Assignment 6

First, nice job to you both with the idea of specific examples versus generalizations. I think you've both made a lot of progress in that area. Keep thinking about that concept as you write.

This week we will be looking at the field of criminal justice. By request, we'll focus on the difference between restorative and retributive justice.

• First, read up on these terms and make sure you understand both concepts.
• Next, describe in detail a specific case (this can be an actual case or a hypothetical one), of a person who has a conflict with society (i.e. a person convicted of a crime). Be sure to provide details of the crime and an overview of the victim(s).
• Describe the steps involved in the administration of both retributive and restorative justice. Be sure to examine the underlying attitudes of all parties involved. Look for connections between your situation and other concepts from the course (e.g. zero/positive-sum situations, underlying attitudes driving violence/nonviolence).
• Feel free to include your thoughts on any other aspect of this issue. What, for example, are the intended and/or actual consequences of these two approaches? What societal attitudes determine the method of justice we administer?

If you email me your response by Monday morning, I can have feedback for you at Tuesday's meeting. See you then for an Of Mice and Men discussion.

Assignment 5

This week you will be examining the ways course concepts apply to your own life. For this week's assignment, please follow the steps below:

1. Go to this page, and look up the following terms: Conflict transformation, Values, Value differences, Positive sum situations, Win-lose, Win-win, and Zero-sum. Do your best to understand the difference between a zero-sum and a positive-sum situation. You may want to do some additional reading on your own or contact me with questions.
2. Examine your response to various conflicts in your life. A detailed questionnaire is posted below to help you discover more information.
3. Attempt to identify a conflict in your life that includes a zero-sum situation. Think about ways this could be transformed into a positive-sum situation. In a 1-2 page essay (double spaced), describe the conflict and discuss steps which might be taken to address it more productively.
4. You should feel welcome to write about any situation you like, but please do not feel obligated to include any information you are not comfortable sharing.

The following questions are taken/adapted from an exercise by Barbara Stanford, titled "Alternatives to Violence":

How do you usually handle conflicts?

1. Avoid the person?
2. Change the subject?
3. Try to understand the other person's point of view?
4. Try to turn the conflict into a joke?
5. Admit that you are wrong even if you do not believe you are?
6. Give in?
7. Apologize?
8. Try to find out specifically what you agree on and disagree on to narrow down the conflict?
9. Try to reach a compromise?
10. Pretend to agree?
11. Get another person to decide who is right?
12. Threaten the other person?
13. Fight it out physically?
14. Whine or complain until you get your way?
15. Play the martyr: give in, but let the other person know how much you are suffering?

Think also about how your methods of dealing with conflict change depending on who the conflict is with. Which of the above techniques do you use in conflicts with...

1. Friends?
2. Your boss?
3. Subordinates?
4. Parents?
5. Children?
6. Strangers?
7. Members of the opposite sex?
8. Authority figures, such as police officers?

You do not need to submit your answers to these questions, but they should help you discover more about the range of responses you might use. Pleas submit your paper by the morning of Monday, February 25.

PS: Don't forget to find a copy of Of Mice and Men and begin reading for March 4.

Course Outline

Hey, guys, here is an outline for the remainder of the course. Let me know if you have any questions/problems/suggestions.

February 18: Micro/Personal applications. You will examine different conflict resolution terms and strategies, and explore ways these do and do not apply to your own life.

February 25: We will look at some aspect of the Criminal Justice system. We may choose to focus on the federal, state, or local levels. If you have a specific topic you would like to study, let me know.

March 4: In-person meeting. Please have read Of Mice and Men, and be prepared to discuss it.

March 11: Spring Break. No class or assignments.

March 18: Film assignment. During our March 4 meeting, we will agree on a film to study. You will be responsible for watching the selected film and completing an assignment based on it.

March 25: Last class. We will meet in person to wrap up the course and discuss your individual projects.

Assignment 4

News, they say, is the first draft of history. With this in mind, we're going to complete an assignment similar to last week's. Instead of focusing on the present day, however, we will focus on the past. The instructions below are very similar to those from assignment three.

1. Read the violence vs. nonviolence handouts and ensure that you understand the two attitudes described. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions.
2. Examine some historical event and look for examples of the two attitudes and behaviors. You may choose any time and place except the present. Try to pick something you find interesting. I don't think you'll have trouble locating information, but let me know if you do. I'll try to help out.
3. Identify two events: one that describes a violent response to conflict and another describing a nonviolent response. The events may be from the same time and place, but they don't have to be. Also, try to choose topics that are fairly specific, so that you can conduct some detailed analysis. "The Holocaust," for example is way too broad a topic. You might narrow that topic down to something like, "The rescue of Jews by Oscar Schindler."
4. Write up a short (a few paragraphs) analysis of each response. Be sure to describe the response in detail and fully explain how this response meets specific criteria of violent or nonviolent behavior.
5. Like last week, you might not find a lot of examples that are entirely violent or nonviolent. Most situations will feature some middle ground. Feel free to explore the ways that a specific behavior is or isn't violent.

Let me know if you have questions or problems. I'll be looking for your responses by the morning of Monday, February 17.

Have a good week.

Assignment #3

Our focus this week will be the application of theoretical principles to current events. You will receive two handouts that outline some differences between violent and nonviolent responses to conflict. Your job is to understand these differences, and look for examples of these attitudes in action. To complete this assignment, please follow the steps below:

1. Read the handouts and ensure that you understand the two attitudes described. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions.
2. Examine some contemporary news sources and look for examples of the two attitudes and behaviors. If you're not sure where to look, you might begin with sources like the New York Times, the Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, the Guardian, or the Wall Street Journal.
3. Identify two articles: one that describes a violent response to conflict and another describing a nonviolent response.
4. Write up a short (a few paragraphs) analysis of each response. Try to pay more attention to the underlying attitudes than to the actual behavior. For example, it is quite obvious that a Broncos fan beating up a Seahawks fan is a violent act; try to focus on the attitude that caused this violence, rather than on the violence itself.
5. One more point: you might not find a lot of examples that are entirely violent or nonviolent. Most situations will feature some middle ground. Feel free to explore the ways that a specific behavior is or isn't violent.

Please email me your responses by 8:00 a.m. on Monday February 10. Be sure to include links to your articles.