Mediation and Communication

Catalog description

Presentation of the history, theory, and practice of mediation as a means of resolving conflict through communication. CAS 206 CAS 206 Mediation and Communication (3) There are two overall objectives to this course. First, the course will acquaint students with conflict as a normal part of the human condition, and with the efforts of humans for thousands of years to resolve conflict in a peaceful way. The specific method of conflict resolution addressed by the course is mediation, which involves the intervention of a third party who is neutral in the conflict. Modern uses of mediation to resolve conflict extend from the playground to essential functions in society, for example, labor relations, legal systems, government operations, including international relations, and family disputes. While Western methods will be emphasized, mediation also plays an important role in non-Western cultures. For example, Hawaiian, Palestinian, Native American, and Chinese cultures rely on mediation to resolve conflict and rebuild relationships. In fact, mediation is the most popular means of conflict resolution in China, Taiwan, and Japan. Second, the course will acquaint students with the essential means by which mediation is accomplished, communication. The success of the mediation depends on the ability of the mediator to communicate well in specific ways when addressing the assembled parties, and when interacting with them individually. The course will also acquaint students with communication issues in mediation under study by both professional mediators and communication scholars. This course relates to lower-division Communication Arts and Sciences courses in rhetoric and interpersonal communication, in that it demonstrates how the different theories and practices they discuss can be integrated to produce important positive outcomes not only to individuals in conflict, but also to cultures. This course relates to upper-division Communication Arts and Sciences courses in rhetorical theory, interpersonal communication theory and research, conflict resolution and family communication theory and research, by providing an introduction to communication issues arising from an important context of communication, mediation, issues that can stimulate both further theory and research. This course relates to upper division courses in Labor Studies and Industrial Relations dealing with workplace dispute resolution and collective decision-making, and in Human Development and Family Studies dealing with interventions and resolving problems, to the extent that these courses discuss mediation. This course introduces the communication bedrock on which mediation rests.