• Explore how individuals, groups, and nations have responded to injustice throughout history

• Analyze the role of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience during important historical Rights Movements

• Critically examine the strengths and limitations of nonviolent resistance

• Develop a framework for understanding when nonviolence is most effective and how it can be used in present day

Class Breakdown

Class 1 – Foundations of Nonviolence
Students will explore the goals and rationale behind the philosophy of nonviolence as advocated by Civil Rights leaders and organizations, including James Lawson, Martin Luther King Jr., Diane Nash, Bayard Rustin, John Lewis, Ella Baker, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). We will examine the overall strategy of nonviolence by studying how it was applied during the Nashville student sit-ins to end segregation.

Class 2 – Direct Action Tactics
This session focuses on the tactics of nonviolent direct action used at various points throughout the Civil Rights Movement. By the end of the first two classes, students will understand how individuals and groups applied the philosophy of nonviolence and how these lessons can inform contemporary struggles against violence and injustice.

Class 3 – Comparing Nonviolence with Other Approaches
Students will compare the nonviolent model of advocacy with other forms of protest, including those advocated by leaders such as Malcolm X. They will analyze the effectiveness and challenges of different models of civil action and develop a framework for critically evaluating which forms of protest may be most effective in specific circumstances.

Class 4 - Applying our Learning to Present Day Challenges

It’s no secret that both in the United States and across the globe, our present-day societies are in serious turmoil. We are seeing people organizing across the globe like never before. How can we take the lessons of the past and apply them today in a meaningful way to provide hope and change to a challenged world.