Conflict Management and Negotiation

Course Description

This course provides an overview of basic concepts and principles in conflict management theory and emphasizes their practical application to personal and group conflicts. Students are also given tools for development themselves. The course has three threads:  an analysis of a global conflict; analysis of a personal conflict and application of techniques of conflict management to it; and group work designed to highlight negotiation, communication, and mediation techniques applicable to a wide variety of situations. Students are provided resources to help them to recognize bias and polarization, practice shifting perspectives, seek inclusive win/win solutions to conflicts, and encourage collaborative approaches to conflict in their personal and political lives.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Identify multiple elements affecting conflict
• List several approaches to conflict management/resolution and determine which might be appropriate in a particular conflict
• Summarize and identify issues and positions in a conflict
• Recognize bias and articulate the effect of polarization on a conflict
• Recognize “filters” that may interfere with an understanding of a conflict
• Explain the value of preparing for negotiation and identify several preparation strategies
• Recognize and apply several negotiation techniques
• Articulate the value of several collaborative techniques including acknowledging emotion, summarizing, reframing, and other positive methods of communication
• Use collaborative techniques in a conflict
• Describe common ground in personal and global conflicts

Course Resources

There is no book required for this course, but there are extensive web readings, E-Reserves, and two full-length documentary videos to watch.

Required Reading

Weblinks

• The Art of Negotiation – Positional Bargaining - http://f3fundit.com/blog/tthe-art-of-negotiation-positional-bargaining/
• The Art of Negotiation – Interest Based Bargaining - http://f3fundit.com/blog/the-art-of-negotiation-interest-based-bargaining/
• Arbitration - http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/arbitrat.htm
• An Inconvenient Truth summaries:
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/books/23kaku.html?pagewanted=2
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth
• Schmookler, Andrew Bard. “The Dance of Polarization and the Next Step Beyond.” http://www.wisdompage.com/abs-essa.html
• Venter, David. "What is a BATNA?"http://www.calumcoburn.co.uk/articles/articles-batna/
• Eli Pariser:  Beware online “filter bubbles” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ofWFx525s
• Tannen, Deborah.  “The Argument Culture.” (transcript of an interview)  http://web.archive.org/web/20120603170733/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/gergen/march98/tannen_3-27.html
• Critiques of Cool It
  • http://www.yaleclimatemediaforum.org/2011/05/a-critical-review-of-bjorn-lomborgs-cool-it/
• http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/interest-based-bargaining
• http://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skills-daily/find-more-value-at-the-bargaining-table/
• Optional:
• http://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/meeting-facilitation-daily/professor-william-ury-featured-in-ted-video/
• Hawn, Carleen.  Harvard Negotiation Project:  “5 Lasting Rules for Negotiating Anything.” http://gigaom.com/2008/05/25/harvard-negotiation-project-5-lasting-rules-for-negotiating-anything/
• http://www.thegwpf.org/a-politically-incorrect-solution-to-climate-change/
• Optional: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber

Book Excerpts

• Deutsch, Morton, and Coleman, Peter T., Eds. The Handbook of Conflict Resolution:  Theory and Practice.  Jossey Bass 2000.   pp. 502-506, 295-296, 310-313, 31-35, 213-221, 510-512, 518-519 [28 pp. total out of 645] ISBN 0-7879-4822-5
• Katz, Neil H. and John W. Lawyer. Communication and Conflict Resolution Skills, Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company 1992 pp. 116-117, 23-26, 43-47 [11 pp. total out of 164)]  NO ISBN.
• Fisher, Roger and Shapiro, Daniel.  Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate.  Penguin Books, 2005.   pp. 5-14  (10 pp. out of 620)
• Nierenberg, Gerard I.  The Art of Negotiation.  Pocket Books, NY.  1981  pp. 109-128  ISBN 0-671-70499-0
• Royster, Lynn.  Integral Discourse, UMI, 1999, 151-177 

Articles

• Becker, Carol, and Laura Chasin, Richard Chasin, Margaret Herzig, and Sallyann Roth.  “From Stuck Debate to New Conversation on Controversial Issues:  A Report from the Public Conversations Project.” p. 144-150  in Cultural Resistance: Challenging Beliefs About Men, Women, and Therapy    Kaethe Weingarten,1995 The Haworth Press, Inc.
• Holaday, Lynn C. (aka Royster, Lynn C.). “Stage Development Theory:  A Natural Framework for Understanding the Mediation Process.” Negotiation Journal Vol 18.#3. July, 2002 pp. 191-209
• Patton, Bruce M. “Difficult Conversations” Dispute Resolution Magazine. Summer, 1999 p. 25-29

Lynn Royster authored and supplied as pdfs

• Case Studies
• Mediation techniques
• Difficult people techniques

Other Course Resources  

Videos

• An Inconvenient Truth  (2010) Al Gore (streaming in the online course)  

STUDENTS NEED TO PURCHASE OR RENT THE FOLLOWING:

• Cool It. Bjorn Lomberg  (purchase or rent at YouTube (embedded in the course), Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Cool-It-Bjorn-Lomborg/dp/B004P06KXM/ref=tmm_aiv_title_0 or iTunes at:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/cool-it/id416396614)
  You can rent the DVD at Netflix, but often must wait; not available for streaming at Netflix.

Course Learning Goals and Deliverables

Module 1: You will be able to define, explain, and illustrate key terms and concepts in conflict resolution theory and identify multiple influences on conflict.

Module 2: You will be able to identify issues and positions in a conflict and choose appropriate conflict resolution methods.

Module 3: You will be able to effectively employ several techniques of negotiation and mediation in the resolution of a dispute or conflict.

Module 4: You will be able to effectively apply collaborative communication techniques in order to find win/win solutions.