Course Description
Explore transitional justice mechanisms (local, national, and international tribunals, truth commissions, memorials, and reparation regimes) that are oriented towards the restoration of relationships damaged by crime, war, and community violence.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
- Identify multiple examples of traditional and non-traditional transitional justice mechanisms around the world;
- Comparatively analyze differing value commitments and definitions of justice, apology, restoration, redemption, and reconciliation.
- Critically reflect on the process of creating transformative justice in various stages of conflict and conflict transformation processes;
- Design and evaluate restorative and narrative-based conflict reduction processes and programs;
- Analyze the conflict dynamics, and cultural complexities, associated with various Transitional Justice Mechanisms;
- Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the truth and reconciliation models of conflict transformation.
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Canvas Discussions (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) | 15 points |
| Interview on Justice (3) (SLOs 2, 3, 4) | 15 points |
| Knowledge Inventory Quiz | 5 points |
| Case Study: A Fight in the Lunchroom | 15 points |
| Circle Process Reflection Paper | 20 points |
| Case Study Analysis Paper | 15 points |
| Transitional Justice Design Plan (SLOs 2, 3, 4, 5) | 15 points |
Grading Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 94 and above | A |
| 90-93 | A- |
| 87-89 | B+ |
| 83-86 | B |
| 80-82 | B- |
| 77-79 | C+ |
| 73-76 | C |
| 70-72 | C- |
| 67-69 | D+ |
| 63-66 | D |
| 60-62 | D- |
| Below 60 | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Attendance/participation is not a graded component included in the student's final grade for this course.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
- Alexander, Jeffery (2012). Trauma: A Social Theory. Malden MA: Polity. E-book.
- Biggar, Nigel, ed. (2003). Burying the Past: Making Peace and Doing Justice After Civil Conflict. Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
- Gobodo-Madikizela, Pumla (2003). A Human Being Died that Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
- Minow, Martha. (1998). Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History after Genocide and Mass Violence. Boston: Beacon Press.
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.