Introduction to Conflict Resolution

Week 1 INTRODUCTIONS

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Begin to recognize that the course is a "learning community:" identify and define the terms conflict, conflict resolution, and mediation; begin to recognize why humans fight and some of the things we can do to stop fighting. Overview of requirements, grading, goals and objectives; teacher and student introductions;applicability of conflict resolution and mediation skills to everyday life and to various major areas; brief introduction of the question; are we doomed to fight?

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of The Third Side, ch 1 and In the Footsteps of Gandhi, introduction.

Week 2 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Identify and define key terms such as stakeholders, resolution, negotiation, arbitration, mediation, conciliation, adjudication, restitution, facilitation; identify students' own styles of dealing with conflict, anger, and violence. Discuss advantages and disadvantages to various styles; discuss larger social implications of various styles. Identify and list ways in which violence is present in our lives and nations. List and analyse the many alternatives to violence and bloodshed. What's the alternative to fighting, for individuals, groups, and governments? What are advantages and disadvantages to fighting? What are advantages and disadvantages to non-violent resolution of conflict? What happens when fighting fails to resolve problems? What happens when nonviolence fails? Explain motivation theory as it relates to the resolution of conflict; apply in hypothetical scenarios.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of The Third Side, ch 2 and In the Footsteps of Gandhi, ch 2; 1-2 page response paper.

Week 3 SKILLS AND APPROACHES

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Identify key skills for conflict resolution. Evaluate the roles of power, culture, gender, ethnicity, and class in shaping conflict and its resolution or lack thereof. Identify current conflicts in our families, societies, and world.Analyse various historical situations in which fighting was not used and outcomes were successful. Learn and practice I messages, active listening. Look at examples of successful and unsuccessful anger management. Discuss the value and applicability of these skills to human history and social relations.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of The Third Side, ch 2, response paper

Week 4-5 SKILLS AND APPROACHES.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Learn to recognize conflict in early stages in by behaviors, language, communication styles. Identify underlying needs and goals in various conflicts: Explain use of non-violence by Thoreau, Gandhi, abolitionists, suffragists, and Chavez. Practice seeing opposing points of view and identifying underlying concerns and needs of different stake holders. Formulate various validations in given conflict scenarios, and rate their effectiveness. Evaluate conflicts in which various points of view are and are not validated; distinguish the responsese of Thoreau, Gandhi, Chavez, and the social movements above. Explain the importance of underlying needs, goals, and emotions. Apply knowledge to examples in human history, personal life, and social relations.

ASSIGNMENTS: Text readings, practical experimentation, and writing about how to apply the skill of recognizing underlying needs and goals.

Week 6 SKILLS AND APPROACHES.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate how violence and conflict can be prevented, resolved, or contained. Discuss advantages and disadvantages to each approach in given scenarios. Discuss how individuals, groups, and governments practice these strategies. Explain and demonstrate the concept of establishing safety; practice establishing a climate of safety and trust. Define how neutrality looks and feels. Explain how to establish netruality. Practice establishing and maintaining neutrality in class scenarios. Appraise how successfully neutrality is maintained in scenarios given in class. Assess the impact of maintaining neutrality and not maintaining neutrality. Define neutrality as it would be practiced in a number of personal, social, and political scenarios.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of The Third Side, chs 3-4

Week 7 SKILLS AND APPROACHES

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate an understanding of general principles of conflict resolution and dispute mediation; demonstrate more specific understanding of HALT;construct situations in which two points of view are easily acknowledged and less easily acknowledged; experiment with seeing multiple points of view in various conflict scenarios. Contrast information and third party conflict resolution. Practice recognizing and interventing in HALT situations when conflicts are unlikely to be resolved. Practice empathic vocabulary; work on formulating questions and responses that show empathy. Practice and evaluate summarization and clarification skills that use reframing and neutrality. Learn to choose solutions that empasize common ground.

ASSIGNMENT: Critical reading of In Footsteps of Gandhi, response paper.

WEEK 8: CO-MEDIATION MODEL.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Differentiate co-mediation from other formal and information mediation and conflict resolution models; judge strengths of weaknesses of various approaches in various situations. Propose situations that are appropriate and not appropriate for co-mediation. Identify and explain each phase of the co-mediation model; develop justifications for each part. Practice recognizing and stating core issues in conflicts we discuss in class.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of in Footsteps of Gandhi, and writing of own introductory statement for co-mediation.

WEEK 9: CO-MEDIATION MODEL FIRST PHASE AND SECOND PHASE.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:Experiment with various scenarios and analyse various approaches used by co-mediators. Compare results from different approaches. Interpret use of language and body language in the mediation process. Describe and compare stakeholders. Identify and define community service learning project that will lead to deeper understanding and appreciation of non-violent problem-solving, conflict resolution, or co-mediation.

ASSIGNMENTS: Readings in In the Footsteps of Gandhi; writing to define community service project goals and objectives.

WEEK 10: CO-MEDIATION MODEL THIRD PHASE AND CONCLUSIONS.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:Learn how to brainstorm with evaluation. List possible solutions and then compare, contrast, criticize, and test them. Use DIBS model and practice in fishbowl style. Work on producting solutions that are dual, doable, durable, and evaluate each aspect. Define what "fairness" means in context of given scenarios. Evaluate own and others' community service learning project s in light of criteria and best approaches: family setting, educational setting, or community setting).

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of In the Footsteps of Gandhi, revision of service project plans as needed.

WEEK 11: CO-MEDIATION--CULTURE

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:Explore how culture impacts communicate styles, expectations, motivations, and behavioral norms. Explain how two or more cultures view a similar situation differently. Explore various contemporary conflicts resulting from different cultures. Evaluate the co-mediation model and other conflict resolution models as if they were to be introduced into various cultural conflicts.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical paper on contemporary conflict; work on service project plan contacts and scheduling.

WEEK 12: CO-MEDIATION--GENDER PATTERNS

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate understanding of the evolution of dispute resolution and negotiation as it relates to gender styles; explain, develop, and demonstrate scenarios in which gender expectations, styles, or patterns cause or exacerbate a conflict. Using co-mediation model, explore resolution to interpersonal or group conflicts created in class. Contrast movements for abolition and suffrage in their treatment of gender expectations and patterns. Contrast male and female styles in mediation.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of In the Footsteps of Gandhi, ch 8; initial work on setting up service project outside of class

WEEK 13: CO-MEDIATION--ETHNIC PATTERNS.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:Demonstrate understanding of conflicts and resolutions as they relate to ethnic relations in the US. Explain, develop, and demonstrate scenarios in which ethnic differences or similarities cause or exercerbate conflict.Use co-mediation model to explore resolutions to conflicts created in class between individuals or groups. Contrast the Gandhian movement for civil rights to that of Cesar Chavez. Discuss successes and challenges each group had.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of In the Footsteps of Gandhi, ch 9; group discussion; 1-2 page response paper.

WEEK 14: CO-MEDIATION--CLASS STRUGGLES

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate understanding of your own class status. Contrast aspirations and challenges of people at various levels of class status. Define problems faced by the poor, working poor, middle class. Identify instances of social injustice, and efforts to address these by individuals, groups, or governments. Analyse methods used by the underclass to survive and fight back. Using scenarios in class, propose means to introduce and popularlize conflict resolution and co-mediation among people of all class statuses.

ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of In the Footsteps of Gandhi, ch 10; work on presentations of service project to class.

WEEK 15-16 : CO-MEDIATION--STUDENT PROJECTS

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate an understanding of the connection between gender, race, and violence and conflict resolution; develop the ability to formulate and pose intellectually rigorous questions about a conflict in our community. Present to class service project progress and methods. Evaluate other's progress and methods; suggest improvements and next steps. ASSIGNMENTS: Critical reading of In the Footsteps of Gandhi, ch 11; work on service projects; write up results.

WEEK 17: EVALUATION OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION AS A SOCIAL CHANGE AGENT.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES: Students will use their own experiences in class and in service learning projects to assess the potential for conflict resolution to change or improve social conditions. Working on the family, local, national, and international levels, students will illustrate the kinds of programs that would serve important needs. Students will propose and design programs for institutions where they work, live, study, or interact. Students will evaluate the impact of conflict resolution skills upon their own self esteem, sense of agency, and future plans.

ASSIGNMENT: Final written assessment of service learning projects.