Argumentation in Conflict Resolution
People
Description
The course is divided into two parts. In the first part, we will introduce the method of frame analysis, used in conflict resolution/prevention, for example in environmental conflicts and intractable conflicts. Students will be taught how to recognize frame-activating words, how to use frames to map complex conflicts and reconstruct the parties’ implicit value premises; we will also touch upon how to reframe different positions to help frame convergence and conflict resolution. In the second part, we will zero in on the Alternative Dispute Resolution practice of dispute mediation as a communication-based approach to conflict resolution. Through the analysis of some examples of disputes, we will show the most important communication and argumentation competences necessary in conflict resolution in different contexts.
Objectives
Argumentation in Conflict Resolution (3 ECTS) introduces argumentative dialogue as a communicative approach to handle disagreement and manage conflict. It proposes a discursive approach to interpret, analyze and reflect on how to resolve conflicts at different levels, from interpersonal and intergroup conflicts to broader societal controversies.
Sustainable development goals
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Peace and justice strong institutions
Teaching mode
In presence
Learning methods
This course is organized as a laboratory, around discussion and analysis of empirical data. Through hands-on analyses and theoretical reflection, students will learn to analyze discourse and communication in conflicts and will be confronted with current developments of research and practice in this field; they will also meet a professional mediator.
It is equally possible to attend this course for students who have or have not attended Argumentation in Public Communication and have or do not have a background in argumentation.
A detailed syllabus including a week-by-week program will be made available by the end of August 2023 at the latest. The syllabus can be requested to the lecturer by email by potentially interested students.
Examination information
The course is evaluated through participation in group presentations of scientific papers, in which each student acts both as a presenter and as a discussants of other groups, stimulating classroom discussion (15% of the final evaluation). The remaining part of the evaluation (85% of the final evaluation) is based on a final oral exam during the regular sessions. Each student will be requested to analyze a case of conflict and propose a mediation, using specific tools learnt during the course.
It is necessary to get at least 47/85 points in the oral exam to sum the evaluation of the presentation to obtain the final grade. Additional information about the evaluation will be given during the course.
Bibliography
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Honeyman, Christopher, Goh, Bee Chen, Kelly, Loretta. "Skill Is Not Enough: Seeking Connectedness and Authority in Mediation" Negotiation Journal, 20, 4 (2004): 489-511.
10.1111/j.1571-9979.2004.00040.x (Available on iCorsi. Will be used for the presentations.) -
Levine, Hephzibah. "Mediating the War of Olives and Pines: Consensus-Based Land-Use Planning in a Multicultural Setting" Negotiation Journal, 21, 1 (2005): 29-69.
10.1111/j.1571-9979.2005.00046.x (Available on iCorsi. Will be used for the presentations.) -
Shmueli, Deborah F.. "Framing in geographical analysis of environmental conflicts: Theory, methodology and three case studies" Geoforum, 39, 6 (2008): 2048-2061.
10.1016/j.geoforum.2008.08.006 (Available on iCorsi. Will be used for the presentations.) -
van Bijnen, Emma, Greco, Sara. "Divide to unite" Journal of Argumentation in Context, 7, 3 (2018): 285-315.
10.1075/jaic.17032.bij (Available on iCorsi. Will be used for the presentations.)
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Aakhus, Mark. "Neither Naïve nor Critical Reconstruction: Dispute Mediators, Impasse, and the Design of Argumentation" Argumentation, 17, 3 (2003): 265-290.
10.1023/a:1025112227381 -
Brummans, Boris HJM, Higham, Lise, Cooren, François. "The work of conflict mediation: Actors, vectors, and communicative relationality" Human Relations, 75, 4 (2021): 764-791.
10.1177/0018726721994180 - Designing dialogue: argumentation as conflict management in social interaction - RERO DOC (Available on iCorsi. Introductory reading)
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Greco, Sara, Cigada, Sara, Jermini-Martinez Soria, Chiara. "The naming of emotions in dispute mediators’ strategic manoeuvring: a case study using a French language corpus" Text & Talk, 0, 0 (2022).
10.1515/text-2021-0044 - Greco, Sara. Argumentation in dispute mediation: a reasonable way to handle conflict. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub., 2011.
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Mercuri, Chiara. "Characterization Frames Constructing Endoxa in Activists’ Discourse About the Public Controversy Surrounding Fashion Sustainability" Topoi, 42, 2 (2023): 635-650.
10.1007/s11245-023-09909-2 -
Vasilyeva, Alena L. "Practices of topic and dialogue activity management in dispute mediation" Discourse Studies, 19, 3 (2017): 341-358.
10.1177/1461445617701993
Education
- Master in European Studies in Investor Relations and Financial Communication, Lecture, Suggested Elective Course, Elective, 2nd year
- Master of Arts in Economics and Communication in Public Management and Policy, Lecture, Elective, 2nd year
- Master of Science in Communication and Economics in Corporate Communication, Lecture, Thematic Area: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Common Good, Elective, 2nd year
- Master of Science in Communication and Economics in Marketing and Transformative Economy, Lecture, Thematica Area: Corporate Social Responsibility, Elective, 2nd year
- Master of Science in Communication in Media Management, Lecture, Thematic Area: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Common Good, Elective, 2nd year
