The Askesis of Nonviolence

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course will explore the theology and practice of nonviolence as a form of askesis, or spiritual discipline. The material will include readings from Scripture, the early Christian tradition, and Catholic social teaching. Religious sources outside the Judeo-Christian tradition will include Gandhi and Thich Nhat Hanh. This course will use the method of community-engaged learning and will require twenty hours of service spread over ten weeks at designated sites in the South Bend area. The goals of this course include: - that students will thoroughly process and integrate their site experiences with the course readings and class sessions, particularly through the practice of keeping an Integration Notebook; - that students come to a deep theological and spiritual awareness of nonviolence as a disciplined way of life; - that students develop the skill of correlating theological insight with other disciplinary perspectives in particular contexts of application.