2010 Courses & Instructors
| Course Descriptions | |
| 2010 instructors | 2009 Instructors |
2010 Courses Descriptions
All courses can be taken for training or for undergraduate credit. In addition, Poets, Prophets and Music of Social Justice, Mennonite Approaches to Peace and Justice, and Congregational Peacebuilding can also be taken for graduate credit.
Session I – June 14-18, 2010
POETS, PROPHETS AND MUSIC OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
John Bell, The Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland
With Irma Fast Dueck, Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg
BTS-5314\3 (graduate credit)
BTS-3495\3 (undergraduate credit)
-Draft Syllabus-
Prerequisites for academic credit include: 60 credit hours of university-level studies plus at least 9 credit hours in BTS, or permission of Irma Fast Dueck.
This course
fulfils CMU's church music requirement.
This course will examine the relationship of worship and social justice, exploring the works of poets and prophets from biblical times on to the present, many of whom come from the fringe of the church, giving particular attention to their importance in the struggles for justice around the world. We will share their ideas and consider creative ways in which to enable Christians today to embrace God who is always larger than the church.
Note: This course may include a field trip outside of Winnipeg, focused on creation, worship and spirituality on Wednesday, June 16, requiring an additional field trip fee of approximately $30.00, which can be paid upon arrival.
A CREE PERSPECTIVE ON NON-VIOLENCE
Ovide Mercredi, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in Canada, current Chief of Misipawistik Cree Nation in Manitoba, and current Chancellor of the University College of the North.
PCTS/POLS-2950\3
Participants in this course will examine a Cree perspective on non-violence based on traditional values and will look at contemporary examples of these values. Culture and non-violence will be studied as it relates to maintaining peace and harmony within a family group or community. External disruptions to Indigenous cultures, such as Canada's unilateral interferences with Indigenous Peoples, will be exposed to demonstrate how they contribute to the breakdown of culture, and thereby impact on traditions of non-violence within the Cree World. Traditional Elders will share about the role of ceremony and participants will have the option of participating in these ceremonies.
OUR CONTESTED FOOD SYSTEM: CULTIVATING A JUST PEACE
In collaboration with Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Cathy Campbell, Rector of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Winnipeg, and author Stations of the Banquet: Faith Foundations for Food Justice
Martin Entz, Professor in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba, researcher on cropping systems and natural systems agriculture.
Kenton Lobe, Instructor in International Development Studies at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, former food policy advisor for Canadian Foodgrains Bank, and organic farmer
Ray Vander Zaag, Assistant Professor of International Development Studies at Canadian Mennonite University, formerly with Canadian International Development Agency as a Project Officer
IDS/PCTS/INTG-3950\3
-Syllabus-
Proposed solutions to the current food crisis emerge from particular ways of seeing the world, and are increasingly contested by farmers, academics, civil society organizations, consumers and citizens. This course will examine the current realities of our food system, mainstream prescriptions, and emerging discourses around local food systems, sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty/democracy, with the aim of understanding the worldviews that underpin them. It will pay particular attention to faith-based narratives and the possibilities they present for cultivating a just peace in what are being called “food wars”.
An interdisciplinary team including an agricultural scientist, a geographer, a theologian and a food activist will teach the course. Dialogue and participant engagement will play a critical role in the course learning process.
Session II – June 21-25, 2010
AGENTS OF CHANGE IN INTRACTABLE CONFLICTS: LESSONS FROM MIDDLE EAST PEACEBUILDING
Marc Gopin, Professor of Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, and the Director of the Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR). He is also an ordained Jewish rabbi and author of several books on peace and conflict.
PCTS-3950\3
This course, based on Dr. Gopin's most recent theories in To Make the Earth Whole: The Art of Citizen Diplomacy, will create space to interact with the students to understand and measure in a new way the dynamics of their own potential impact on war and peace. It explores: 1. The theory and practice of positive incremental change and citizen diplomacy; 2. A central case study from the Middle East; and 3. The philosophical and spiritual ethics, East and West, of decision making in conflict.
PEACE SKILLS PRACTICE
Karen Ridd, sessional instructor in the Conflict Resolution Studies department of the University of Winnipeg, an associate of Training for Change in Philadelphia, and an associate trainer for Resolution Skills Centre.
PCTS-2190\3
-Draft Syllabus-
Through this course participants will examine a variety of approaches to dealing with conflict in diverse locations such as: first party conflicts (responding to your own conflicts), third party to conflicts (helping others in conflicts) and learning to recognize the cultural elements of conflict resolution (moving beyond your own culture). Students will practice the role of the peacebuilder in situations when gossip, venting and advice-seeking are being experienced.
Note for Resolution Skills Centre Certificate students: This course is accredited and counts towards the RSC Certificate.
MENNONITE APPROACHES TO PEACE AND JUSTICE
In collaboration with Mennonite Central Committee Canada
Harry Huebner, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, author, formerly with Mennonite Central Committee in Jerusalem, and co-founder of Christian Peacemaker Teams
BTS-4720\3 (undergraduate or graduate credit)
-Draft Syllabus-
This course will seek to do the following: First, it will draw from the professor’s experiences in peacemaking as one who has been involved in both Christian Peacemaker Teams and Mennonite Central Committee. Second, it will examine peace and justice literature by both Mennonite and non-Mennonite authors. Among such authors are: John H. Yoder, Gordon Kaufman, J. Denny Weaver, A. James Reimer, Duane Friesen, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Stanley Hauerwas. Third, it will seek to develop a viable peace/justice theology especially for organizations like MCC. To meet the latter objective the professor will rely heavily on students and the experiences they bring to the class. All students and practitioners welcome.
Session III – June 28-July 2, 2010
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Howard Zehr, grandfather of the Restorative justice movement, Professor of Restorative Justice at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virgina, award winning author of 10 books on restorative justice
PCTS-3950\3
-Draft Syllabus-
This course will provide a critical review of the fundamental principles and practices of restorative justice from the perspective of Howard Zehr, an early pioneer of the movement. The course explores the needs and roles of key “stakeholders,” outlines the basic principles and values of restorative justice, and introduces some of the primary models of practice. It also addresses challenges to restorative justice as well as possible strategies to help prevent restorative justice from failing to live up to its promise.
The course is organized around the issue of crime within a western legal context. However, attention is given to applications and lessons from other contexts, particularly traditional or indigenous approaches to justice as well as applications in post-conflict situations.
THRIVING IN A FIRESTORM: CONGREGATIONAL PEACEBUILDING
In collaboration with Congregational Peacebuilding Partners
Lois Edmund, Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution Studies at Menno Simons College, a College of Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, and clinical psychologist
BTS-5314\3 (graduate credit)
PCTS/BTS-3495\3 (undergraduate credit)
-Draft Syllabus-
Research studies verify what experience tells us: the majority of Christian congregations endure internal conflict. At any given time, one fifth of congregations are engaged in serious conflict. Conflict is a fact of congregational life that can be skillfully or awkwardly managed. This course will examine the “firestorm” of faith-based conflict. We will survey problems that typically lead to conflict, unique dynamics of healthy and unhealthy group interactions that commonly occur, and creative ways of using conflict in faithful, lifebuilding ways. We will use didactic methods, which include personal reflection, academic investigation, case study, and a variety of resource materials.
2010 Instructors
John Bell 
John Bell, a native of Kilmarnock, lives in Glasgow where he studied Arts and Theology. After spells of voluntary work in London and Amsterdam, and engagements in student politics, he was ordained by the Church of Scotland. For ten years he worked in youth ministry with his colleague, Graham Maule, before transferring to concentrate on music and worship.
John lectures, preaches and conducts seminars across denominations in Europe, North America, Australasia and, more recently, in Southern Africa. He is a hymn writer, author and occasional broadcaster on national radio and television, but retains a primary passion for congregational song. He and the work he shares with his colleagues has been honoured by the Royal School of Church Music, the Hymn Society in the U.S. & Canada, and the University of Glasgow, the first and second of which bestowed on him the status of Fellowship, the third a Doctorate.
Cathy Campbell
Reverend Dr. Cathy C. Campbell, rector of St.Matthew’s Anglican Church in the inner city of Winnipeg, is actively involved in the challenges of living out the food and justice dimensions of the Gospel. She is author of Stations of the Banquet: Faith Foundations for Food Justice (2003) and Faith as if Food Matters (2008). Prior to her ordination she taught at Cornell University and the University of Toronto and held volunteer positions in a variety of non-governmental organizations. She is delighted to have finally returned to her roots on the prairies.
Martin Entz
Martin Entz is a professor of “natural systems agriculture” in the University of Manitoba’s faculty of agricultural and food sciences. Martin has spent 20 years developing food production systems based on nature’s own template. Projects include no-tillage (conservation) farming, organic farming, integration of animals and crops for small-holder production, and development of perennial grains. Martin heads the Glenlea study—Canada’s oldest organic cropping plots. Martin’s international work includes a “pesticides reduction” project in cooperation with universities in Central America. Martin enjoys rural extension and interaction with farmers. Martin is engaged in the debate around “power” and food. He questions the benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops, and worries GM will decrease biological diversity necessary for a sustainable food system. Martin and his family operate a small farm near Libau, Manitoba.
Irma Fast Dueck
Irma was born and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was a university chaplain and pastor before beginning her teaching career at Canadian Mennonite Bible College (a predecessor college of CMU) in 1991. She received her Doctorate of Theology from Victoria University at the University of Toronto, a Masters of Divinity from the University of Winnipeg and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo.
Irma’s research interests frequently lead her to themes connected to the practices of the church and the theology purveyed/conveyed by those practices. In the past few years she has given more sustained focus to the rituals of the church such as worship and baptism and on themes related to power. More recently her commitment to peacemaking has led her to participate in a number of reconciliation endeavours including Muslim-Christian dialogue (sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee); she also continues to be involved with Mennonite-Catholic dialogue groups around Winnipeg.
Irma is frequently on the road speaking and leading workshops in various settings on a variety of themes. She is currently completing a book manuscript on Mennonite worship and ethics to be published as part of the Polyglossia Series of Herald Press.
Lois Edmund
Lois Edmund, Ph.D., C.Psych., is a Clinical Psychologist who now teaches Conflict Resolution Studies at Menno Simons College (a college of Canadian Mennonite University) and the University of Winnipeg. She serves on the congregational mediation team of Mennonite Church Manitoba and, together with other mediators, has actively intervened in many conflicts within Christian organizations. She was born a “MK” (missionary kid) and is a member of Mennonite Church Canada.
Marc Gopin
Marc Gopin is the James H. Laue Professor of Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, and the Director of the Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Gopin has lectured on conflict resolution in several countries and numerous academic institutions. He has trained thousands of people worldwide in peacemaking strategies for complex conflicts in which religion and culture play a role. Gopin conducts research on values dilemmas as they apply to international problems of globalization, clash of cultures, development, social justice and conflict and he has engaged in back channel diplomacy with religious, political and military figures on both sides of conflicts.
Harry Huebner
Harry Huebner graduated from University of Manitoba with a B.A. in Philosophy/Psychology and an M.A. in Philosophy. He earned his Ph.D. in Theology at the University of St. Michael's College. Harry has been teaching at Canadian Mennonite University and its predecessor colleges from 1971 - present. He took one year off to do Ph.D. work in Toronto from 1974-5 and served with Mennonite Central Committee in Jerusalem from 1981-3. Harry was also involved in the founding of Christian Peacemaker Teams. In his spare time Harry enjoys traveling, especially to the Middle East.
Harry Huebner hails from Crystal City, Manitoba. He and his wife Agnes attend Charleswood Mennonite Church, where Harry has taught Sunday School, has been Congregational Chair and has served in several conference and MCC committees.
Kenton Lobe
Kenton Lobe’s interest in food and agriculture stems from his interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management. His fieldwork was undertaken in Kerala, India where he explored the social and ecological impacts of globalizing shrimp markets on a small-scale fishing community. Kenton is a teacher/practitioner at heart and until recently balanced his teaching in International Development Studies at Canadian Mennonite University and Menno Simons College with work at an international development NGO. He spent six years working with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank in Winnipeg as Policy Advisor, examining the structural injustices that allow hunger to exist in a world that produces enough food for all. In particular, his work focused on Canadian public policies surrounding issues of agricultural trade, the human right to food, and development assistance for small-scale farmers in the global South. This work took him to the World Trade Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. On the practical side, Kenton was one of the driving forces behind the Manitoba Food Charter and a founding member of Canadian Mennonite University's community garden. His activism and academic interests have recently led him to take up farming with the Wiens Shared Farm, a community shared agriculture operation just south of Winnipeg.
Ovide Mercredi
Chief Ovide Mercredi is the first Chancellor of the University College of the North. He is a Cree, a lawyer, a negotiator, an author, a lecturer in Native Studies, and an activist on behalf of First Nations in Canada. He is known for his involvement in constitutional law reform issues, and Aboriginal and Treaty rights negotiations. He was a sessional adjunct professor on Aboriginal peoples at the University of Sudbury, the University of Lethbridge, and McMaster University. In addition, he has lectured at other Canadian universities, including the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg. Mercredi acted as a key adviser in First Nations’ opposition to the Meech Lake Accord, and in 1989 was elected as the Manitoba Vice-Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. He held the position of National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 1991 to 1997, and led the First Nations negotiations in the Charlottetown Accord. Among Chief Mercredi’s many honours and awards are the Order of Manitoba, nomination for the Gandhi Peace Prize, and honorary law degrees from Bishop’s University, St. Mary’s University, and Lethbridge University.
Karen Ridd
Karen Ridd is a dynamic educator, facilitator and speaker with experience throughout North America and overseas, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Thailand and Cambodia. Karen is presently a sessional instructor in the Conflict Resolution Studies department of the University of Winnipeg, an associate of Training for Change in Philadelphia and as well as an associate trainer for Resolution Skills Centre. Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts (1984), a Master of Arts in Peace and Justice (2009), a Diploma in Mediation Skills, and has been working and studying in the field of conflict resolution since 1986. Karen began her affiliation with Mediation Services in 1995, when she became the Training Coordinator, responsible for carrying out and developing trainings, as well as overseeing the program as a whole. Karen presently lives in rural Manitoba, and is the delighted mother of Ben and Daniel. She has received numerous honours for her work, including the 1992 Government of Canada 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation Governor-General’s Award, the 1990 Canada YM/YWCA Peace Medal and the 1989 Manitoba International Human Rights Achievement Award.
Ray VanderZaag 
Ray VanderZaag was raised on a potato farm in south-central Ontario. After graduating from Calvin College (B.Sc. – Biology) and Michigan State University (M.Sc. – Crop and Soil Sciences), he went to work in Haiti with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. During the first five years in Haiti, he worked in a rural community development program, supporting local staff and community groups involved in agriculture, reforestation, cooperative, literacy, water, and leadership activities. The next three years he worked in Port-au-Prince giving overall leadership to three CRWRC programs in Haiti.
Returning to Canada, he earned an M.A. in International Affairs (Development Studies) and a Ph.D. (Geography) at Carleton University. His dissertation involved 11 months of field research on NGO/local community relations in rural Haiti. Ray then worked for a year for the Canadian International Development Agency as a project officer in the Southeast Asia Regional Program before joining CMU’s faculty. Ray also teaches one course per year in the IDS program at Menno Simons College, CMU’s campus at the University of Winnipeg.
Howard Zehr
Howard Zehr joined the graduate Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) at Eastern Mennonite University in 1996 as Professor of Restorative Justice. Prior to this he served for 19 years as director of the Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Office on Crime and Justice. From 2002-2007 he served as Co-Director of CJP.
Dr. Zehr's book, Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice, has been a foundational work in the growing "restorative justice" movement; in their recent book, Restoring Justice, Dan Van Ness and Karen Heederks Strong cite him as the “grandfather of restorative justice.” He lectures and consults internationally on restorative justice and victim offender conferencing, which he helped pioneer. He is author of 8 books in the field and has received numerous international awards for his work in the field.
2009 Instructors
Babu Ayindo
Babu Ayindo currently functions as an independent consultant in the design and facilitation of conflict resolution and peacebuilding initiatives, processes and interventions; as a researcher and trainer in arts, peace education and development communication; and as a program developer and evaluator with various organizations. He has extensive experience in applying “arts approaches” in peacebuilding in various parts of the world since the mid—1980s when he served as artistic director of Chelepe Arts (Nairobi, Kenya) and later as founding artistic director of Amani People’s Theater (Nairobi, Kenya). Babu Ayindo has taught at peacebuilding institutes around the world. His latest publication is “Arts Approaches to Peace: Playing Our Way to Transcendence” in Peacebuilding in Traumatized Societies (2008).
Dave Dyck
Dave Dyck has been working and studying in the field of conflict resolution for more than 15 years. Dave developed many of the training courses offered through Resolution Skills Centre’s Certificate Program. His current focus is on mediating workplace conflicts, personal coaching, and designing and leading training courses in the private, public, and community-based sectors. He holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Conflict Resolution Studies and a Diploma in Mediation Skills.
Piet Meiring
Piet Meiring was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1941. He studied at the University of Pretoria, South Africa as well as at Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He was ordained to the ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1968 and served in two congregations in Pretoria. His academic career includes the chair in Missiology and Church History, University of the North (Turfloop), a part-time lectureship at the University of South Africa, and, since 1988, the chair in Science of Religion and Science of Mission at the Theological Faculty, University of Pretoria. Professor Meiring was invited to join the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996-1998), where he was primarily involved in Reparation and Rehabilitation issues, as well as co-coordinating the TRC Faith Community Hearings.
Janet Schmidt
Janet Schmidt has been working in the field of conflict resolution and mediation since 1986. She has a Masters of Education and a Diploma in Mediation Skills. She worked at Mediation Services in Winnipeg and gave leadership to the development of a 22-day Certificate Program. From 1996 to 1999 Janet developed a nine-month Peace Building and Conflict Transformation program in a pan-African Institution in Kitwe, Zambia. Upon her return from Africa, she co-founded Facilitated Solutions, where she is currently managing partner. Janet has taught courses in conflict resolution at the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, and Canadian Mennonite University. Janet has written numerous articles and is currently co-authoring a book outlining the distinctive approach that Facilitated Solutions undertakes in workplace mediation.
It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction.
Albert Einstein