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IDU SYNTHESIS ESSAY

For the past six weeks, weve been engaged on our Interdisciplinary Unit Peace
& Conflict in order to contribute our work to the International Peace
Conference were taking part in this 15th of January. This unit connects the
subjects English, Individuals & Societies and arts, for us to learn different
manners of knowledge and expression of Peace and Conflict. In English,
regardless of what class were in, weve been taught how literature can tell us
about different points of view, ideas and feelings towards a conflict even if they
are not clearly stated. In I&S weve researched and learnt the history of conflicts,
as well as finding reliable sources in order to comprehend it better. And finally,
in arts, as for me, in drama, weve learnt how theatrical plays can impact society,
change peoples minds, and how they do so. This essays objective is to describe
my learning of peace and conflict and my process in order to understand all the
topics we covered, as well as carrying out all the tasks we were required to do.
All these subjects have been useful to get to know about peace and conflict in
different ways. Some of the key elements that have been used to express peace
and conflict in English have been mood, theme, genre, structure, stylistic
features, criticism... These elements have been the main devices weve learnt to
discover in order to understand both the text and the author better. For
instance, analyzing different pieces of text such as the poem Never shall I
forget by Elie Wiesel, and comparing it with different parts of the book made
me realize how even the same author can change the mood and purpose of his
writing. Comparison and contrast, making better observations and some themes
such as evil, faith or survival have been used in both English and I&S. The most
significant key element in I&S has been the method of analyzing sources OPVL
which stands for origin, purpose, value and limitation. This has indeed been
really helpful when searching for sources since I can detect its reliability and if it
is in fact worth to use. Other elements used in I&S have been discrimination,
such as when doing a case study on Apartheid, medias reactions, different
points of view and possible resolutions, when researching our own conflict. In
Drama, genre has definitively been a key element as well as new techniques
learnt in order to shock the audience. For example, flocking has been a very
profitable technique for me to learn and its included in my own scene. The
mood props and set can cause was also influential, as well as the effect Drama
can make on society regardless of how absurd, or meaningless the play initially
seems. Waiting for Godot was a great example of how such a serene, simple
play can change theatre and peoples points of view.
Art is a very powerful approach society has, beneficial to standing up for what
people believe in. Its a method of expression which can vary enormously

depending on what message is desired to be given, and how its done. Drama
can help instigate change in society since the audience can relate to some scenes
that they have experienced before. By telling the story of someones life, of
history, or of opinions which the audience can relate to, drama triggers their
memories, connects with them and their own life. The meanings behind each act
arent always straight forward but open to interpretation, which makes each
individual wonder what the characters are going through and emphasize with
them. There are lots of different types of plays, however they all attempt to
inform the audience about a conflict and how it is to take part in it or be affected
by it. People have different opinions and are dealing with and living conflicts in
contrasting ways, therefor if the play isnt relatable to them, it still makes them
realize how others are handling problems and the changes they want to make.
This opens your mind to other choices you mightve never considered and it can
inspire you to help somebody in need or to take steps in the peaceful direction.
For instance, watching the musical Hairspray outside class helped me
understand how discrimination is present in every single corner of the world,
and gave a powerful message telling to fight for what you believe in and deserve,
as well as showing how you can even convince your worst enemies of your own
ideas and opinions. Drama raises awareness, shows you that youre not alone
and that there are two sides to every story, as well as it informs you.

Nevertheless, the subject which has been the most effective in order to learn
about the background, and all type of information about conflict, has been
Individuals & Societies. Since we started learning about WWI and WWII before
the Interdisciplinary unit, weve been practicing how to search for useful sources
conducing to a better understanding of the topic. There are abundant amounts
of photographs, maps, charts, interviews, cartoons, songs, videos which play
an important role in helping our comprehension of a conflict. Indubitably,
researching the history of ISIS, which is the conflict I chose to focus on, helped
me visualize what I wanted to expose in the International Peace Conference this
upcoming January 15th. As seen in my process journal, I initially researched a
few different points which then guided me to what I would like to show in my
gallery guide as clear examples of the points I want to make and information I
want to give. Certainly my knowledge about the radical jihadist organization
benefitted the performance I have to create with my group in Drama, since we
need a peaceful resolution for it and I&S gave me lots of wonderful ideas,
considering that my conflict is contemporary and yet to solve. Learning factually
about my conflict intrigued me and made me interested in different judgments
and attitudes towards it, for which I was able to find an illustration in the
subject English. Furthermore, English has been essential for me to interpret
peace and conflict in an inimitable way, by connecting with somebody whos
able to describe it in first person. Reading Night, the outstanding novel by Elie
Wiesel, made me recognize the true horror it is to be a victim of humanitys

mistakes. This book made me relate to Elie without having been through
anything comparable, which made me realize the capability literature has to
immeasurably impact readers. Putting myself in the shoes of a fortunate WWII
survivor instantly interested me in wanting to hear both sides to each story,
especially when researching my own conflict in I&S. This interest was
definitively helpful since it opened a whole new range of sources I could look at
and learn from, some of these sources are included in my Gallery Guide as well
as examples of different feelings towards the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
However the background information I learnt about WWII in Individuals &
Societies before the IDU convincingly helped understanding the events
occurring in Elie Wiesels novel. English also guided me to a poem called
Purification which I found while creating a presentation we were tasked to
make, about any piece of literature revolving around the field of conflict we are
researching as part of the IDU. This poem was the first example I had found of a
person included in a society which detests ISIS, who had tried to relate to a
terrorist. It is also included in my process journal. Knowing all the information
I found about my conflict, the different opinions on it, the people who take part
in it, and victims stories helped me come up with ways of showing it in a Drama
scene. I tried to think of a way of representing ISIS and what it does, as well as a
peaceful resolution to it. By researching I got to know about the hacker group
Anonymous which is the base of the resolution, as well as how ISIS usually
attempts to impact the world, in order to find a manner of shocking our
audience.
In conclusion, this Interdisciplinary Unit has been of incredible use to me,
having helped me much more than what I expected it to. Ive learnt how any
conflict, starts, develops, and different ways to solve it. Ive improved my
observation abilities due to all the analyzing weve been taught to do in both
English and I&S, and realized how important it is to take a closer look at
everything in order to find all the meanings behind it and its reliability. Ive
become able to think outside the box in lots of different manners such as putting
myself in other peoples, even enemys shoes, unscramble all the hidden
thoughts, feelings, messages and opinions behind a text or a theatrical play.
Most importantly, Ive learnt how cruel human beings can be, how heartless,
dark and shameful our history is, and how we shall all unite as one peaceful,
cordial world rather than ever ignoring the tremendous scars in our past.