Advanced Negotiation and Mediation (DisRes 603)
MCCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLICY STUDIES

SPRING

Instructor:
To be announced
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

This is a “changing topics” course. Each semester it examines the resolution of conflict in a different context(s); topics covered in the past have included Arab Israeli Negotiation, Women and Conflict, Public Policy Disputes, Organizational Conflict, and Workplace Conflict.  Specific focus and syllabus is announced prior to registration; see http://www.disres.umb.edu/courses.php for details.

Conflict in Workgroups (DisRes 636)
MCCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLICY STUDIES

FALL

Instructor:
Eben Weitzman
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

Conflict in organizations, both within and between workgroups, can be a critical drain on resources, and/or a major source of growth. 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 intergroup conflict.

The problem is approached in both didactic and experiential modes.  During the class sessions students grapple with conceptual issues, drawing from various literatures on groups.  These sessions consist of a combination of lecture and seminar-discussion format.

Students also participate in weekly meetings with a small workgroup, consisting of a sub-set of the class, which offers an opportunity to study group processes in vivo with the aid of a consultant.

Research Methods (DisRes 635)
MCCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLICY STUDIES

SPRING

Instructor:
Eben Weitzman
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

This course meets with three primary objectives: to provide students with a basic “literacy” in research methods, enabling them to be critical consumers of literature reporting research findings; to introduce students to the role and use of research methods in conflict intervention work; and to provide 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 Master’s Projects.

Advanced Intervention (DisRes 626)
MCCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLICY STUDIES

SPRING

Instructor:
Rezarta Bilali
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

This is a “changing topics” course. It applies the principles of mediation and other forms of intervention to a particular context(s), which change yearly; possibilities include intervention in environmental, family, organizational, health care, cultural, and international disputes. Specific focus and syllabus is announced prior to registration; see http://www.disres.umb.edu/courses.php for details.

Conflict Resolution Systems for Organizations (DisRes 625)
MCCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLICY STUDIES

SPRING

Instructor:
David Matz
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

This course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of open and hidden organizational conflict and the formal and informal dispute resolution systems that address or obscure these conflicts. Students will examine different kinds of conflict management systems and the criteria for measuring their effectiveness, and discuss the analysis and design of dispute management systems.

Cross-Cultural Conflict (DisRes 624)
MCCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OF POLICY STUDIES

FALL

Instructor:
Rezarta Bilali
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

A full understanding of cross-cultural conflict requires the integration of knowledge from a range of different fields. This course takes an interdisciplinary look at the special problems posed for conflict resolution by cultural and inter-group differences. We will draw on relevant theory and research from social psychology, anthropology, sociology, business, and other fields. Topics to be considered include the psychology of inter-group relations, definitions of culture, ethnocentrism, cross-cultural communication, cultural differences in attitudes toward conflict, racial and ethnic conflict, and approaches to training in cross-cultural mediation.

Introductory Theory (DisRes 623)
McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies

FALL and SPRING

Instructors:
Ned Lazarus (Fall)
Rezarta Bilali (Spring)
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

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.

Negotiation (DisRes 621)
McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies

FALL and SPRING

Instructor:
David Matz
617-287-7489
www.disres.umb.edu

Negotiation is the bedrock skill in the field. The course addresses the development of negotiation skills and techniques and fosters student knowledge of the substantial body of negotiation theory now available. This course focuses on building students’ skills as negotiators. Students learn about alternative strategies available to negotiators and how to choose among those alternatives to achieve a desirable settlement. Negotiation simulations and critiques are a major component of this class.