts in contemporary times. Complexity and nuances of debates on the use of violence and nonviolence to bring about political or social change will be explored and discussed.
Prerequisites/Co-requisites International, Social, Cultural, and Historical Understanding