Pre-requisites

None.

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

• Reflect on God’s heart for reconciliation and peace, and apply it to their context

• Understand the main theories and concepts encountered in the study of conflict, violence and peace

• Critically apply theories, concepts and tools to conflict situations involving individuals, groups or nations, with the aim of engaging with confict non-violently and promoting sustainable peace

• Articulate a principled position on the practice of nonviolence that includes contextual sensitivity  

Unit Description

This unit examines the causes of inter-communal violence, and its impact on the well-being and flourishing of communities and the environment. It introduces students to the prevention of violence between individuals, along with strategies and rationale for creating just communities and nations. Such efforts aim to reduce the conditions and motives for using violence, and honour the Biblical goal of shalom. Learners will explore how individual Christians and faith-based organisations can draw on Biblical principles to resolve conflict peacefully and contribute to communities living in peace and justice. The theological investigation of conflict management and peacemaking will be grounded in relevant case studies. The unit addresses key issues of inter-personal and inter-communal violence by engaging theories and skills of conflict management, resolution, and transformation. Learners will reflect on their own experiences of conflict and violence to consider how they may respond more effectively. Countries with poor governance and contested resources are often sites of conflict. Learners will examine Biblical, effective, and principled approaches to addressing such conflicts so that that the parties involved do not resort to violence. A more just society can be achieved by resisting oppression, or by promoting new ways of thinking in new institutions which work for justice. Such approaches to nonviolent social change require strategic planning. The value of nonviolence will be emphasised across the unit as a principled, and arguably, more effective approach than allowing for violence as a means to an end.

Topics

• Biblical, effective, and principled approaches to conflict and peace
• The values and practices of nonviolence
• The conflict of contextual ideas of peace, justice, and mercy
• Strategic planning for peacebuilding and conflict management, resolution and transformation
• Understanding conditions and motives that to reduce social conflictinter-personal, inter-communal, and social conflict
• Building conflict skills in cross-cultural, ecumenical and interfaith situations
• Conflict analysis (the actors, behaviours, and structural incompatibilities of conflict as well as themes e.g. gender, environment, poverty and other contextual factors)
• Peace analysis (positive and negative peace, culture of peace, pillars of peace)
• Peacebuilding practices (the different ways people might build peace in everyday spaces)

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Unit offerings

Face to face: Semester 2, 2025 and Semester 2, 2028 (Every 3rd Year, Semester 2)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.