READING:
Readings are available either as direct links embedded in this syllabus, or through electronic reserve at the Millar Library.
Other recommended reading: "Promoting Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution Through Effective Governance: A Conceptual Survey and Literature Review," Management Development and Governance Division Bureau for Development Policy (United Nations Development Programme).This is an excellent overview and critique of current modes of conflict resolution being used worldwide.

DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to a wide variety of perspectives on conflict resolution. These perspectives will include debates concerning the boundaries of the field, modes, models, terminology, standards, practices, and current problems. We will also look at the perspectives of peace studies, nonviolence, violence prevention, social liberation, literary and philosophical analysis, international and intercultural reconciliation.
Our academic task is to attempt to create a coherent story that embraces the variety of perspectives to which we are exposed. In this way, we will be doing conflict resolution of these varying perspectives. We suggest that the heart of conflict resolution is in the sometimes-paradoxical truth of diverse viewpoints--even on the subject of conflict resolution itself.

PEDAGOGY: This class will practice what bell hooks calls engaged pedagogy [1]. Pedagogy is the "work or occupation of teaching [2]", "engaged" hopefully speaks for itself. What this means is that students will be expected to actively engage with the information offered by the instructor and the materials, both in class and in the assignments. Class format will rarely involve lecturing, but will instead employ dialogue between students and students, and students and instructor. Dialogue here is defined as "a kind of speech that is humble, open, and focused on collaborative learning. It is communication that can awaken consciousness...[3] ". This requires that both the instructor and the students think of them/our selves as knowledgeable learners who can both teach and learn in this class. This will be discussed in depth the first day of class.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will learn the advantages of engaged/critical/feminist pedagogy--and have a more thorough understanding of what it entails.
2. Students will learn to distinguish between a wide variety of conflict resolution models, and to critically assess their strengths and weaknesses.
3. Students will strengthen and enhance their grasp of the demands of academic writing, in particular for the field of conflict resolution.
4. Students will learn to situate conflicts in their appropriate contexts, through the use of multicultural examples and literary settings.
5. Students will become familiar with interdisciplinary journal articles pertaining to conflict resolution. This exposure will strengthen research skills, as well as provide examples of academic styles.

CLASS ATTENDANCE, EXPECTATIONS, AND READINGS:
We seek to create the best possible learning experience in this course. Not only is attendance and discussion important for your learning experience, but also the learning experience of all of the rest of us, students and teachers alike. We learn from each other. When you miss any portion of a class, the learning experience of the entire class is diminished. Absences or late arrivals, excused or not excused, affect our learning experience and threaten the success of that learning experience. It also affects your grade! Therefore, we are asking you, as a member of a learning community, to affirm that this course is a priority in your life and take full responsibility for participation.

Attendance, reading, and discussion participation are all mandatory. To this end, be sure to sign the attendance sheet when you enter the class. Please note that it is not expected that you will read every word of every article assigned. This is a great time to perfect skimming, so that you can fully participate in class discussions. A key goal of this class is to enable you to understand and identify with perspectives that are different from your own views. To gain these perspectives, you need to prepare for class by doing the required reading and bring questions and comments to class.

GRADING: Attendance/Discussion/Papers:
Grading will be based on an evaluation of class attendance, discussion participation, and written work. Before submitting any paper, make a copy for your files in case of loss. The written work will consist of:
Five 3-page reading response papers (RP's). These papers are worth 10 points each, for a total of 50 possible points.
A term paper due at the beginning of class November 21st. This paper is worth 75 points, and should be between 12-15 pages long.
Attendance is worth 10 points per week, for a total of 100 possible points.

WRITING REQUIREMENTS:
Please be sure to check this link out, so that you understand clearly what the writing requirements are for your RP's, and your final paper.
All papers must be written academically, and must use either APA or MLA in text citing, as well as referencing.
By the time you reach graduate school, the expectation is that you will have learned both how to write academically, and cite correctly. On the chance one of these two things was not adequately taught/explained to you, this class will attempt to set you on your path through graduate school. To that end, RP's will be graded thusly:

1) Your first five points will be awarded solely on the content of your paper.
2) The second five points will be awarded according to the writing guidelines outlined above. If you make more than five writing errors, or if you cite or reference incorrectly, you will not receive this second five points. However, you can make the corrections indicated and turn the paper in again to receive full points.
So! Keep this in mind in terms of your final paper. If you are worried about your writing and/or citing skills, you may turn the paper in ahead of time and I will let you know if you've made any significant mistakes.

The Writing Center is also available to all students who need writing help.
Finally, I teach a class called Academic Writing every Tuesday afternoon from 4-5:30 (although Amanda Byron will be teaching the class this Winter Term). This class requires no outside writing--you bring the papers you have written, or are writing, for other classes, and we discuss them in the class. This is mostly a very fun class, wherein NO ONE is EVER criticized for their writing difficulties. The class is about encouragement and instruction, only.

CRITICAL REFLECTION PAPERS (RP's): These papers should reflect your impressions and thinking about the readings, class discussions and lectures. Despite their name, they are academic papers, to be done using an academic format. Be sure to both cite and reference the readings to which you refer in your papers.
These papers must be two pages long for you to receive full credit.
Please click on the above link to get very clear on what these papers should include.

TERM/FINAL PAPER:
Please pick one of the conflict models we have discussed in class and write a research paper about it, using at least one of the books and several of the articles to explicate your thinking and ideas. You can be as creative with this paper as you like, keeping in mind that it is a research paper.
The paper must include a literature review section that identifies the articles you review for the paper. Please use the link below to assist you in this.
As stated above, this paper is due no later than the beginning of class November 21st.
You can also send it as an email attachment (please send it as a Word document, as Isbel has a Mac). And again, you may turn this paper in early if you want me to look it over before you turn it in for a final grade.

LITERATURE REVIEWS

COURSE SCHEDULE

September 26th
Course overview and introduction of basic terminology
Discussion of engaged pedagogy and perspectives on conflict resolution.
READINGS: "Engaged pedagogy," by bell hooks, to be handed out in class.

October 3rd
First reading response paper (RP) due at the beginning of class. This paper is the only informal paper asked for in the class. Please use this paper to tell me something about yourself--as much or as little as you would like to share. This information will help me get to know you a little, which will be useful both in the class and during the time you're in our program.
Indigenous models of conflict resolution.
READINGS: For this class, please read:
"Islamic Mediation Techniques for Middle East Conflicts," by George E. Irani
"Aboriginal justice: A Haudenosaunee approach," Michael Cousins
"Power in the Spirit: Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge," Jason Warick
"A healing circle in the Innu Community of Sheshashit," from Justice as Healing, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Summer 1997) (handout in class)
"The Navajo response to crime," His Honour Robert Yazzie, Chief Justice of the Navajo Nation (handout in class)
and especially: "Defining traditional healing," Gloria Lee (handout in class)

October 10th
The "justice" model of conflict resolution. As you can guess, this is the most typical means of resolving conflict in the U.S. today. We are most of us so accustomed to this form of conflict resolution it is difficult for most of us to imagine anything else--or that there was a time when this method was not used at all. Certainly it has its uses--and this is what we will discuss in class.
READINGS:
"Dispute resolution processes: An introduction," Laurie S. Coltri,
"Approaches to managing and resolving conflict," Christopher W. Moore (ER),
"When the law is the elephant in the room: A dialogue with Gary Friedman and Peter Gabel," from Tikkun.
"Rights of the people: Individual freedom and Bill of Rights. Introduction," from U.S. Government website

October 17th
Second RP due at the beginning of class.
The problem solving model of conflict resolution.
READINGS:
"From controlled communication to problem solving:The origins of facilitated conflict resolution," by Christopher Mitchel
"Confessions of a problem-solving mediator," David A. Hoffman
"Conflict Resolution: Resolving conflict rationally and effectively," from Mindtools.com
"Strategic choice in negotiation," Dean Pruitt (handout in class)
"Her place at the table: A consideration of gender issues in negotiation," Deborah M. Kolb and Gloria G. Coolidge (handout in class)

October 24th
Feminist model[s] of conflict resolution. Please note: For various reasons, feminism has become, in many circles, a pejorative. The class discussion will be much more interesting and productive if we can move past this, into a theoretical discussion.
READINGS:
"Chairperson of commission on status of women calls for greater role for women in conflict resolution: Debate Continues on Human Rights of Women."
"Toward Feminist Theorizing in Conflict Resolution," by Simona Sharoni.
"The Feminist Dilemma of Family Law Mediation," by Nancy G. Maxwell.
"Notes toward a feminist peace politics," Sara Ruddick (handout in class)
"Wars, wimps, and women: Talking gender and thinking war," Carol Cohn (handout in class)

October 31st
Third RP due at the beginning of class.
The role of the sacred/spiritual/religious in conflict resolution.
READINGS: "The role of faith in cross-cultural conflict resolution," Abdul Aziz Said and Nathan C. Funk*
"Religion, violence, and conflict resolution," Marc Gopin.
"History at sword's point? The war-nurtured identity of Western civilization," Elise Boulding
"Loosening the Knots of Anger," Thich Nhat Hanh
"Our God is able," Martin Luther King, Jr. (handout in class)

November 7th
There are those of us who believe that all conflicts are inextricably embedded in the systems within which we all live, and that those systems are, by their nature (at this point in time), oppressive to all of us in some way or another. Therefore, in order that conflict resolution serve the best interests of all parties involved, this must be taken into consideration by the conflict resolver. We have named this the social liberation model of conflict resolution, and will discuss it this week.
READINGS: "Mediator neutrality," by Jeanne Safford.
"Social liberation and conflict resolution: moving neutrality from the center, to the middle," Isbel Ingham.
"Imagine a Country," Holly Sklar.
"The intersection of religion, race, class, and ethnicity in community conflict," Jacqueline Nolan-Haley
"Issues of culture and oppression in organizations," by Sharon Kaiser

November 14th
Fifth RP due at the beginning of class.
There is debate in the field about whether mediation should use therapeutic techniques borrowed from various therapeutic fields. We will discuss this, and whether or not it's actually avoidable.
READINGS:
"The Narrative Approach to Mediation," by Toran Hansen
"Mediation and therapy: An alternative view," by John M. Haynes
"Creative marginality: exploring the links between conflict resolution and social work," Jay Rothman, Randi Land Rothman, and Mary Hope Schwoebel

November 21st
The transformational model.
READINGS: Please go to the following site:http://www.follettfoundation.org/writings.htm, which hosts some of Follett's writings. Read the introduction and chapter two of her book, Creative experience.
Also read: "Underlying Values: Why Transformation Matters," Bush & Folger

Final paper is due today--no exceptions!!!!

November 28th - last class!
Forgiveness and reconciliation/restoration.
READINGS: "Introduction" and "Vengeance and Forgiveness," by Martha Minow and "Forgiveness and the Unforgivable," by Trudy Govier.

Consumer Protection and Dispute Processes:
Because people learn in a variety of ways, this course will try to utilize a variety of teaching techniques to accommodate a variety of learning styles. If the pedagogy of this course is not meeting your specific needs, please make suggestions to us as early as possible, so that adjustments can be made.
This course is meant to find the balance of being challenging, without being overly burdensome. You are the judge of the balance of this course. Please let us know how well this goal is being achieved.
Please bring any student/professor, student/student, or student/university ethical concerns or conflicts to our attention so that we may address those concerns or conflicts in the best possible way.
Remember that conflict is our business! Don't hide it; don't overly indulge it. Let it be the source of unity and creativity, not division and negativity.

Important: If you have a disability and are in need of academic accommodations,
please notify me immediately to arrange needed supports.