Pl 430  Discourse of Non-violence:  Assignment for Weeks 11 and 12

                                                              Journal of an “As if” Pacifist

Assignment:  try to become a pacifist, one committed to non-violence in dealing with yourself and others for two weeks (though you can never be asked to compromise your conscience), and record your observations, evaluations, and conclusions in a dated journal with at least three entries per week.  An example of the instructor’s own journal is supplied.

Since language gives us our world, the emphasis here will be on change of discourse, vocabulary, description sets, social practices and ways of speaking about them particularly in the discourse you have with yourself.

1. Pick key phrases, sentences, images for your initial mindset, meditate on the meaning of these, and think about them as you anticipate the events of your day.
2. Note the effects of your stance and behavior on yourself.
3. In trying to think and speak as a pacifist, analyze and interpret what you read, see on TV, or encounter in the light of pacifist principles.
4. Note changes in yourself and the conditions that brought about these changes.
5. Pay particular attention to conflict situations and the different interpretive strategies that may help you confront these non-violently.
6. Report your problems, failures, confusions as well as your insights.

Record the way your new discourse successfully or unsuccessfully interacts with the discourse of others.

1. Your everyday companions.
2. Other fellow inhabitants of this planet whom you encounter.
3. The authors and texts assigned for class reading.
4. The instructor’s journal.

Be evaluative and commissive (committing yourself to a particular position for reasons you can argue for) as well as descriptive in your journal.

Hand in journal reports on or before Fri., Apr. 10 to Duggan’s office, CH 229 or mailbox, CH 201.  They should be typed, single space, proof read, and kept on a disk.