CoursesCore CoursesThe core required courses form the base upon which all other aspects of the program are built. In addition to traditional mediation, negotiation, and adjudication courses, the first-year curriculum explores ethical issues, cross-cultural competency, and third-party dynamics in the field of conflict resolution. Characterized by small classes, dedicated professors, and engaged students, the first-year course of study sharpens analytical skills, encourages intellectual rigor and fosters the lively exchange of ideas in and out of the classroom. ElectivesWherever two or more people come together, in those social relations will be woven threads that relate to the study and practice of conflict resolution. In the many disciplines that seek to understand and grapple with human social experience, from the interpersonal to the international, from the social and political sciences to the neurosciences, much of the knowledge that is developed will apply to and inform this area of study and practice. We toss around the terms 'multi-disciplinary' and 'inter-disciplinary' but they reference a deep truth of this field even as it generates its own independent theory and conducts original research. We are multi-disciplinary in the sources of our knowledge base and in the application of our practice.
The Master's program also develops its own elective courses that attract students from across the campus. Examples include: Conflict Resolution in Schools; Conflict in Divided Societies: Northern Ireland and Peace Making; Environmental Conflict Resolution; Managing Conflict in Organizations; Sports and Conflict; Working in the Overseas Context: Relationships Across Cultures. Final ProjectEach student must complete and successfully defend a Final Project. This substantial project embodies the knowledge and skills acquired by the student in classroom and independent studies during the course of their Master's work. The Final Project is intended to foster and reflect individualized, integrative learning. Flexibility in format and content of the project allows students to choose between a theory-based academic paper or a project more practical in nature. The former typically will be a formal study of some aspect of the field, the latter a project of practice conducted in the field followed with a Final Project report. Thus, the Final Project may take various forms, including (but not limited to) a 40 - 60 page (double spaced) theoretical paper/study/literature review, a survey research and analysis project, the design and documentation of a systems-level dispute resolution instrument, the creation of a handbook, or an extended project evaluation based on the student's practicum experiences. If students choose to do a practice-oriented project rather than an academic paper, they must write and submit a project report of 20+ pages (double spaced) describing the project, its methodology, its rationale, its outcomes, implications for further research or practice, etc. Successful completion of the Final Project requires an oral defense before the student's Final Project committee. For information on academic dishonesty and plagiarism, visit the UO Student LIfe website.
InternshipThe Internship is a key element of the Master's in Conflict and Dispute Resolution degree requirements and the student's educational experience. Students must complete 320 hours (8 credits) of Internship work and write and submit a Summary Report on their Internship work experience.
Internship placements may range from local to international. Students are not required to complete all internship credit hours within a single term. Internship hours needn't be acquired only at one placement location but may be divided among two, or possibly even three, sponsoring agencies. Eighty hours (2 credits) is the minimum number of hours at one placement unless prior authorization is given by the Program Director. (Approval will be given as long as the number of hours is sufficient to provide a reasonable learning unit and as long as the placement makes sense within a larger Internship plan.) |
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.”
Dorothy Thompson
Click here if you would like to speak with Tim Hicks, the Program Director, about our program or the field of conflict resolution generally and how they may relate to your educational and career goals.
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Master's Degree Program In Conflict and Dispute Resolution
As participants in such an inter-disciplinary field, students' education is enriched by the extensive elective coursework offered across the university campus. Students broaden and deepen their perspectives on conflict and its management by taking courses offered in the schools of sociology, psychology, business, international studies, economics, public administration and planning, among others.
The Internship is intended to offer practical learning experience in a setting that has relevance to the student's educational and career goals. It is an opportunity to apply the theory and skills introduced in earlier coursework and to develop relationships with established practitioners who can provide guidance and mentorship. In addition to the work itself, the student's relationship with his or her UO faculty practicum advisor and on-site supervisor, the written log, and the Summary Report, play important parts in the overall educational experience.