PSPA 402-02 Public Sector Conflict
Spring, 2000
Instructor:
Daniel G. Barbee
Office Hours:
9:30 - 11:00 TR
2:00 - 3:00 TR
By Appointment
Office: Business Administration Building #118
Office Telephone: 910-521-6637 or 521-6531
E-MAIL: daniel.barbee@uncp.edu
FAX: 910-521-6165
Class Meeting: TR 11:00 - 12:15
Location: B.A. Bldg. Room 201-B
Secretary: Mrs. Amelia Elk; amelia.elk@uncp.edu
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course has two basic objectives
1. To acquaint you with the fundamentals of conflict analysis and its management in a variety of organizational, community, and societal settings: organizational, community, intergovernmental, and intersectoral.
2. To improve your skills in evaluating, analyzing, discussing and participating in the process of analyzing and settling conflicts using negotiation, mediation, collaborative problem-solving, and other processes and techniques.
COURSE PHILOSOPHY: This course deals with the pervasive phenomenon of conflict, with specific emphasis on the public sector. Conflict is a part of the everyday existence for most professionals and particularly for those in managerial positions. Emergent disputes and serve conflicts are manifest in the professional contexts of those engaged in governmental and public-interest careers and organizations, regardless of the specific expertise involved. In these contexts, conflict frequently becomes value-laden, and polarized on the basis of sharply divergent views about acceptable behavior, social norms, group interests, and public policies. Conflicts can and often do become intractable and hence much less amenable to settlement than many other forms of conflict that tend to be associated with professionals in other sectors and fields than the ones emphasized in this class. Currently, many of the traditional tools employed for managing, settling, and resolving conflicts and disputes are being supplemented, and in some cases, directly replaced or challenged by a variety of both older and more recently-developed approaches and techniques known generally as conflict resolution. Various emphases and degrees of institutionalization are observable, and the approaches range from those emphasizing the constructive use of collaboration upstream of polarized conflicts, to approaches that emphasize enhanced advocacy when already-polarized conflicts are obvious. In all these settings, professionals can add much value to their competencies by learning more about conflict and how to deal with it n their professional settings. Make no mistake about it...this is a serious subject for persons contemplating a career in the public sector or any related professional area.
COURSE PLAN: To help students accomplish the objectives of this course, multiple instructional and learning approaches will be used. I employ traditional lecture/discussion, but also use rely heavily on simulations and case analytical activities. The active approaches used in this class depend for their effectiveness on student involvement and commitment to the processes throughout the course. These activities are structured experiences planned to reinforce the concepts developed in the lectures and to help students learn to make the transition from conceptual understanding to in-principle applications and hence to competencies. Much of the meeting time of the class is for exercises, however, some of the work and particularly the written analytical efforts are to be completed outside of our class contact hours. To gain maximum value from the course you must assume much responsibility, for devoting yourself to preparation, participation (including discussion), and post-activity analysis. You must become aware of the dynamics involved in conflict, and its management and settlement, and you must (at least in principle) become aware of the actions of others and how they view your actions. A conscious appreciation of your own predispositions, strategies, and styles is essential, and once accomplished will serve you well in your profession. You are encouraged, by all means, to enjoy the course, but also to remain fully aware of the nature of the subject. To become serious you need only consider the frequent results of failed conflict analysis and resolution in our society, the public sector, and worldwide today.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: The course requirements are designed to be fair, and to provide all students with a reasonable number of opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and to gain from the experiences of the course. They are also planned in recognition of the different strengths and limitations of students in terms of exams, analytical activities, and research, as well as participatory activities.
Exams 2 brief exams at 15% each: 30%
Case Analyses (Multiple cases and scenarios): 30%
Guided Projects: 30%
Notes/Insights/Journal Entries: 10%
Total 100%
Ample review and guidance in each area will help you achieve at your maximum level.
GRADES:
A 92 - 100
A- 90 - 91
B+ 88 - 89
B 82 - 87
B- 80 - 81
C+ 78 - 79
C 72 - 77
C- 70 - 71
D+ 68 - 69
D 62 - 67
D- 60 - 61
F 59 AND BELOW
TEXTS: The required texts for this course are:
William Ury and Roger Fisher, et.al., GETTING TO YES, (2nd edition), NEW YORK: Penguin Books, 1994.
Lawrence Susskind and Jeffrey Cruikshank, Breaking the Impasse: Consensual Approaches to Resolving Public Disputes, Basic Books, 1989.
These books are on sale at the UNCP Bookstore. Additional materials will be made available and required, including exercises and additional readings.
INSTRUCTOR'S POLICIES
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is expected. The results of failure to attend and participate in class have been explained earlier.
Incomplete: My policy on the grade of "I" or incomplete is the same as is found in the 1999-2000 UNCP Catalog.
Academic Dishonesty: My policy is the same as that found in the
UNCP Academic Honor Code, effective August 22, 1988: "Students have the
responsibility to know and observe the UNCP Academic Honor Code. This code
forbids cheating, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, fabrication,
or falsification of information, and complicity in academic dishonesty.
Any special requirements or permission regarding academic honesty in this
course will be provided to students in writing at the beginning of the
course, and are binding on the students. Academic evaluations in this course
include a judgement that the student's work is free from academic dishonesty
of any type; and grades in this course therefore shall be and will be adversely
affected by academic dishonesty. Students who violate the code can be dismissed
from
the University. The normal penalty for a first offense is a F in the course.
Standards of academic honor will be enforced in this course. Students are
expected to report cases of academic dishonesty to the instructor." Section
VI.
SCHEDULE FOR THE COURSE
PSPA 402-02 PUBLIC SECTOR CONFLICT
SPRING, 2000
The following schedule is intended to guide you in your reading and other class requirements. Adjustments in it may be necessary at the discretion of the instructor.
Time Topics Assignments
Jan 11 Course Introduction Handouts
13 Nature of Conflict Visuals
18 continued
20 continued
25 Developing the Conflict Concept Susskind/Cruikshank, ch 1-3
Fisher/Ury, ch 1-2
Herrman
Kelman
27 continued
Feb 01 Interdependence F/U/, ch 3
Rubin, #11, #14
03 continued
08 Negotiation Overview F/U, ch 4
S/C, ch 4
10 continued
15 continued
17 Distributive Bargaining Saunders
Zartman
22 continued
24 Exam #1
29 Integrative Negotiation Lax and Sebenius
Negotiation Planning/Strategy Cormick
Mar 02 Communication & Power McCarthy, Fisher
F/U, ch 6,7,8
06-11 Vacation
14 Comm. & Power, cont'd.
16 Style & Cultural Factors Kolb, Williams
21 continued
23 Third Party Interventions S/C, ch 5
Raiffa
Strauss
Ozawa
28 continued
30 continued
Apr 04 Taking Action S/C, ch 6, 7
F/U, sections IV, V
Honeyman
06 continued
11 continued
13 Exam #2
18 Case Analysis
20 Case Analysis
25 Case Analysis
27 Research Activity
May 02 Class Activity
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, May 9, 2000 10:30- 12:30
NOTE: Additional reserve readings and handouts will be made available for later distribution.