Resilience in Children Exposed to Trauma, Disaster and War: Global Perspectives

The first module of this course provides an introduction to the course and to the science of resilience. Video lectures discuss the meaning of resilience and the origins of resilience science. Participants will begin to think about case examples of resilience from their own experience and plan for a resilience interview. In the forum discussions, participants will introduce themselves, discuss the meaning of resilience and its importance in their work. Participants also will nominate favorite films and books about true stories of resilience:

This module highlights the models and methods used in resilience science, including person-focused methods and variable-focused methods. The case study of Dr. Maddaus continues and the case of resilience in early childhood is presented.

This module focuses on what has been learned from research on children who experience disasters, including the effects on children and patterns of recovery. Participants will watch a video interview with an expert on children in disaster and additional videos on damage and recovery following the F5 Joplin tornado. Participants will also complete a survey on disaster experiences.

This module highlights what has been learned about the effects of war, terror, and political violence on children and youth. What are the effects of these violent experiences on young people? What has been learned about resilience? We will examine the provocative literature on youth who voluntarily get involved in political conflicts or war. The concluding lecture considers new approaches to peace-building and what might be done to promote peace through interventions with children.

This week also features 4 special topics on resilience in young people who experienced the trauma of war and conflict. Choose one or more of the special topics and watch these moving stories of survival. Post your thoughts in the special topics discussion forums on each of these options. If you have time, watch them all. These accounts of resilience are very compelling.