UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

A range of interventions can be used to try to de-escalate, manage, and resolve conflict, and to try to heal relationships and address structural problems that make ongoing conflict more destructive. In addition to individual/internal strategies like meditation and direct bilateral strategies like negotiation, many of the approaches in the conflict resolution field involve skilled third parties assisting those in conflict. This class surveys a range of third-party interventions, from arbitration and ombuds work to mediation, dialogue, and circle processes, among others. It explores the underlying logic and theories of change beneath the various third-party interventions as well as foundational questions of neutrality and positionality, and develops cross-cutting skills like conflict analysis, effective communication, and evaluation. It introduces how various interventions work in practice, and offers opportunities to explore cases, hear directly from practitioners, and practice through applied exercises in order to expose students to the strengths and drawbacks of different interventions for various contexts and types of conflict.