PCR 311: Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace

202 Pages·2010·0.69 MB·English

NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

COURSE CODE: PCR 311

COURSE TITLE: PHILOSOPHIES AND GREAT PERSONALITIES OF PEACE
PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace

COURSE
GUIDE

PCR 311: PHILOSOPHIES AND GREAT PERSONALITIES OF PEACE

Course Developer/Writer: Dr. Salawu M. L. A.

Course Editor: Dr. O. B. Olaoba
Peace and Conflict Studies Department
Institute of African Studies
University of Ibadan.

Course Co-ordinator: Durojaye Oyedolapo Babatunde
School of Art and Social Sciences
National Open University of Nigeria

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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace

NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA

National Open University of Nigeria
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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace

CONTENTS PAGES
Introduction … … … … … … … … 1
What you will learn in this course … … … … … 1
Course aims … … … … … … … … 2
Course objectives … … … … … … … … 2
Working through this course … … … … … … 3
Course materials … … … … … … … … 3
Study units … … … … … … … … … 4
Set textbooks … … … … … … … … 5
Assignment file … … … … … … … … 5
Course Overview … … … … … … … … 6
Assessment … … … … … … … … 7
Tutor-Marked assignments (TMAs) … … … … … 7
Final Examination and grading … … … … … 7
Course marking scheme … … … … … … … 8
How to get the most from this course … … … … 8
Tutors and tutorials … … … … … … … 9
Summary … … … … … … … … … 10
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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace
Introduction
PCR 311: Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace, introduces you
to the concept of philosophy and the rise to prominence in Nigeria, Africa, and
the global community at large, of those who emerged as Great Personalities of
Peace. Their biographical data, philosophies, ideals of peace facilitation,
enduring lessons and challenges which put them in the category of great
personalities of peace were adequately covered. It is a 3-credit units’ course
and quite rich and simplified in content. At the end of the course, you are
expected to have adequate grasp of the concept of philosophies, the evolution of
great personalities of peace, analogy and diversity in African, Western and
Eastern philosophies, principle of non-violence as a philosophy, and an in-
depth diplomacy to achieve a win-win outcome.

In short, you will be equipped with the wherewithal to face those
daunting scourges of the human race. This is necessary because in our
everyday interactions, we are faced with various types of challenges. It is
inevitable that we have to make choices among contending options. There is
also the hard fact that the people we meet and interact with are also interested
in the same issue(s) as we do. Then if conflict occurs and not well managed. It
can become adversarial and protracted, contrary to the transformation
envisaged. We have to realize that there is the need for the maintenance of law
and order to have a peaceful society. When we have this as a cardinal aim,
then we would have created an avenue for peaceful co-existence among
ourselves and in our relationship with others. This will reflect in the way we
listen to the voice of elders when we are involved in conflict, either directly or
indirectly. It is also important to be mindful of the role(s) we play when we are
involved in conflict intervention. This is important because the role(s) we play
can go a long way in bringing about a peaceful resolution, as well as escalation
of the issues, which may result to violence. We must also learn to leave the
world a better place than we met it. Here lies the importance of this course, as
it is expected to equip the student with the necessary tools to enable you apply
the knowledge gained to the utmost benefit of the society.

There are compulsory prerequisites for this course. The course guide tells
you briefly what the course is all about, what you are expected to know in each
unit, what course materials you need to use and how you can work your way
through these materials. It also emphasizes the necessity for you to complete
the tutor-marked assignments embedded therein. There are also periodic
tutorial classes that are linked to this course.

What you will lean in this course
It is important to note that the study of this course is based on well
grounded case studies that are empirical and current. It consists of the body of
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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace
insights, observations, research findings and formal propositions produced by
the modern social sciences, especially those that deal with the emergence of
great personalities of peace and human frailties and how a recourse to
philosophy restored sanity. It is ironical that most often, this body of
knowledge is only useful to the academics working on it. Their time is spent
working on it, refining the details and trying to spell out the implications for
public policy. It could be admitted that many aspects of it remain controversial,
but occasionally there are efforts made to use it as a remedial prescription for
the world’s evils. In this regard, we may note that the ideas of scholars can and
sometimes do, have considerable effect in the world. This may not often be
quickly discernible or in the direction intended. More so, it works where the
leadership has a listening ear and where the academia is revered as the
repository of knowledge.

Democratic governance consists of a set of procedures for
dealing with human and resource management, especially
when they are in an heterogeneous state such as Nigeria.
The procedures are explicit and require a high level of
expertise on the part of those who seek to apply them.
There is always a reason to believe that they can succeed
in their objective if they are sincere. The process may raise
difficulties of various kinds. As Christopher Mitchell and
Michael Banks have noted, “This has to be accepted when
any new recommendations are put forward, especially
when they confront the great unsolved problems of
rebellion, terrorism, communal strife and warfare – in
other words, the various forms taken by deep-rooted,
protracted conflict”.

Course Aims
This course aims to get you acquainted with the extant literature in the
evolution of great personalities of peace, their roles, contributions,
achievements and challenges. From the knowledge gained, the student is
expected to apply them to the practical challenges of everyday living, at home,
workplaces etc. This also confers another level of responsibility on you as a
responsible member of the society to contribute positively in building it. It also
includes cultivating friendly relationships in a harmonious environment in
order to bring the principles of applying a global combination of philosophies
into practice, wherever the need arises.

Course Objectives
The overall objectives and expectations of this course are many. In
addition to this, each unit has its objectives which you will find at the
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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace
beginning. You are expected to read them before working through the unit. You
may have to cross-check intermittently with the objectives to be able to
determine the progress you are making at each point. You are advised to also
look at each unit’s objectives after completing that unit. By following the
instructions above, you will be properly guided and this will assist you to get
the utmost benefit from this course.

Stated below are the overall objectives of this course:
• Examine how Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace as a field of
study evolved;
• Explain different branches of philosophies and their significance to global
peace;
• Define Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace;
• Identify and understand African, Western, Eastern or Oriental
Philosophies;
• Understand the biography, philosophy, ideals of peace facilitation,
enduring lessons and challenges faced by the identified great
personalities of peace and be able to apply the approaches to peace-
building and peacemaking;
• State the methods of those identified great personalities of peace and
their philosophies in making their state and the global community a
worthy place to live in.
• Understand the technique of non-violent resistance, what it is and its
role in creating a win-win situation;
• Identify the place of philosophies in leadership style of African, Western
and Eastern countries;
• Identify the areas of strength and weakness in their application;
• Understand how democratic governance can be enhanced without
adversarial tendencies;
• Study and identify the differences between the background of Nigerian,
African, Western and Eastern models in invoking various approaches
with a view to making the global community better;
• Knowing the significance of Philosophies in a life circle of either a nation
or an individual and;
• To generally know how to make the world safer than how we met it,
among others.

Working through this Course
To complete this course, you are required to read the study units, read
recommended books and read other materials provided by the National Open
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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace
University of Nigeria (NOUN). Most of the units contain self-assessment
exercises, and at same points in the course, you are required to submit
assignments for assessment purposes. At the end of this course, is a final
examination. Stated below are the components of the course and what you are
expected to do.

Course Materials
Course Guide
Study Unit
Textbooks and other Reference Sources
Assignment File
Presentation

In addition, you must obtain the text materials, which are provided by the
NOUN. You may also want to purchase the other materials from the
bookshops. Please, contact your tutor if you have problems in obtaining the
text materials.
Study Units
There are 25 Units in this course:
MODULE 1: CONCEPT OF PHILOSOPHY AND GREAT PERSONALITIES OF
PEACE
Unit 1: Understanding Philosophy and Great Personalities of Peace
Unit 2: Philosophies on Conflict Resolution
Unit 3: Effect of Religion on Philosophies and Great Personalities of
Peace
Unit 4: Philosophical diplomacy by a minority group to the dominance of
the majority group
Unit 5: Aspects of International law relating to the invocation of
Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace

MODULE 2: PHILOSOPHIES: AFRICAN, WESTERN AND EASTERN
CONCEPTS
Unit 1: Nature of African Philosophy
Unit 2: Nature of Western Philosophy
Unit 3: Nature of Eastern Philosophy
Unit 4: Confucius and the impact of the Philosophy of Confucianism
Unit 5: Philosophy of Non-Violent Resistance
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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace
(i) Martin Luther King Jr.
(ii) Pandit Nehru of India

MODULE 3: GREAT PERSONALITIES OF PEACE IN NIGERIA
Unit 1: Biographical sketch of DR. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi
Awolow, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kutti and
Margaret Ekpo.
Unit 2: Political philosophy of DR. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolow,
Sir Ahmadu Bello, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kutti and Margaret
Ekpo.
Unit 3: Ideals of peace of facilitation by DR. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief
Obafemi Awolow, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kutti
and Margaret Ekpo.
Unit 4: Enduring lessons from DR. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi
Awolow, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kutti and
Margaret Ekpo.
Unit 5: Challenges face by DR. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolow, Sir
Ahmadu Bello, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kutti and Margaret Ekpo.

Module 4: GREAT PERSONALITIES OF PEACE IN AFRICA
Unit 1: Biographical sketch of Nelson Mandela, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,
Ahmed Sekou Toure, and Hellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia
Unit 2: Political philosophy of Nelson Mandela, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,
Ahmed Sekou Toure, and Hellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia
Unit 3: Ideals of peace facilitation by Nelson Mandela, Dr. Kwame
Nkrumah, Ahmed Sekou Toure, and Hellen Johnson Sirleaf of
Liberia
Unit 4: Enduring lessons from Nelson Mandela, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,
Ahmed Sekou Toure, and Hellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia
Unit 5: Challenges faced by Nelson Mandela, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ahmed
Sekou Toure, and Hellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia

MODULE 5: GREAT PERSONALITIES OF PEACEIN THE WORLD
Unit 1: Biographical sketch of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Golda Meir of
Israel
Unit 2: Political philosophy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Golda Meir of
Israel
Unit 3: Ideals of peace facilitation by John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Golda
Meir of Israel
Unit 4: Enduring lessons from John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Golda Meir of
Israel
Unit 5: Challenges faced by John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Golda Meir of
Israel

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PCR 311 Philosophies and Great Personalities of Peace

Set Textbooks
Fadahunsi A. & Olusegun Oladipo, O. (2004). Philosophy and the African
prospect, Ibadan, Hope Publications.
Joseph O. (1991) A simplified History of Western, Philosophy Lagos, Joja
Educational Research and Published. Vol. 1.
- (1998). Epistomology, Lagos, Joja Educational Research and
Publishers
- (2001) Philosophy of Mind, Lagos, Joja Educational Research and
Publisher.
- (2002). The Power of Logic by C. Stepian Layhi, Lagos, Joja
Educational Research and Publishers.
- (2004). Comparative Philosophy East and West. A comparative
Analysis of Asian and Western Philosophies, Lagos, Joja Educational
and Publishers
- (2007). Socio-political philosophy and International Relations, Lagos
Joja Educational Research and Publishers
Lock, Berkeley, Humen (1974). The Empiricists, Toronto.
Olaoba, O.B. (2002). An Introduction to African Legal Culture, Ibadan; Hope
Publications.
Popenoe, (1977); Sociology; New York, Meredith Corporation.
Silvano B. (2007). A History of Philosophy, Kenya, Pauling Publication Africa.
Temisan Ebijuwa (2007). Philosophy and Social Change, Ibadan Hope
Publications.

Assignment File
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