Program Competencies
MS in Mediation & Applied Conflict Studies graduates will be able to:
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Demonstrate proficiency and fluidity in the use of skills and tools in mediation and conflict engagement.
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Demonstrate professional proficiency in mediation and conflict engagement documentation and writing.
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Demonstrate ability to guide the parties in the exploration of key assumptions they may be making about their counterparts’ interests and intentions.
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Demonstrate ability to manage each phase of the mediation process and assist parties in moving from one phase to another.
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Attend effectively to student’s own emotional responses during mediation and other conflict engagement processes.
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Understand and manage student’s own partiality in facilitating an inclusive conflict engagement or resolution process.
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Show evidence of ability to synthesize feedback, apply learning from that feedback and articulate new awareness as a result of course work, along with the ability to prepare and deliver feedback.
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Synthesize a personally relevant and professionally appropriate set of ethical standards to guide intervention work.
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Demonstrate ability to use “self as instrument.” Student is authentic, genuine and able to gain trust of parties while mindful of mediation structure and tools.
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Demonstrate the ability to develop a coherent and disciplined analysis of a conflict and develop an intervention plan for working with the key stakeholders, issues and dynamics identified in the analysis.
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Accurately describe the concept of systems thinking, the basic characteristics of a system, and the key implications for both understanding and working with conflict.
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Effectively evaluate published research, including quality of the research design, quality of data gathered, and relevancy and validity of research conclusions.
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Describe and conduct a thorough literature review, including identification and use of primary sources and Internet-based sources.
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Accurately describe the differences in approaches used by conflict interveners and assess the appropriateness of their applications in various settings.
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Accurately describe each phase in a typical mediation (conflict engagement) process and the function of each phase, and identify clear transition points between each phase.
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Ability to consistently articulate rationale for the use of a particular tool at a given stage in the conflict engagement process.
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Demonstrate ability to create an effective structure for a particular conflict.
