Current course offerings

Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.

Course description

A critical and experiential examination of civil resistance: "the sustained use of methods of nonviolent action by civilians engaged in asymmetric conflicts with opponents not averse to using violence" (Schock 2006). Civil resistance is also synonymous with other words including `nonviolent action', `nonviolent resistance', and `people power' (Roberts 2009: 2). In this course we examine intrapersonal, interpersonal and societal nonviolence. We explore the philosophical basis, theoretical underpinnings and practical application of civil resistance as a means for controlling political power and effecting social change. Analysis includes a focus on the nature of power, its sources, function of consent, and the dynamic interaction between civil resistance and other forms of power politics. The meaning of nonviolent action, the question of why people obey, tactics, strategy, how nonviolent action can bring about social change, and the problem of ruthless repression are all examined. Extensive use is made of case studies of nonviolent social movements from across time and around the world such as the Indian Independence movement, the civil rights struggle in the United States, nonviolence in Israel/Palestine, Indigenous Australian frameworks and case-studies and women¿s involvement and leadership in nonviolent movements are all examined.

Archived offerings