DESCRIPTION:
Since the beginning of the
twentieth century the greatest casualties in almost every war have been
children. This is as true in the political and civil wars erupting around the
world as it is in the streets of the world’s cities where gang conflicts claim
the lives of children and youth on an almost daily basis. This class will
explore these issues, addressing their causes from a holistic perspective and
looking at how concerned Christians can engage in order to minister to these
children, paying special attention to how psychosocial concerns can and are
being addressed. This class is designed both for those who have no prior
counseling training, and for School of Psychology students who would like to
develop more targeted skills and understandings in the specific area of
ministry this course is designed to address.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
•
To understand some of the political, social, and theological issues surrounding
armed conflict and be able to describe how these impact children.
• To recognize symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and
caregivers, and gain greater understanding and skills for their care and
treatment.
• To propose reasonable and practical missional responses to children affected
by armed violence that takes into account the background understandings and
principles of best practice identified in class, course texts, and outside
reading.
COURSE FORMAT: Class will meet as a one-week intensive. A presentation and discussion format will be used, allowing time for small group interaction. The course is team taught with input from academicians & practitioners.
REQUIRED
READING: 1300 pages chosen from the following
Erickson,
Victoria Lee & Michelle Lim Jones, Surviving
Terror – Hope and Justice in a World of Violence. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos
Press, 2002.
Garbarino,James, et. al., Children in
Danger: Coping with the Consequences of Community Violence. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998.
James, Beverly, Treating Traumatized
Children. New York: The Free Press, 1996.
Kilbourn, Phyllis, ed., Healing the
Children of War. Monrovia, CA: MARC Publishing, 1995.
Ochberg, Frank M., Post-Traumatic Therapy
and Victims of Violence. New York: Brunner/Mazel Publishers, 1988.
Singer, P.W., Children at War.
Pantheon, 2005.
Course Reader, which includes indigenous responses to armed conflict and case
studies from around the world.
RECOMMENDED
READING:
Brett,
Rachel & Irma Specht, Young Soldiers:
Why They Choose to Fight. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.,
2004.
Freud, Anna, War and Children. New
York: Ernst Willard, 1943.
Kilbourn, Phyllis, ed., Street Children:
A Guide to Effective Ministry. Monrovia, CA: MARC Publishing, 1997.
Tolfree, David, Whose Children? Separated
Children’s Protection and Participation in Emergencies. Stockholm: Save the
Children, 2004.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. An annotated bibliography on 1300 pages of reading. This will
include not only the required texts for the course, but also any additional
reading you completed in order to complete the research and writing components
of the course.
2. A paper discussing a specific theological concern with significance to the
topics of the course (2,000 words).
3. A final paper addressing one of the following topics (4,000 words):
a. A further exploration of a specific
psychological concern and its treatment as introduced in the course.
b. A proposal for a missional response to children affected by armed conflict
in a context chosen by your personal research or ministry goals.
c. Further research of a specific missiological topic with relevance to
children affected by armed conflict.
PREREQUISITES: None, though prior completion of
MD543 Mission to Children at Risk is helpful. Those who have not yet completed
this class are advised to read and understand Stephenson & Miles Child Development Study Pack and Myers, Children in Crisis prior to the start of
class (see Fall 05 ECD for MD543 for more details on these texts).
RELATION TO CURRICULUM:
Elective.
FINAL EXAM: None.