CMS
371K: Practicum in Conflict Resolution
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
- Course
information
- Meeting
times
- Required
training weekend
- Instructor
- Teaching
Assistant
- Peacemaking
and Conflict Resolution Clinic
- Pledge and Responsibilities
- Required
textbooks
- Grading
system
- Ethical
standards
- Standards
of courtesy
Practicum in
Conflict Mediation
Course number: CMS 371K.
Unique number: 05795, 05800, 05805
Meeting place: CMA A3.116
Description: This course provides hands-on training and practice in
conflict intervention techniques, including various forms of mediation and facilitation.
You will participate in the Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution Clinic, make
presentations about conflict mediation to organizations and classes, and
provide supervised intervention. Students may repeat this class (with
instructor approval) for credit. Once you have taken the class, you have the
option of staying on the list of mediators as a volunteer.
Prerequisite: Instructor approval
unless you have successfully completed 12 hours of Communication classes, with
a minimum University GPA of 2.5 and a minimum Communication GPA of 3.0. Be sure
that you ask if you are interested and don't meet the prerequisites. Lots of
people have acquired good background or skills from other experiences.
Meeting times
- Class Days:
The students will meet Wednesdays 3-5 as a group.
- Mediation hours: Students attend 05795 Monday morning 9-12, 05800 Wednesday
- Outreach hours:
Each student will need to participate for 6 hours of outreach, which they
may include presentations, workshops, staffing a West Mall table, or
similar activity. These will be announced as they are scheduled, and
students can choose from the available times and venues.
- Services: Each
student will need to be available for at least two services (mediation,
consultation, TAP) outside the regular hours, although we schedule
services in the cohort hours whenever we can. We make an effort to provide
services as soon as possible when clients contact us, and that depends on
the availability of students in the class. Services will be announced on
the class listserv as they arise, and students can let us know if they are
available. We are unable to promise that each student will actually be
able to participate in a real service, because that depends on the number
of clients who contact us. Consequently, students will get credit for the
service requirement when they make themselves available on the schedule
and show up, even if the clients for some reason withdraw. Since the
services are the focus of the course, we urge students to sign up as often
as they can. Mediation skills depend in large measure on experience.
- Class Project: We plan a group function each semester – a
facilitated dialogue or other group engagement involving some controversy.
For example, in fall 2003, we facilitated a conference on Peacekeeping
Oct. 16-18. Students helped in the planning and needed to be available for
3 hours during the conference. Students will be able to select from a
schedule to meet their convenience.
Required
Training Weekend
You are required to attend training
in CMA 3.128 January 23 (Friday)
Instructor
Name: Madeline M. Maxwell, Ph.D.
Office: CMA 7.120.
Office hours: Fall: Wednesday 1-3, Thursday
mmmaxwell@mail.utexas.edu
Teaching
Assistants
Name: Susan Szmania
Office: UA9 4.112AA
Phone: 471-6898
sjszmania@mail.utexas.edu
Name: Sue Lynn Duong
Office: CMA 7.260
Phone: 471-1933
suelynn@alumni.utexas.net
Clinic
A major focus of our activities
will be the activities of the Peacemaking and
Conflict Resolution Clinic. We provide services in meeting rooms across
campus. We provide actual services to the community.
Phone:471-1950
Email: mediate@uts.cc.utexas.edu
Pledge and
Responsibilities
You will purchase a packet, which
includes policies and procedures for the Clinic. The policies and procedures
are modeled on other centers, both at universities and in the public sphere.
You are in an ideal position to improve them and help make them appropriate to
the University of Texas. This class has an additional responsibility because
you will actually be providing services that have ethical implications and
because the maintaining of the service depends on your reliability. In
addition, you are earning a certificate that depends on the completion of a
number of hours of training and specific content. Consequently,
Because the
skills and procedures of conflict intervention are much discussed but little
analyzed, this course is set up as a research project on conflict intervention. Consequently, you are all co-investigators
as well as trainees. That means that much of our activity will be directed at
analyzing the process of intervention. We will watch each other, analyze
videotapes of the interactions, discuss alternative approaches, etc.
If you must miss one of the
Wednesday classes, let me know what is going on. You may not miss any of the
cohort role play sessions, although you may trade times with other students in
the class, at your and their convenience. Be sure you let us know. If you sign
up for another mediation, consultation, or TAP service time, or for a
presentation or workshop time, you must
meet that responsibility.
Required texts
- Littlejohn & Domenici, Mediation.
- Fisher & Ury,
Getting to Yes.
- Beer, The
Mediator's Handbook.
- Course Packet
Grading system
The course is offered only
Credit/No credit. In order to get credit for the class, you must do the
following:
- Meet your obligations satisfactorily.
This means that you must show up when you are scheduled to. You may trade
times with other students, but you must notify Ms. An;
it is your obligation to make sure that your scheduled times are covered.
Any dire emergencies must be reported immediately so that arrangements to
replace you can be made. Failure to report for a scheduled mediation will
result in immediate dismissal from the class and a grade of No Credit.
- Make regular and satisfactory
progress on the CMS 371k Activities. (See handout.)
- Demonstrate professional behavior and
appropriate skills during conflict intervention and during course
Activities.
- Do the assigned readings, participate
in discussions, and show evidence of your reading in your activities.
The University of Texas at Austin
provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified
students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the
Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.
Ethical
Standards
University of Texas students are expected
to meet the highest standards of academic honesty and professional integrity.
Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to
the fullest extent. You are expected to have read and understood the current
issue of General Information Catalog, published by the Registrar's
Office, for information about procedures and about what constitutes scholastic
dishonesty]. In addition, you are required to maintain the confidentiality of
the cases we handle and discuss and to behave at all times in carrying out your
duties with discretion, consideration, and absolute honesty. Students will pass
a test on mediator ethics before meeting with clients and are expected to
follow these standards.
Standards of Courtesy
Students are expected to meet the
highest standards of professional courtesy at all times. They will represent
the Clinic, the University and the course with utmost professional courtesy and
be respectful to everyone. They will treat each other and the instructors and
staff with the same courtesy. At a minimum, students are expected to arrive at
class on time ready to work, to remain in the room until class is dismissed,
and to behave politely. No cell phones should be on during class or mediation
hours.
Spring 2004
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Maxwell