Syllabus

In this class, there will be approximately four lessons, each dealing with a degree of violence. Please note, while this Syllabus provides an outline of the course, it is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor, AT ANY TIME!

Grading Policy:

All work will be roleplayed. There is no homework, no exams, but there may be a final, which will consist of roleplaying what you have learned. There is no minimum or maximum number of posts, however, you must stay with the current topic at hand and put some effort into your posts. Effort counts more than anything else, while I don’t expect you to write a book, make it interesting and relevant to the class.

Bad Example: *comes into class. copies down notes. raises hand. leaves.*

Good Example: *Akira sat, interested in what the professor was talking about. What is violence, Akira thought about the idea in his head. It could be anything really, depending on how one looked at it, and Akira thought back to his own personal experiences with violence, and how he reacted to those experiences. Putting his quill to paper, he stopped for a moment and raised his hand.*

Lessons:

There will be at least Four Lessons. All done at a stretch of two weeks per time. This should allow you plenty of time to post. I do understand that life gets busy so if there are concerns, feel free to contact me.

1. Perpetrators of Violence

2. Tools of The Trade

3. Violent Philosophy

4. Psychological Violence

Violent Philosophy

When humans commit violence, there are several mitigating factors involved. What might be a reason for one may not work for another. Crimes of love, hate, politics, religion, greed, several reasons exist for why humans engage in violence. We will explore some of these and others in depth, getting to the part of the human mind that bases its decisions on which act it will choose.

Task: To analyze and evaluate some philosophies of violence.

1.     There are several types that classify why people commit violence.  These are the main categories:

a. Visionary

b. Missionary

c. Hedonistic

d. Gain motivated

e. Power and Control

Tools of the Trade

In this lesson, we shall be analyzing and applying the various tools used to commit acts of violence over the centuries. While a common hammer or knife can do the trick, we shall instead look at some of the more intricate devices used over the centuries, in order to understand why such devices were used. As well, we shall also apply this knowledge to the world in which we live.

Task: To experience the pain and usage of torture devices

1.    Pair up with a partner

2.    Choose a torture device

3.    “Torture” your partner (Keep in mind that I will be checking to see to it that you do not go too far.  If you do, I have no issue with making you sorely regret it.)

4.    Repeat the process for the other partner

Perpetrators of Violence

What causes the human to feel the taste for blood? Is it a natural desire that is instinctual from man’s evolution from animal to human? Are there some of us who never quite make that evolution? The pages of history are dotted with the names of those who enjoyed the sight of blood, Vlad the Impaler, Countess Bathory to name a few…

For this lesson, you will accomplish the following:

1.    Choose a figure in history who was prone to random acts of violence

2.    “Interview” the subject.  Meaning, there shall be a portal in class which allows your character to interact with this figure.  You shall roleplay the actions and speech of the figure within which you choose.  (Side note: You can do anything with this, if you want this character to say, turn the walls to blood, I’m not stopping you.)

About

In this class we shall learn about what causes the urge to commit untold acts of human violence. While this class is at a wizarding school, some discovery into the works of those of the muggle world shall be explored, for while muggles are mostly to be ignored, if not disregarded, many of their figures and methods had proved to be invaluable to those of study violence on a grand scale.