Conflict and Communication (CNCM)

In a one-hour colloquium, on a weekly basis throughout the first year of the masters program, this course introduces students to the academic field of conflict and communication by exploring current problems and opportunities in this field of study through discussions and presentations of current research and through presentations by scholars and practitioners of conflict and communication research and practice.

The course examines the role of communication theories in settings where there is an attempt to manage conflict among individuals or groups. The course is organized around the major theoretical perspectives that have been used to study conflict. These perspectives describe, explain and sometimes predict the route that conflict often takes. These perspectives are drawn from diverse academic disciplines, but each contributes in unique ways to our understanding of conflict processes and each sheds light on the way communication unfolds in difficult conflict situations. Students will enhance their understanding of the nature of theoretical perspectives in general, as well as study specific conflict theories that have been created with each perspective. This focus enables students to understand and draw from current and future theory and research on conflict. The goal is to develop astute practitioners who know the research and theory on conflict and can use it and apply it in professional and personal settings. A significant emphasis is placed in the course on communication processes in conflict. This emphasis on conflict interaction allows for many practical insights about how to understand and change conflict dynamics. Although this course is not a training course, it provides a foundation for those who want to teach conflict skills and conflict intervention methods to people in workplace, community and family settings. Knowledge of communication processes provides a solid foundation for such work.

In today's media environment, social, political, and cultural conflicts play out in news, social media, and interpersonal media (i.e. text). This class explores the role media play in creating conflict, as well as facilitating inter- and intra-personal discussions regarding such conflicts. This will be explored at the family, group, community, and mass social levels. The positive and negative influences of media in creating, negotiating, and resolving conflict will be explored.

This course is designed to prepare graduate students to engage in social science research in conflict and communication. Students will learn to design their own research studies as well as critique existing research based on credibility, validity, and reliability of design and methods. By the end of this course students will have designed and be prepared to execute an individual theory-driven research project, be able to evaluate conflict research, and be able to present a conference quality research paper. This course is designed to challenge students to not only be able to read and critique research but prepare them to conduct their own research.

This course is designed to prepare graduate students to engage in social science research in conflict and communication. Students will learn to apply basic quantitative analysis skills to their own research studies as well as critique existing research based on credibility, validity, and reliability of analytic methods. By the end of this course students will be prepared to conduct basic statistical analysis of original and secondary data, use data tools such as Qualtrics and SPSS, and understand which statistical test is appropriate for different types of research questions. This course is designed not only to challenge students to be able to read and critique data analysis, but also to prepare them to conduct their own research.

This course is designed to prepare graduate students to engage in social science research in conflict and communication. This course builds on the basic data analysis course (CNCM 5203) and helps develop advanced analytical techniques. Students will learn to apply advanced quantitative analysis skills to their own research studies as well as critique existing research based on credibility, validity, and reliability of analytic methods. By the end of this course students will be prepared to conduct advanced statistical analysis of original and secondary data, use data tools such as PROCESS, R, and SPSS, and understand which statistical test is appropriate for different types of research questions and hypotheses. This course is designed not only to challenge students to be able to read and critique data analysis, but also to prepare them to conduct their own research.

Research on the influence of culture on negotiation processes has grown extensively over the past twenty years across disciplines that include communication, management, political science, and psychology. Studies focus on negotiation in a wide variety of cross-cultural and intercultural contexts such as international diplomacy and multinational corporations. This course examines current theoretical issues related to the study of negotiation in intercultural contexts and explores insights gained from studying both culture and negotiation within these contexts.

This course is designed to aid students in their final thesis project. The course will provide a writers' workshop environment, including active peer and faculty feedback. Students will have opportunities to develop theoretical and written perspectives in a supportive group environment. Students will also have the opportunity to receive ample feedback and guidance on their final required thesis for the CNCM program.