GRAD > CONRES
Conflict Resolution
CONRES 603 Advanced Negotiation and Mediation +
CONRES 621 Negotiation (M) +
Description:
Negotiation is the bedrock skill in this field. The course addresses the development of negotiation techniques and fosters student knowledge of the substantial body of negotiation theory that is now available. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 623 Introductory Theory +
Description:
This course examines the theories and assumptions underpinning the practice of negotiation and mediation. It identifies the major schools of thought that influence models in practice and shape research agendas. It examines theories critically, with three aims-uncovering implicit assumptions of practice, testing those assumptions against empirical evidence or other theories, and gleaning insights to assist practitioners. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 624 Cross-Cultural Conflict +
Description:
This course emphasizes the special characteristics of conflict based in religious, ethnic, national, or racial identity-conflicts that the field calls "intractable." The primary focus of the course is on intervention techniques that have been used and that have been proposed for use in these settings. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 625 Conflict Resolution Systems for Organizations +
Description:
This course examines different systems for managing conflict. The system may exist in a large corporation, or between two or among many nations, between labor and management, or within a family. The system may be explicit and clear, informal and invisible, or both. The system may be effective or not. The course explores different kinds of conflict management systems and criteria for measuring their effectiveness; and discusses the analysis and design of dispute managing systems. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 626 Advanced Intervention +
Description:
This course applies the principles of mediation and other forms of intervention to a particular context. Each year, the specific course context changes. Possibilities include intervention in environmental disputes, family disputes, organizational disputes, or international disputes. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 627 Inter-Group Dialogue & Facilitation +
Description:
This course will critically examine the role of dialogue as a conflict intervention practice, with an emphasis on inter-group dialogue. At a theoretical and conceptual level, the course will focus on exploring the goals of dialogue processes and their potential for enabling understanding between individuals from multiple identity groups. The course will place a particular emphasis on comparing different approaches to or models of dialogue, and on considering the many factors that must be considered when designing and planning a dialogue process. At a practical level, this course will focus on preparing students to facilitate, and provide opportunities for facilitation, cross-cultural dialogue. Through a partnership with Soliya (www.soliya.net), students in this class will participate in Soliya's Facilitation Training & Practicum (FTP). Participating in the FTP will be required of all students and will occur concurrently with the course, allowing for in-class reflection of FTP experiences and integration of the hands-on component of the FTP with the theoretical content of the course. The FTP will include 2 components: first, students will complete a 20-hour, intensive facilitation training (4 hours/week for 5 weeks). Once the training is complete, students will also have the opportunity to co-facilitate, with supervision from Soliya staff, 8 weeks of Soliya's "Connect Program" (2 hours/week), the organization's flagship virtual exchange initiative. Both the training and practicum will take place online using Soliya's virtual dialogue platform. Soliya runs multiple training and dialogue groups, meaning that it is possible to work with the organization to find a time slot for both the training and practicum that best meets your scheduling needs. Students in the course will not necessarily be in the same training group and for the most part should not expect to facilitate together. There will be a fee associated with this course to cover the costs of the Soliya FTP (the More Info
Offered in:CONRES 635 Research Methods in Dispute Resolution +
Description:
This course meets with three primary objectives. First, it provides students with a basic "literacy" in research methods, enabling them to be critical consumers of literature reporting research findings. Students will learn the fundamentals of sound research design, inference from data to conclusions, and the assumptions underlying various methods. Second, it introduces students to the role and use of research methods in conflict intervention work. And third, it provides students preparing to undertake the Master's Project an introduction to the types of research methodology that they are most likely to use in their MPs. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 636 Conflict in Workgroups +
Description:
This course provides the participant with an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the dynamics of work groups, with an emphasis on processes of conflict within them, and to develop skills to deal constructively with intra- and inter- group conflict. Class sessions will deal with conceptual issues in a combination of lecture and seminar-discussion format, drawing from various literatures on groups. Students will also participate in weekly meetings with a small workgroup, consisting of a sub-set of the class, which will offer an opportunity to study group processes in vivo with the aid of a facilitator. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 638L Global Governance +
Description:
"Global governance" refers both to something empirical -- "what (limited) world government we have" -- and to an approach to the study of global problems, one that highlights the economic and cultural contexts of political globalization and foregrounds the questions of whether and how current processes can be made more effective. Students will become familiar with the variety of theoretical approaches to global governance and knowledgeable about its context, including the globalization of industrial capitalism in which global governance emerged, and about its empirics, what it is today. Students' final papers and in-class presentations will investigate the prospects for reform of global governance in an issue area of their choice.CONRES 638L and PUBADM 638L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 640L International Organizations and the Environment +
Description:
This course examines the role and performance of international organizations with environmental portfolios. The focus will be on the United Nations Environment Programme, and the secretariats of environmental conventions in the areas of biological diversity and conservation, climate change, and chemicals. The goal is to develop an understanding of the history and operations of international environmental organizations in order to measure and explain performance and propose analytically grounded policy interventions.CONRES 640L and PAF G 640L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 676L Public Dispute Resolution: Theory, Research, and Practice +
Description:
This 3 credit course is intended to build a foundation for understanding the concepts, theories, practices, and competencies of public policy dispute resolution and consensus building. Actors in local, state, and federal governments must find ways to work collaboratively, manage conflicts, and build consensus and other public actors as well as with private companies, nonprofit organizations, citizen groups, and other stakeholders. This is often a challenging task and when practices poorly can impede rather that promote effective action. On the other hand, collaboration can be vital to creating and implementing sustainable, successful policies. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 688L Global Warming and International Business Management +
Description:
Global warming may be the most important challenge that the human race has faced to date; a broader public is finally coming to grips with the ramifications of the potentially disastrous changes wrought by such contributing factors as fossil fuel consumption, deforestation, rapid population growth, and pollution. The economic consequences of these changes, however, have not been well explored. Twenty-first century managers in nearly all fields will need to develop a profound understanding of the results of environmental policies, energy use, and lifestyle choices on this universal issue; those who work in environment-related fields will need in particular to come to grips with these concerns and our local, national, and international responses to them.CONRES 688L and MBAMGT 688L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 690 Internship +
Description:
Students mediate cases, under close faculty supervision, in one of the small claims courts in Greater Boston. Each day of mediation is followed by a debriefing session with the supervisor. A mediation seminar is part of the internship. The seminar enables students to compare mediating experiences, focus on particular problem areas encountered by mediators, and re-examine theoretical concepts. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 693 Final Project and Workshop +
Description:
Students design projects that integrate the knowledge and skills acquired during their training. Projects take a wide variety of forms, including 1) empirical research; 2) apprenticeships with professionals or agencies; 3) evaluations and/or analyses of existing practices; 4) the creation of new dispute resolution programs or curricula, tailored to specific, identified, unmet needs; and 5) other projects proposed by students which meet the project criteria. Each project culminates in a work product, such as a research paper or written account of the applied project that demonstrates substantial progress beyond previous learning. The accompanying seminar brings together all students working on master's projects to share their field experience, learn new methods needed for their projects (e.g., research skills, intervention techniques), discuss literature covered in previous courses, and plan for their future learning as dispute resolvers. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 694 Integrative Seminar +
Description:
Students in the Dispute Resolution Masters program have 2 options for completing their capstone requirement: doing a written Masters Project or taking this seminar. The goal of the Seminar is to help students see their dispute resolution study as a whole, to demonstrate their ability to integrate and synthesize their knowledge of conflict resolution theory and skills gained over the course of the Masters program. Through class discussion, students will identify cross-cutting issues or themes relating to conflict resolution theory or practice; they will select three topics and produce a substantial paper (10, 15 or 20 pages, respectively) about each of them, drawing on what they have read/written/thought about/experiences over the course of their studies. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 696 Independent Study +
Description:
This course provides students the opportunity for students to pursue in-depth study of a particular topic under the direction of a faculty member. A student must find a faculty sponsor, and together with that faculty member develop a study plan detailing topics to be covered, readings and activities to be completed, and products to be produced. A copy of the study plan should be signed by both the student and the faculty sponsor and filed with the department office. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 697 Special Topics in Dispute Resolution +
Description:
Special topics courses are advanced courses that offer intensive study of a selected topic in dispute resolution. With faculty approval, students select a topic from a broad range of options. The course can be used to deepen knowledge of the specialization area, or to broaden a student's range of dispute resolution experience. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 698 Conflict Resolution Skills Practicum +
Description:
The course allows students to take short trainings in conflict resolution skills offered by leading conflict resolution organizations based in the Greater Boston area. More Info
Offered in:CONRES 699 Master's Thesis in Conflict Resolution +
Description:
Under the guidance of an individual faculty advisor, students complete a major research project that makes a substantive contribution to critical understanding of an issue in conflict resolution. The final product is a substantial paper, indicating mastery of pertinent, concepts and critical analysis that is defended before a committee of 3 faculty members. Students are required to comply with the "Standards for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations" promulgated by the Office of Graduate Studies. More Info
Offered in: