Certificate Description

The Certificate of Attendance in Conflict Resolution comprises four required core courses, one conflict resolution elective course and one semester of internship. This level of study is aimed at developing the core competencies for reflective scholar/practitioners working in conflict resolution.
These include:

> Developing a comprehensive understanding of theory and research in cooperation, conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation, cross-cultural communication and social change;

> Enhancing their interpersonal, intergroup and cross-cultural conflict resolution, problem-solving and intervention skills;

> Applying their theoretical and practical learning to areas of personal interest such as school/community mediation programs, organizational diagnosis and intervention, and work in international relations.

> Developing as scholar-practitioners to integrate and carry-out both applied and academic work in conflict resolution.

Our Basic course presents a general model of conflict resolution wherein students are given the opportunity to practice and reinforce skills particular to the basic collaborative model we teach. Students proceed on to the Theory course where they study the major theories and research of the field from the previous decades to current trends. These two courses serve as prerequisites for students taking the Advanced Practicum Part I, in which students delve deeper into the issues of conflict, especially intergroup conflicts. They are given the opportunity to put into practice the different and more advanced models of third-party interventions, such as, multi-party mediations. For the second advanced course, Advanced Practicum Part II - subtitled, Designing Conflict Management Systems, students consult to a volunteer institution where they engage in a whole spectrum of professional consulting activities - developing research protocols, survey instruments, needs assessment, handling focus groups, and at times, performing recommended interventions. In addition to the four required core courses, students are asked to take an elective from the wide array of conflict resolution courses the Center offers. Lastly, students pursuing the Certificate in Conflict Resolution have an internship experience, participating in either community mediation practice or public engagement facilitation. We are planning on expanding our internship offerings to reflect the growing diversity of interventions in the field.