MA-PCD

Menno Simons College

In association with The University of Winnipeg

Course Syllabus

Conflict and Construction of the Other

PCD 5720

Instructor.............. Dr. Jobb Arnold

Term..................... Winter 2020
Lecture Dates....... Jan. 6^th 2020 – April 3^rd 2020

Class Time............ Monday and Wednesday 2:30 pm – 3:45 pm 
Class Room.......... 2MS13, 520 Portage Avenue

Office...................  2MS31

Office hours.........  Monday 12:30 – 2:30 pm (or by appointment)

Phone………….... 204-953-3871

E-mail..................  jo.arnold@uwinnipeg.ca

Course Outline:

This seminar addresses central questions raised in post-colonial theory about the way humans construct and maintain an understanding of the Other. We ask the question, "Have scholars found the idea of the Other useful as a synthesizing concept?" This problem-based, interdisciplinary course will considers particular sites of struggle in cultural, social, and individual contexts. Finally, we explore the implications of this inquiry for our cultural, social, and individual circumstances.

Classes will be based on the close reading of texts that will serve as the basis for in-class discussions and personal sharing. Class meetings will be part of an ongoing process of reflecting and situating ourselves in relation to different contexts, beginning right here Winnipeg Manitoba, on Treaty 1 territory. As we examine the dynamics of othering, we will consider the conditions that create and sustain conflict dynamics and how these may be transformed through local-level relationships.

Required Texts:

Theodore Fontaine, Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools: A Memoir (Victoria: Heritage House Publishing, 2010)

** Required readings will be provided online **

Assignment Descriptions

**All assignments are to be submitted electronically**

1. Personal Reflection & Class Presentation
In-Groups and Out-Groups (Due: Jan. 13th) 10 minutes (10%)

Write a short auto-biographical essay (approximately 1000 words) to read aloud in-class. Your essay should include a reflection on two different times in your life:

1)      A time when you were treated as the “other” or as part of an out-group

2)      A time when you felt a strong sense of belonging to an in-group.

Please also reflect on how these two experiences have informed your perspectives on the way that social inclusion and exclusion operate. What are the most important identities and social boundaries in the context of your day-to-day life?

2. Book Review: Theordore Fontaine, Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools: A Memoir (Victoria: Heritage House Publishing, 2010).

 (Due February 3^rd) 2000 words, 20%

3. In Class Presentation: Constructing Public Narrative: The Story of Self, Us, and Now Presentation March 23-April 5^th (TBD) 20 minutes, 15% Based on Marshal Ganz’s approach to constructing public narratives you are to prepare your own public narrative that addresses the dynamics of othering and building peace. You should include an in-depth discussion of 1) your story of self, 2) a story of us and 3) a story of now. Your public narrative should have a plot, a clear focus, and make connections key topics and themes from the class. These essays are a chance to move from analyses to more proactive forms of social engagement, coordination and praxis. You may choose to include additional research and readings, but this is not mandatory. All materials used should be properly cited.

Presentations can include power points, hand-outs and/or other creative forms of delivering information. Please prepare 3 key questions that you would like your class mates to provide questions of clarification. These presentations will serve as the basis for your final essays.

4.  Essay: Constructing Public Narrative: The Story of Self, Us, and Now April 5^th, 3000 words 35%

Building on your in-class presentation and the feedback of your classmates you are to prepare an essay that integrates the different components of your public narrative in a way that prepares you for public action. This essay is meant to be self-reflexive and future oriented, engaging with theoretical ideas and employing a critical lens to position yourself in society through your story of self, story of us, and story of now. In addition to establishing a clear and compelling public narrative, this essay is meant to help you make connections between theories of othering and togetherness. In your closing reflection please consider why the way we tell stories is important for understanding conflict and for developing transformative approaches to peacebuilding.

4. Participation 20%

Class attendance and participation is mandatory. Students will be expected to have done the readings and be prepared to discuss the topics in class. Small assignments, such as responses to videos and/or field trip reflections may be included as part of your participation grade.

Note: There are no exams for this class

Course Topics

Note: This is a tentative outline and schedule of topics to be covered. Some topics and readings may be omitted and others may be added

Week 1 Situating the Self and the Other

Jan. 6^th  Introduction to the topic and to each other

Jan. 8^th Marshal Ganz, Public Narrative, Collective Action, and Power (2007)

Week 2: The Other and The Enemy

Jan. 13^th  Carl Schmitt, “The Concept of the Political” (1932)

Jan. 15th  Nigel Eltringham, “Ethnicity: The Permanent Debate” (2004)

Week 3: Situating Self-Understanding Among Worldviews

Jan. 20^th    In Class Presentations

Jan. 22^nd  Jordan Peterson, “A Psycho-Ontological Analysis of Genesis 2-6” (2007)

Week 4 Discourses on Colonialism

Jan. 27^th  Aimé Césaire, "Discourse on Colonialism” (1950)

Jan. 29^th  Frantz Fanon, “The Fact of Blackness” (1952)

Week 5  Canadian Residential Schools

Feb 3^rd Theodore and Morgan Fontaine – In Class Visit

Feb. 5^th  Dian Million, “Felt Theory” (2009)

Week 6 Identity Politics and Rejecting Recognition

Feb. 10^th Mary Bernstein, “Identity Politics” (2005)

Feb. 12^th Glen Coulthard, “Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition” (2014)

**Feb. 16-22^nd ** Reading Week** No Classes

Week 7 Class Identity and Post-Marxist Social Movements

Feb. 24^th  Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles “The Proletarian and the Bourgeoisie” (1848)

Feb. 26^th  Richard J.F. Day, “Tracking the Hegemony of Hegemony: Postmarxism and the
New Social Movements” (2005)

Week 9 Discursive Production and Regulation Otherness  

Mar. 2^nd  Sara Mills, Michel Foucault “Discourse” (2003)

Mar. 4^th   Sara Mills, Michel Foucault “Power/Knowledge” (2003)

Week 8 Cultural Production of Otherness  

Mar. 9^th   Edward Said, “Orientalism” (1978)

Film: Edward Said on Orientalism (2012)

Mar. 11^th  Stuart Hall, “Cultural Identity and Cinematic Representation” (1989)

Week 10 Features of Otherness and Togetherness

Mar. 16^th Joseph Henrich, “Culture, Evolution and the Puzzle of Human Cooperation” (2006)

Mar. 18^th  Jobb D. Arnold “Salutogenesis and the Prevention of Social Death: Cross-Cultural Lessons from Genocide-Impacted Rwandans and Indigenous Youth in Canada (2019)

Week 11 Public Narrative: The Story of Self, Us, and Now

Mar. 23^rd  In-Class Presentations  

Mar. 25^th  In-Class Presentations  

Week 12 Public Narrative: The Story of Self, Us, and Now

Mar. 30^th In-Class Presentations 

Apr. 1^st  In-Class Presentations 

Letter Grade        Percentage           Grade Point Average (GPA)

A+           =                            90-100 %                                              =            4.5

A             =                            85-89    %                                             =            4.25

A-            =                            80-84    %                                             =            4.0

B+           =                            75-79    %                                             =            3.0

B             =                            70-74    %                                             =            3.0

C+           =                            65-69    %                                             =            2.5

C             =                             60-64   %                                             =            2.0

D             =                            50-59    %                                             =            1.0

F              =                            > 50      %                                             =            0

*Note: Final grades are subject to approval from U of W Senate

A Note about Menno Simons College

This course is offered by Menno Simons College (MSC) in affiliation with the University of Winnipeg. MSC offers two programs at the University of Winnipeg: Conflict Resolution Studies and International Development Studies. MSC offers both majors and minors in these programs, as well as an honors program in International Development Studies. MSC is a college of the Canadian Mennonite University and is located at and affiliated with the University of Winnipeg. All courses offered by MSC are open to all University of Winnipeg students and are subject to University of Winnipeg Senate approval and policies. MSC endeavors to build an intentional learning community for students interested in issues of peace, non-violence and social justice. The MSC Practicum program, open to students majoring in CRS or IDS, provides an opportunity to learn from practice and to integrate theory with practice. MSC’s Student Services team and the MSC Student Association host events such as the Social Justice Fair and Welcome Week. MSC also distributes a weekly e-Newsletter, which includes information about news, events, and job opportunities relating to conflict resolution, international development and social justice. For more information about MSC, events, the MSC Student Association or to sign up for the e-newsletter, please go to mscollege.ca or visit the MSC reception area at 520 Portage Avenue.

Additional Information for Students

Special Requirements: Students with documented disabilities, temporary or chronic medical conditions, requiring academic accommodations for tests/exams (e.g., private space) or during lectures/laboratories (e.g., note-takers) are encouraged to contact Accessibility Services (AS) at 786-9771 or accessibilityservices@uwinnipeg.ca to discuss appropriate options. All information about a student’s disability or medical condition remains confidential. http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/accessibility.

Withdrawal: The final day for voluntary withdrawal from the course is March 13^th, 2020. 20% of marked coursework will be returned to students prior to VW date .  Students are strongly encouraged to speak with the instructor prior to this date if they are considering withdrawal from the course to discuss possible alternative solutions. 

Academic Integrity: Reference to the appropriate items in the Regulations & Policies section of the Course Calendar, including Senate appeals and academic misconduct (e.g. plagiarism, cheating) (http://uwinnipeg.ca/new-faculty-handbook/appeals-and-academic-misconduct.html).

Academic Advocacy: Students facing a charge of academic or non-academic misconduct may choose to contact the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association (UWSA) where a student advocate will be available to answer any questions about the process, help with building a case, and ensuring students have access to support. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit our website at www.theuwsa.ca/academic-advocacy or call 204-786-9780.

Students are expected to know and follow the academic regulations and policies in the University of Winnipeg General Calendar.  Go to the link: http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/academics/calendar/docs/regulationsandpolicies.pdf and be sure to read sections 3, 8 and 11 carefully.  These cover conduct expected of students at the university, and explain forms of academic misconduct and its penalties. Procedures for student appeals are covered in sections 9 and 10, with helpful information also available at http://uwinnipeg.ca/academic-advising/appeals.html.

Appealing a Grade Note: If you are not satisfied with a grade you receive on an assignment or exam you are encouraged to speak to the instructor. Before you come to see me I ask that you take the assignment home and think about your concerns: it will help the process if you can be specific about your particular questions and concerns. After we speak, and if you are still dissatisfied with the grade, you then have the option to speak with the MSC Associate Dean. If that does not resolve the issue for you the U of W has a formal process for appealing grades. Please note: if you choose to speak to the Associate Dean, you must do so no later than three weeks after final grades are posted. Formal grade appeals must be filed with Student Records within six weeks of final grades. Please consult the Academic Calendar for details.

Scent Neutral: We ask that you please be respectful of the needs of classmates and instructors/professors by avoiding the use of unnecessary scented products while attending lectures. Exposure to scented products can trigger serious health reactions in persons with asthma, allergies, migraines or chemical sensitivities.  Please consider using unscented necessary products and avoiding unnecessary products that are scented (e.g. perfume). 

Religious Exceptions: Students may choose not to attend classes or write examinations on holy days of their religion, but they must notify their instructors at least two weeks in advance. Instructors will then provide opportunity for students to make up work examinations without penalty. A list of religious holidays can be found at http://uwinnipeg.ca/academics/calendar/docs/important-notes.pdf

Class Canceled Policy: When it is necessary to cancel a class due to exceptional circumstances, instructors will make every effort to inform you via uwinnipeg email, as well as the departmental assistant and Chair/Dean so that class cancellation forms can be posted outside classrooms.

UW Respectful Working and Learning Environment Policy: All students, faculty and staff have the right to participate, learn, and work in an environment that is free of harassment and discrimination. The UW Respectful Working and Learning Environment Policy may be found online at http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/respect/

This graduate seminar takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of theories that have shaped the practice of development. It examines trends in development theory, types of theory that are useful to development practitioners, and the processes through which selected theories were adapted for use by development organizations. This seminar focuses on the use of development-related theory in non-profit organizations and, secondarily, in multilateral organizations.