Negotiation for the Public Good

Catalog description

The world is full of complex problems. These problems exist within our organizations, our institutions, our communities, our countries, and our world. These problems require people to work together, often across boundaries that are political, cultural, disciplinary, geographical, and more. This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of how people work together to solve complex problems. The course is interdisciplinary in that it intentionally draws students from schools across the University of Pennsylvania. In this class, students will be asked to explore how their disciplinary background can contribute to complex problem solving, as well as the limits to the types of analysis and solutions their fields can provide. Students will explore how other fields approach problem-solving and learn alongside classmates from across the university to practice collaboration across boundaries. Designed around a set of experiential learning activities, students won’t just learn about negotiation and collaborative problem-solving, they’ll actually practice it through a series of negotiation simulations. The course draws on the foundational theory and practice of negotiation as a way to think about interdisciplinary and collaborative problem-solving. Students will explore negotiation as a collaborative practice where people work together to understand problems, generate ideas, secure agreements, build commitment, and implement sustainable solutions. Ultimately, the goal of the course is to help students develop their practice as collaborative problem-solvers today so that they can take on the world’s toughest challenges in the real world tomorrow. Please note that this course meets in an intensive and accelerated format. Please also note that students are required to purchase course materials.