Course info

Department chairs are faced with mediating a wide variety of interpersonal conflicts, and many are emotionally charged and seemingly irreconcilable. In this workshop series, we will explore a framework for understanding the heart of conflict and how to respond to it in a way that helps people truly understand one another, builds trust, and creates solutions that last. Rather than something to avoid, the aim of this workshop is to help us approach conflict as both natural and an opportunity for deepening our connection with others. Designed around experiential activities and role plays, the workshops offer a blend of theory and practical frameworks to build participants’ practical skills. Emerging from the tradition of nonviolence, the approach seeks to create connected understanding amidst conflict as a springboard to inspire solutions that last.

Part One: "Creating Solutions that Last: Bringing Curiosity and Creativity to Conflict"

In the first session, we will explore the model to understand how conflict arises and how to respond to it. We will use experiential activities to analyze specific situations in order to identify strategies for de-escalating emotionally charged problems so that we can get to solutions that really work.

Date/Time: Thursday, October 18th; 3:30-5:00pm

Part Two: "Creating Solutions that Last: Bringing Curiosity and Creativity to Conflict"

In the second workshop we will build on the first by working with participants’ real-world situations. Doing so will help us re-visit the model while also deepening our understanding and applying details to participants’ real situations.

Date/Time: Thursday, November 8, 2018; 3:30-5:00pm

Facilitator: PJ Nelson, Leadership & Educational Studies