Course Description:

This class introduced the field of conflict resolution and the benefits and challenges of facing this in the workplace. This allowed us to look at the benefits and challenges with the relationship the surrounds conflict dynamics and how best to approach strategies to resolve conflict. This progressed toward the issue of direct and indirect violence, and structural versus cultural violence. We then identified the different frameworks and ideas that lead to conflict transformation, noting the ideas that can have positive and negative impacts on conflict. This was studied between individuals, groups, and organizations. Next we added the layer of understanding how culture might affect a situation surrounded in conflict and how this ultimately leads to potential forgiveness and reconciliation between parties. This is the idea behind conflict transformation and the positive effects of this challenge. Lastly, we looked at the idea of using our moral imaginations to design conflict interventions and reflect on the practices used to evaluate conflict and change management. This relayed into the ethical challenges of conflict management and the best approaches to take as a leader working with people of different backgrounds and personalities.

 

Course Artifact:

I decided to include the ‘conflict map’ that my group worked on, because I feel as though this showed exemplary group work that allowed us to take a look at the conflict surrounding the Arizona Miner’s Strike of 1983. We chose to structure our map to take a look at the context, involved parties, consequences, beliefs, dynamics, goals, and we provided this all in a timeline at the bottom too. This presentation can be viewed with the link below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Materials:

 

Books:

Cheldelin, S., Druckman, D., & Fast, L. (Eds.) (2008). Conflict: From analysis to intervention (2nd ed.). New York: Continuum.

 

Kingslover, B. (1989). Holding the line: Women in the great Arizona mine strike of 1983. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.

 

Lederach, J. P. (2003). The little book of conflict transformation. Intercourse, PA: Good Books.

 

Rosenblum, J. (1998). Copper crucible: How the Arizona miners strike of 1983 recast labor-management relations in America, 2nd ed. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.