Center for Applied Conflict Management – CACM 11001

Kent State University, Spring 2010

Course Title: Introduction to Conflict Management

Course #: CACM 11001, Section 007

Time/Place: Wednesdays 5:30 – 8:15 p.m. - 224 BOW

Instructor: Ruth Simera

Office Hours: W 4:15 – 5:15 pm; other times by appt.Center for Applied Conflict Management 321 Bowman Hall

Office GCACM Secretary 330-672-3143

Work Phone: CACM Office 330-672-8906 (during office hours)

Daytime work: 330-346-3037 (Townhall II)

Home Phone: 330-527-2506

E-Mail: ruthsimera@hotmail.com

Course Description: Conflict is part of everyday life and is probably no less important than laughter, anger, love, sex, and

 play. Conflict is neither good nor bad in and of itself and can reveal injustices, prompt change, and be a source of personal

growth, social transformation, and reconciliation. Conflict can also breed resentments and alienation, and may be waged with

destructive violence, including war.

What tools can individuals, groups, and governments use to manage, transform, or wage their conflicts in largelyconstructive ways? In this course, we will explore potentially positive conflict management tools like active listening and

communication skills, principled negotiation, various forms of mediation, and nonviolent action.

Course Objectives: This course will serve as an introduction to the scope and nature of conflict and conflict management.

Course material and exercises should bring about greater personal awareness of our individual “conflict styles,” including the

habits, attitudes, and beliefs each of us have related to conflict, and to organizing for social change. We will develop knowledge

about the nature of conflict, the growing field of conflict resolution and the ways individuals and groups deal with and wage

conflict. As an applied course, you should also build skills in active listening, assertion, principled negotiation, and informalmediation.

This course may be used to satisfy a Liberal Education Requirement (LER). LERs as a whole are intended to broaden

intellectual perspectives, foster ethical and humanitarian values, and prepare students for responsible citizenship and productive

careers.

Course Format: This course will operate on a lecture and discussion format with in-class and assigned out-of-class exercises.

Students are expected to attend regularly and be prepared to discuss the material and related topics.

Required Texts:

Robert Bolton, People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts , NY: Simon and Schuster,

1986 ISBN: 0-671-62248-X (paperback)

Barbara A. Budjac Corvette, Conflict Management: A Practical Guide to Developing Negotiation Strategies, Pearson

Education, Inc., 2007 ISBN: 0-13-119323-6

Course Reader - available from Wordsmith's, 402 E. Main St., Kent - Phone: 330-677-9673. (Make sure you get the

 packet #38, for section 005.)

Accessibility Services: University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable

accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require

accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom

adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-

672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).

Registration Requirement: The official registration deadline for this course is January 31. University policy requires allstudents to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by

 published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must

confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashLine) prior to the deadline indicated.

 

Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline.

The course withdrawal deadline is April 4.

Course Requirements/Points toward Final Grade:

Exams : Exams will be a mix of objective questions, short answers, essays, and exercises that require you to apply coursematerial. All exams must be taken on the day scheduled. Only in extraordinary circumstances, and only when I am contacted in

 person or by phone in advance of the exam (absolutely no Email accepted on this issue) will a rescheduling of an exam be

considered. Failure to do so will result in a "zero" grade. Exam #1 = 20% of grade; Exam #2 = 25% of grade; Final Exam =

15% of grade.

Participation: Although this is a large class, we each should still come to class with readings and exercises prepared, willing

to discuss them meaningfully. This assumes regular attendance. Unexplained absenteeism and poor preparation will impact

your grade. Worth 10% of grade.

Exercises and Quizzes: Take-home and in-class exercises and quizzes will be distributed that are designed to help you master 

course material. They will be discussed at class sessions immediately before or following distribution; some will be collected

and reviewed; some will be graded. Some assignments are already noted on this syllabus; others may be assigned throughout

the semester. Quizzes may not always be announced in advance. Unless otherwise noted or pre-arranged, assignments which

are turned in late will not receive a grade or credit; however, you are encouraged to turn in all assignments, as this will reflect

on your class participation. Worth 30% of grade.

GRADING SYSTEM

The final course grade will be based on the sum of the actual points received (no curve) for each of the components (exams,

 participation, exercises) and will be given as follows:

93 - 100 A 73 – 76 C

90 – 92 A- 70 – 72 C-

87 – 89 B+ 67 – 69 D+

83 – 86 B 60 – 66 D

80 – 82 B- 0 - 59 F

77 – 79 C+

CELL PHONES, PAGERS AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Please turn off all cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices that could be distracting during class. Phone calls and text

communications are to be reserved for breaks and non-class time. If you have an emergency situation that requires you to be

contacted quickly, let me know at the beginning of class and an exception may be made. Absolutely NO cell phones or pagers

may be on during exams.

ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY AND PROCEDURES REGARDING STUDENT CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM

Condensed Version; For complete policy and procedure go to www.procedure go to www.kent.edu/policyregister 3342-3-01.8.Cheating and plagiarism constitute fraudulent misrepresentation for which no credit can be given and for which appropriate

sanctions are warranted and will be applied. The university affirms that acts of cheating and plagiarism by students constitutea subversion of the goals of the institution, have no place in the university and are serious offenses to academic goals and

objectives, as well as to the rights of fellow students. "Cheat" means to intentionally misrepresent the source, nature, or other 

conditions of academic work so as to accrue undeserved credit, or to cooperate with someone else in such misrepresentation.

“Plagiarize” means to take and present as one’s own a material portion of the ideas or words of another or to present as one’sown an idea or work derived from an existing source without full and proper credit to the source of the ideas, words, or works.

Spring 2010 Class Schedule

(Readings and exercises are to be completed prior to the class session for which they are listed)

Jan. 20 Introductions, Course Overview

Defining Conflict; Stress and Stress management

Jan. 27 Roadblocks to Communication

 Reading: Bolton, Chapter 2, p. 14 - 26.

 

Developing Listening Skills and Why They are Important 

 Reading: Bolton, Chapters 3 - 5, p. 29 - 76.

Out of class assignment: Roadblock Journal – due at the start of class on Feb. 10 (instructions also

included in class Reader)

Feb. 3 Practicing Listening Skills for Interpersonal and Social Change/Discussion of Journals

 Reading: Bolton, Chapter 7, p. 89 - 113;

 Reading: Corvette, Chapter 5

 Reading: Herb Walters, “Dismantling Racism Through Listening,” Pax Christi, Spring, 1993 (reader);

 Reading: Catherine Peck, “Rural Southern Voice for Peace: 12 Years of Grassroots Organizing,”

Fellowship, July-August, 1993 (in reader).

 Reading: Aaron Barnea and Ofer Shinar, “Building Trust, Promoting Hope: The Families Forum Hello Peace

Project in Israel and Palestine”A good resource: http://www.listeningproject.info/how.php

Feb. 10  Due: Roadblock Journal

Understanding our preferred mode(s) for managing conflict and Increasing our capacity to choose

conflict management approaches. In class self-assessment tool will be used to identify and interpret

conflict mode profiles.

 Reading: Corvette, Chapters 2, 3, and 4

Video: “Dealing with Conflict,” (20 minutes).

Feb. 17 The Alternative Dispute Resolution Field: A Conflict Management Continuum

 Reading : Linda Singer, “Origins and Growth of the Dispute Settlement Movement,” and “Techniques for 

Settling Disputes,” Chapters 1 & 2, Settling Disputes, (reader).

 Reading: American Bar Association, “What you Need to Know about Dispute Resolution: The Guide to

Dispute Resolution Processes,” 2001

 

Feb. 24 Assertiveness and Cooperation Skills

 Reading: Bolton, Chapters 9 - 10, p. 139 - 176.

 Reading: “A Better Way to Negotiate: Build Relationships,” Harvard Business School, 2001

(reader)Homework assignment: 3 part message worksheet (in reader) due next week 

Perception and Power

 Reading: Corvette, Chapters 9 and 10

March 3 Exam #1 ;  Due: Assertiveness Exercise (3 part messages)

March 10 Post Exam Review 

 Negotiation

 Reading : Cliff Goodwin and Daniel B. Griffith, Chapter 3: Approaches to Conflict (reader)

 Reading: Corvette, Chapters 14 and 15: The Negotiation Process and Preparation and Alternative

Styles, Strategies, and Techniques of Negotiation

March 17  Principled/Integrative Negotiation

 In class Assignment: due April 1 – make sure you are at this class! (  Negotiation Exercise) Reading: Goodwin and Griffith, Chapter 11(reader)

 Reading: Corvette, Chapter 8 (Interests and Goals)

March 24 Overcoming Barriers to Negotiation – lecture and handouts will supplement reading

 Reading: Corvette, Chapter 12: Principles of persuasion

Negotiation Exercise Continued – make sure you are at this class !

 

 Introducing Mediation: Community, Court-based, and Victim-Offender Applications

Video: “Mediation, A Better Way, ” (16 minutes).

 Reading: Pat Coy, “A Five Step Model of Informal Mediation” Corvette: page 239

March 31 No Class. Spring Break 3/29 – 4/4

April 7 Mediation continued and Completion of Negotiation Exercise – must be turned in at end of class.

 

Guest speaker(s) from community mediation program(s)

Mediation and Litigation: A Study in Rough Contrasts

  Reading: Albie Davis, “The Logic Behind the Magic of Mediation,” Negotiation Journal, Jan,

1989 (in reader).

 Reading: Juju Atkinson, “Blurring the Distinction Between Mediation and Adjudication;” Reading: Dave Brubaker & Ron Kraybill, “When to Mediate,” MCS Mediation Training Manual, 1995

(reader).

April 14 Cultural Considerations

 Reading: Corvette, Chapter 7: A Note on Cultural and Gender Differences Reading : Michael Avery, “Some Cultural Differences that Affect Conflict Resolution;”

MCS Mediation Training Manual, 1995 (in reader);

Jan Jung-Min Sunoo, “Some Rules of Thumb for Intercultural Mediations;”

MCS Mediation Training Manual, 1995 (in reader).Diversity Hunt (group exercise in class – worksheet in reader)

 

Victim-Offender Mediation and Restorative Justice 

Video: “Restoring Justice,” (51 minutes). Reading : Mark Umbreit, “Victim Offender Mediation,” Mediating Interpersonal Conflicts, 1995 (in reader).

 Reading: Jan Goodwin: “Could You Face the Man Who Killed Your Mother?”(reader);

April 21 Exam #2

April 28 Post Exam Review

Waging Conflict Through Nonviolent Action

Introducing Nonviolent Action

 Reading: Mark Chupp, “When Mediation is Not Enough”

 Reading: Gene Sharp, "Techniques of Nonviolent Action,” Exploring Nonviolent Alternatives, 1970 (in

reader)

  Reading: Joseph Fahey, “Conflict Creation,” Peace Review, No. 4, 1993 (in reader 

PBS Video: "A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict.”

 Reading : TBD

May 5 Case Studies: Applying Nonviolence Against Corporations and Dictators.  Reading: RonSider, “Wheelchairs vs. Tanks,” Chap. 3 of Nonviolence: 1989 (in reader);

 Reading: Jim Sessions, “The Union/Community Takeover of the Pittston Coal Company’s Moss 3 Coal

Preparation Plant,” Chap. 43 of Nonviolence in America, 1996 ( in reader);

 Reading : Patrick Coy, "Going Where We Otherwise Would Not Have Gone: Nonviolent Protective

Accompaniment and Election Monitoring in Sri Lanka," Fellowship, Sept./Oct., 1995 (in reader).

 Reading: Walter Wink, “But what IF…”Review for Final Exam; Last Day for Extra Credit Work to be Turned in; Course and Instructor 

Evaluations.

May12 Final Exam – 5:45 – 8:00 p.m.