Resources for Teachers and Students on Jody Williams
Prepare: Jody Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1997 in acknowledgement of her work as the founding coordinator
of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, ICBL. Her
curriculum
vitae can be found on the Nobel website at.
Read:
Jody Williams' Architects
of Peace essay is excerpted from an article titled,
"The International Campaign to Ban Landmines: A Model
for Disarmament Initiatives," based upon her Nobel
lecture. In it, she outlines how an international consensus
has begun to emerge that the production and use of landmines
is no longer morally defensible.
Explore: The
International Campaign to Ban Landmines is now a
network of more than 1400 non-governmental organizations
in 90 countries. Although more than 150 countries have signed
the Landmine Treaty (formally titled: "The 1997 Convention
on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and
Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines"), the United States
of America is not one of them. Information about the current
status of the ICBL campaign can be found on their website.
Write: In her Architects of Peace essay, Jody Williams
calls the land mine the "perfect soldier" because,
like an eternal sentry, it goes on killing even after the
war ends. Her argument here employs a rhetorical device
known as hyperbole, where intentional exaggeration is used
to make a point. Are there better ways to argue the morality
of landmine use? Using internet resources, including the
links in this lesson plan, what specific ethical principles
apply to the argument to ban landmines? Write a three-to-five
page summary of your research where you analyze ethical
arguments from a rhetorical perspective.
Extend: The
United Nations Mine Action Service, UNMAS, founded
in 1997, supports the UN's vision of "a world free
of the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance, where
individuals and communities live in a safe environment conducive
to development, and where mine survivors are fully integrated
into their societies." Their website contains extensive
information on international progress towards this goal.
Additional Resource: Jody Williams currently serves
as Distinguished Visiting Professor in Social Work and Global
Justice at the University of Houston. Those interested may
access on-line links to her numerous
articles and statements.
Biography of Jody
Williams