Conflict Resolution Methods in Practice

This program will introduce participants to conflict resolution theory and, even more importantly, skills. We will examine the impact of culture and context on conflict and the process adopted to handle the conflict. Students will study conflict resolution and negotiation processes through multinational examples and perspectives and will examine challenges in designing and delivering dispute resolution initiatives in the dynamic context of emerging democracies, as well as mature, but adversarial, legal cultures. As dangerous conflicts continue to proliferate, the relevance of this program, which addresses the development of collaborative dispute resolution processes, becomes more and more heightened.

On the first day of the program, we will work with the students in developing a clearer understanding of how conflicts escalate and what can be done to de-escalate the conflict, with an emphasis on negotiation. Starting on the second day of the program, the students will be introduced to mediation, the conflict resolution process often described as a negotiation assisted by a third-party neutral. We will spend two days on the various skills mediators utilize both to promote discussions of people in conflict and to facilitate collaborative decision-making. On the fourth day of the program, we will cover international and cross-cultural impacts on conflicts as well as, the uses of international commercial arbitration. On the final day of the program, students will learn restorative practice skills where the focus is not just on ending a conflict, but also on repairing harm between and among those involved in the conflict.

Participants seeking to be enrolled in this course will be asked to identify a civic issue or problem in their neighborhood, city, region, or country which they wish to present to the class or to write a paper on. During the course, each student will be assigned a faculty member to help them apply the course material to the issue they raised.

Course leader

Art Hinshaw
Lodestar Dispute Resolution Center, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Sharon Press
Dispute Resolution Institute, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, MN, USA

Target group

The program encourages applications from junior and middle-career faculty as well as graduate students and professionals in law, social science, public administration, psychology, social work, education, public policy, political science, government, management of any kind, and labor relations. The course is open to undergraduates as well.

The course in the past has attracted students from around the world, allowing participants to explore conflict resolution from diverse perspectives and contexts and to learn mediation in a rich multi-national context.

While this is an introductory conflict resolution course, it is offered not only for students wanting such an introduction but also for teachers and professionals who want to deepen their understanding of negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution theory and to give them the tools and a template to implement training programs in their home countries.

Credits info

1 EC
A Certificate of Attendance will also be awarded upon completion.

Fee info

EUR 300: payable until May 28
EUR 270: payable until April 30

Scholarships

Students from the Open Society University Network (OSUN), the Global South and Ukraine are eligible for scholarships while CIVICA students may receive a fee waiver.