Course Descriptions
CAM 520 An Integral Approach to Understanding Conflict (4 cr)
In this cutting edge course we use the term “integral” to mean an inclusive, balanced and comprehensive investigation into the development of conflict theory, analysis and action. This course is designed to introduce students to the foundation and theories of conflict management. This inter-disciplinary approach acknowledges and integrates the ideas from a wide variety of sources that may include law, psychotherapy, management theories, group dynamics, psychology, social psychology, peace research, decision theory, cross-cultural approaches to conflict resolution, and theoretical models based on the entire range of the social sciences.
CAM 530 The Practitioner as Leader (4 cr)
Effective intervention in today’s complex conflict environments, where negotiating contested meanings often devolves to violent struggle, requires of interveners heightened capacities for integration, collaboration, and creativity. In working with difficult and intractable conflicts, we believe that interveners are leaders, both formal and informal, and they must have advanced capacities of perspective-taking in order to navigate the multifaceted challenges these real-life situations present. Through discussing the value assumptions, which lie behind the various definitions or styles of leadership, the course will connect the head, the heart and the gut: the three vital dimensions of leadership. This course provides a graduate level introduction to the interdisciplinary field of conflict studies and the principles and practices that guide third-party intervention. Following an integral approach it draws upon a variety of disciplines, especially in the social sciences, to examine the interrelationship between self, nature and culture and practitioner’s efforts to manage and resolve conflict, at the inter-personal, community and inter-national levels. This course will also provide students with both a practical and a theoretical perspective of the role of leadership and an understanding of their personal responsibility to exercise leadership when analyzing and working in difficult conflicts.
CAM 540 Mediation Theory (3 cr)
In this course students are introduced to a graduate level understanding of mediating collaborative approaches to dispute resolution. A theoretical framework will be established for using mediation in a variety of practice settings. Students will critically examine key mediation theories and the impact of these on the mediation process. Ethical issues and concerns in the field of mediation will be presented.
CAM 545 Mediation Practice Development (1 cr)
This course introduces the basic concepts of the mediation process. Students will learn the features of the mediator’s role in conflict management and will outline the beginning, middle and end phases of the staged mediation process. Within this process the difference between “issues” and “interests” will be examined, active listening skills will be re-emphasized, and ways to reduce resistance and build trust will be outlined. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate the mediation process in a role-play situations from the mediator’s and the conflicting parties’ perspective, with active feedback from the instructor.
CAM 550 Negotiation Theory (3 cr)
In this course a critical examination of contemporary approaches to negotiation are presented. Theoretical and empirical aspects of strategies and processes of negotiation are explored, along with cases of both successful and unsuccessful negotiations. Roles, capacities and motivations of parties are discussed. Ethical issues and concerns in the field of mediation will be presented.
CAM 555 Negotiation Practice Development (1 cr)
This course presents the concepts of integrative negotiation within the framework of a negotiation model. Students will be introduced to methods of analyzing alternatives to settlements, will clarify the functions of each stage within the model, and learn to distinguish between distributive and integrative negotiation. The role of active listening and the balance between it and assertion will be highlighted. Students will investigate strategies designed to minimize resistance and build trust. Participants will use exercises and role-plays to put the material learned into practice.
CAM 560 Identity and Conflict (4 cr)
A developmental approach to understanding conflict and “negotiating contested meanings” suggests that there are qualitatively different ways of constructing meaning in a conflict, and therefore, qualitatively different ways of responding, mediating, and resolving a conflict. Human development is not a rigid and linear affair; it is fluid and flowing, with spirals, waves, streams and swirls. In this course, we will examine a diverse selection of adult developmental researchers and the models they have developed, seeking the linkages between the structures of adult development and the phenomenology of conflict. The individual’s identification, meaning-making, and response to conflict are related to his/her developmental “center of gravity.”
CAM 570 Facilitation Theory (3 cr)
In this course, students will be introduced to group process theories and the skills needed to facilitate groups of all sizes in a wide variety of settings. Characteristics of effective groups will be identified, and the role and function of a group facilitator will be defined. Group development and formation will be examined, as will several group task and maintenance functions. Throughout this course there will be an emphasis on applying collaborative conflict management theory, strategies and processes.
CAM575 Facilitation Practice Development (1 cr)
Facilitation is the art of leadership in group communication. A facilitator is one who fulfills this leadership role. Participants will learn the components of a meeting facilitation model, and an outline for a consensus model for making decisions and solving problems. The emphasis is on collaborative conflict management strategies and processes such as consensus decision-making, as informed by relevant group process models and theories. This course is highly interactive, and students will be encouraged to apply the knowledge they gain to situations that are pertinent to their immediate circumstances. Simulations will offer a safe learning environment in which to experiment with the models presented, while adding new skills to everyone’s facilitation “tool kit.”
CAM 610 Structures and Systems of Conflict (4 cr)
This course has two distinct foci: an examination of how the organization of social and political institutions (structures) may create a system of winners and losers in which people become trapped in a particular social situation, and how organizational systems exercise power in support of staff needs attainment, access to resources and inclusion in decision making. The course begins by introducing various theoretical contributions to our understanding of structures and systems, how and where conflict is built into the structures and systems, and various methods for diagnosing these issues.
CAM 620 Culture and Conflict (4 cr)
This course examines the psychosocial development of culture, governed by a developmental logic and generally showing increasing differentiation, increasing complexity of organization, and qualitatively different modes of adaptation. For the practitioner this means being able to navigate among the culturally informed identities, meanings and ever-changing perceptions that influence the experience of conflict. Within this framework students will develop fluency with ways of naming, framing and supporting cross cultural conflict transformation.
CAM 660 Practicum (4 cr)
This is a practicum in the intervention process. It examines the range of strategic choices available for managing conflict, including techniques that have proven most constructive in the field of conflict management and resolution: consensus-based processes. In this practicum students are introduced to differing approaches to managing and resolving conflict, how various intervention processes works and variety of contexts in which they are likely to be used with success. Students prepare a learning contract with their supervisors and the Program Chair in order to determine their learning goals, resources and means of evaluation.
CAM 680 Research in Conflict Analysis and Management (4 cr)
This course is designed to introduce students to the basic research methods used in the study of conflict. There is a particular emphasis upon methods to assess conflict and evaluation interventions designed to address conflict in a given environment. We will examine the role of theory, and hypothesis, as well as asking the right questions. We will cover research design potential data sources, data-gathering techniques; effective presentation, analysis and data interpretation, along with report writing and research ethics.
CAM 690 Capstone Learning: Applied or Theoretical (8 cr)
In this capstone course, students reflect on what they have learned, integrating knowledge from all their coursework, and synthesizing it to a cogent body of knowledge. Coursework will involve class discussion and a final project that demonstrates understanding of conflict theory and reflective practice. This final project may be developed as an applied or theoretical thesis.
