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Syllabus Weaving Truths: Commissions Victims and Witnesses from Gender and Participatory Perspectives - 58936
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Last update 11-11-2019
HU Credits: 1

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: International Relations

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: English

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Dr. Araceli Garcia del Soto

Coordinator Email: argarcia@fordham.edu

Coordinator Office Hours:

Teaching Staff:
Dr.

Course/Module description:
In the aftermath of violence countries and citizens try to make sense of the violence they experienced, witnessed and inflicted, to come to terms with the post-conflict scenarios and to figure out how to move forward. Different actors’ “true story” of what caused the violence and their true stories about acts of violence are often conflicted and threaded with additional, often silenced, dimensions of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class and so on. Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRC) are appointed to weave together contradictory sets of truths, told by survivors, witnesses and policy maker in order to create a more inclusive (hi)story of the events. The process itself as well as the resulting report and recommendations are central to the healing process of nations.

Gender based violence is commonly practiced and commonly silenced in conflicts. This course addresses participatory ways and tools to work with survivors, individually and collectively. Forensic anthropologies, psychologists, social workers, educators and artists have ways to contribute to the wellbeing of the victims, along with the establishing of TRCs that focus on the truth to be heard and the reparations to be considered. During the course we will present different ways of working around these topics, watch videos and testimonies and exercise group work and role playing, to better understand the aspects involved in the damage and the recovery experienced by the survivors and their communities.

Course/Module aims:
1. To understand the main goals of Truth Commissions
2. To learn ways to work with victims of Human Rights Violations, e.g. sexual violence and families of the missing
3. To analyze the “post-conflict” approaches in different countries.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Describe the main challenges of the Truth Commissions, in general
2. Describe the main impacts and resiliency strategies when working with victims of conflict
3. Analyze pros and cons in programs on sexual violence and dissappearances in recent conflicts

Attendance requirements(%):
100%

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Lectures, group work, case studies and team presentations.

Course/Module Content:
• Colombian Truth Commission: Main Approaches on Gender(s), Ethnicity & Exile
• Case Studies on the work with Exile Teams in Europe and the US
• Gender and Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict
• Team work on the cases of Colombia and the Balkans
• The Missing and their families
• Examples and work on Colombia and Guatemala

Required Reading:
- García del Soto, A. (2018) “Working with victims of violence in international contexts: The search for empirical knowledge, and common tensions to the analyses of Civil Society.” In the book Sociedad Civil y Cultura Política. Homenaje a Víctor Pérez Díaz. Eds. Funcas y Aranzadi

- Garcia del Soto, A. y Barbera, R. (Diciembre 2010). International Law/Revista Colombiana de Derecho Internacional. Edición Especial de JUSTICIA TRANSICIONAL n. 17. “De Esperas y Esperanzas. Aspectos psicosociales en procesos de justicia transicional”. pp 447-481.

- Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2015) Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action: Reducing risk, promoting resilience and aiding recovery.
- Lucena, Jorge Gutierrez. “Truth Commissions and the Mental Health of Victims,” August 28, 2016. https://www.e-ir.info/2016/08/28/truth-commissions-and-the-mental-health-of-victims/
- Martin Beristain, C. (2006) Humanitarian Aid: A Critical Approach. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
- “Psychology’s Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Report,” May 2018, 1–36. A report of the Canadian Psychological Association and the Psychology Foundation of Canada
- Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres. English Version (2017). The Women´s Truth. Victims of the Armed Conflict in Colombia. Summary

Additional Reading Material:

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 100 %
see additional information

Additional information:
A short oral presentation 20%
A final paper 80%
 
Students needing academic accommodations based on a disability should contact the Center for Diagnosis and Support of Students with Learning Disabilities, or the Office for Students with Disabilities, as early as possible, to discuss and coordinate accommodations, based on relevant documentation.
For further information, please visit the site of the Dean of Students Office.
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