2023-24 Academic Catalog

Certificate in Conflict Resolution

Overview

The Certificate in Conflict Resolution provides a global study of communication, culture, ways of thinking, and human behavior, particularly in situations when two or more parties may disagree. Students will consider negotiation strategies and practice basic steps and methodologies of conflict resolution, as well as embrace an awareness of other people, places, times, and cultures.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this certificate, students will be equipped to:

  1. Describe the history of conflict resolution as a field of study from its global origins to where it is today.
  2. Identify key aspects of dialogue and communication techniques used in conjunction with conflict resolution methods.
  3. Explain how culture shapes human perception, identity, communication and conflict styles, behaviors, and ways of thinking.
  4. Research, observe, and analyze intercultural communication in everyday life, popular media, and other mediated discourse.
  5. Report on the impact of cultural change as it relates to family, kinship, and community.
  6. Apply understanding of underlying similarities and variabilities of human cultures in a current context.

Admission Requirements

An online application must be submitted and accepted before a student begins their first course. All courses in the Conflict Resolution Certificate must be completed or approved through the Adult Degree Program.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit may be considered on a case-by-case basis after an application has been submitted.

Certificate Requirements

Complete the following:

Not all courses are offered every year. The certificate is successfully finished when all certificate courses are completed with grades of C- or better and a certificate GPA of 2.0 or above.

 

This course provides students an introduction to intercultural communication concepts to develop intercultural awareness, patterns of perception, and worldviews to enable effective communication within and across cultures. Students will critically assess and apply intercultural communication theories to address social justice issues and ethics, bound by culture, through mindful and self-reflexive intercultural practices. Students will explore the following topics: the nature of culture and cultural definitions; privilege, power, and oppression in historical and contemporary U.S. society; globalization, transnational conflict, and modern technological influences in intercultural practices; representation of cultures and identities in popular media; and the relationship between language, power, and culture.
In this course, students will be introduced to the history and evolution of conflict resolution as well as basic concepts and methods required to work through the process. Students will explore the importance of communication in a conflict resolution environment and build strategies for their own personal use.
This course provides a general introduction of culture through anthropology, with a focus on kinship and community structure. We will explore the way anthropology has offered a coherent system for understanding broader social connections. Because family, kin, and community are rapidly changing units in contemporary culture, we will study historical and current perspectives. We will consider both the western and global contexts and look at their emerging forms.