Violence – Is it a mere continuation of politics by other means?!
Invitation to an Online Workshop
Violence – Is it a mere continuation of politics by other means?!
6 meetings on Mondays: June 14, 21, 28 and July 12th, 19th, 26th, 2021;
Time: 9.30 – 11.00 CET
Workshop will be run by Dr.-Ing. André Baier, coordinator of the Sustainability Certificate for Students at TU Berlin,
and Dr. Uki Maroshek-Klarman, creator of “Betzavta – Adam Institute’s facilitation method”, Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace.
Open to Students from all over the world – Participation is free of charge
Application Deadline Sunday 6th Jun 2021 – via email Andre.Baier@tu-berlin.de (Details below
What is the course about? – Violence – an Introduction
The workshop will provide a first overview on different political aspects of violence including its variations such as (passive) aggressive behaviour and (civil-) war. Because the workshop serves as an introduction to the topic of violence, it will focus on a number of specific forms of violence, including the state’s monopoly on violence and war as well as economic violence. In addition, the course will address the relation between gender and violence and how this might affect violent acts on a personal level. Finally, the workshop will tackle forms of resistance, e.g. the widespread call for non-violent forms of communication and protest.
What learning outcomes are addressed? – Analyzing and democratizing societal structures
Workshop participants will jointly analyse how violence is deeply rooted at the core of our societal structures including existing habits and actions that help to uphold these structures. Participants will experientially examine their stances on violence. Based on this analysis, participants develop an understanding of how violence constitutes our modern societies in almost all aspects; this analysis will enable participants to identify pathways that induce change within groups and societies as well as across them.
Which questions are addressed? – Is violence a mere continuation of politics by other means?!
What is the relationship between violence and the political? – What is the relationship between conflict and violence? – Is the (national) state the reason for violence or is it there to protect people from violence? – Is violence legitimate? If yes, in what instances? What are reasons and symptoms for violence and how do we tend to confuse the one with the other? Who is harming whom with violence, with which means and to what end? Who is the violent offender and who is the victim of violence? Is this differentiation always clear? What are possible countermeasures against violence and how should they be implemented? – Why is the call for non-violent forms of communication and protest so popular?
How is it taught? – High engagement and interaction between participants
The 20 workshop participants are actively involved throughout this digital workshop. In contrast to many digital formats, this workshop lives from interactivity: dare to show yourself and contribute to a course conducted through individual, small- and large-group work as well as group-dynamic activities; only a few lectures will be given. The workshop is based on “Betzavta- Adam Institute’s facilitation method”. Participants explore the competing tendencies that exist within each of us for and against democratic principles, thereby transforming an external conflict into an internal dilemma, which enables us to act and change the context in which we act.
When? – Mondays – 09.30 > 11.00 CET – Starting 14 Jun 2021 – 6 Meetings
The workshop takes place Mondays from 09.30 to 11.00 CET. It comprises 6 meetings on 14, 21, 28 June and 12, 19, 26 July 2021. There is no meeting on 05 July. In order to allow for a joint learning process, participants should be able to attend all meetings.
Where? – International video conference held in English
The workshop will take place through a video conference based on Zoom. Please make sure that you’re able to participate with video and audio. Offering the workshop online allows for international participation; the spoken language will be English.
Who can attend? – 20 Students from all over the world – Participation is free of charge
The course is open to students currently enrolled at any university or vocational school as well as persons who have recently graduated. The number of participants is limited to 20 to allow for ample interaction/exercises/discussion within the groups and plenary. Participation is free of charge.
How to apply? – Short motivational letter until 06 June – Decision on 07 June 2021
Due to an IT-Hack at TU Berlin it is currently not possible to provide an application form. So please, write an email to Andre.Baier@tu-berlin.de until Sunday, 06 June 2021, and write a few sentences: 1) who you are, 2) why you want to participate, 3) if you can participate all the dates or which dates you’ll need miss and 4) if you have the technical capacity/willingness to show yourself in a videoconference. We’ll select participants to ensure broad diversity. Results will be sent by Monday, 07 June 2021
Will there be a certificate of participation? – Yes.
Certificates will be issued to all that participate consistently in the workshop. For university students: Participation will not be credited with ECTS points.
Who organises the workshop? – Critical Sustainability at TU Berlin and Adam Institute
The workshop is jointly organised by Dr.-Ing. André Baier, coordinator of the Sustainability Certificate for Students at TU Berlin who offers the series of TINS_D courses including the course on Critical Sustainability, together with Dr. Uki Maroshek-Klarman, creator of “Betzavta- Adam Institute’s facilitation method” who helped found the Adam Institute for Democracy andPeace in Jerusalem, Israel. Today she is AI’s Executive Director.
Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace is an Israeli non-profit, educational organization that works to create a culture of peace, mutual respect, tolerance and co-existence across religious, ethnic and national groups in Israeli society and the region. The organization’s Hebrew name “Adam”, meaning “human”, was chosen based on the founders’ understanding that human equality is the basis for leading a life centered on the values of democracy and peace. The Adam Institute has published numerous books, training manuals, and periodicals, in both Hebrew and Arabic (some translated and published in English, German and Polish). It has received several notable awards for promoting democracy and tolerance including the award of the Speaker of the Knesset and the Shimon Peres Prize from the German Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the German-Israeli Future Forum (DIZF).
Sustainability Certificate for Students – TINS_D Courses – Technische Universität Berlin
The inter – and transdisciplinary- oriented certification program offers students the possibility to incorporate an individual focus on sustainability into their regular study programs, thus enabling them to acquire the competencies conferred by a higher education program in sustainability. Additionally, the program aims to bring together students within the TU Berlin with a particular interest in sustainability, thus promoting an exchange of ideas beyond the classroom. The course “Critical Sustainability” is the compulsory module of the Sustainability Certificate for Students and it is also part of the series of TINS_D courses. The course provides a digital space to learn, reflect, discuss and take action together. The participants will jointly analyze existing power relations as well as society-nature relations and democratize them – the Betzavta Method is incorporated in the course design.
