Religion, Peace & Non-Violence: The Case of Catholicism
Learn firsthand how religion contributes equally to peace and war. In this one-week summer intensive you will learn to distinguish between several levels of non-violence, receive training in ‘value focused interviewing’, and conduct live interviews with international key-figures who promote non-violence worldwide.
Knowledge
This course gives you:
- Knowledge and understanding of concepts of Just War, Just Peace and Non-Violence;
- The ability to compare these concepts and seek for synthetic approaches;
- Understanding of the way society and the state deal with aggression, violence and war;
- Insights into the ways that a world religion can be understood as a factor of both violence and peace.
Skills
You will develop the skills needed to:
- Conduct ‘value based interviews’ and assess the information you receive from those interviewed;
- Present your findings to an audience comprised of professionals.
For whom:
Bachelor’s and Master’s students interested in Ethics and Theology of War, Non-Violence and Peace and/or interest in the role of religion in international relations.
Taught by:
This course is taught by Prof. dr. A.H.M. (Fred) van Iersel, Chair for Religion and Ethics in the Context of the Armed Forces at Tilburg and a member of an international research group currently helping the Catholic Church (Vatican) to evaluate its moral doctrine on War, Peace, and Non-Violence.
Course fee:
Free for current Tilburg University students. €500 for external students, future Tilburg University students, alumni and staff.
-10% early bird discount when registering before the 1st of April
- 10% discount for students from partner universities*
This is a one-week course, during which we will explore Catholicism as a case of the theme 'Religion, Peace and Non Violence'. The emphasis is on understanding its social ethics and spirituality. The course provides both a unique insight in faith-based informal diplomacy and provides tools for communication about normative aspects of the theme.
Days 1 and 2 include introductory lectures. You will learn to:
- Distinguish between several levels of non-violence (skills, institutionalization, ethical dilemmas, spiritual basis and religious /theological sources of non-violence);
- Understand and discuss the relevance of legitimacy issues related to non-violence;
- The evening of Day 1 you will be expected to read a book chapter, so please do not schedule anything else that evening.
Day 3 and 4:
- You gain exposure to the ‘real world’ of non-violence through interviews with people who play a key role in the promotion of non-violence worldwide and especially in the Benelux;
- You also take part in interviews with members of the military;
- These are live interviews, done either in the Benelux in person or via phone with the USA or the Vatican.
Day 5:
You present your results to an audience that includes civilian activists and military.
Approach and learning goals
- During this summer school you will complete a variety of assignments:
- Summary of one book chapter from one of the assigned books;
- Summary of at least one article about the ethical or spiritual aspects of non-violence;
- An interpretation of the interview conducted with the military on the basis of this literature review, and the lectures given during the course.
- The approach is primarily ethical and theological. Prior knowledge in the field of theology/ethics is not required.
For more information click "Further official information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/summerschool/academic-courses/religion-peace-violence