Fall/Winter Timetable

POL300Y1Y L0101

Topics in Comparative Politics

Politics and Non-Violence

Themes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to explore theories of non-violence. "Non-violence" is a nebulous, frequently misunderstood, frequently abused term. As we will see in this class, it can be used in very narrow or broad constructs and can be based on a wide variety of philosophies and practices. We will examine several of the main currents of non-violent thought and practice (Gandhian, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim etc.) as approaches that have much to offer. Our approach to the works that we read will be simultaneously (or alternately) appreciative and sceptical.

Texts

Martin Luther King, Jr., Why We Can't Wait; Gene Sharp, The Politics of Non-violent Action: Part I, Power and Struggle; M.K. Gandhi, An Autobiography Or the Story of My Experiments with Truth; M.K Gandhi, Hind Swaraj, Or Indian Home Rule; M.K. Gandhi, Satyagraha [Non-violent Resistance].

Prerequisites

1.0 POL credit