Course Requirements

Religion and Dispute Resolution
HDDR 6366
Class Dates: June 24 - 30, 2012
Richard Blackburn, Instructor

 

Course Requirements:

1. Class participation. Punctual and regular attendance; attentive involvement in lectures; active participation in discussions and role plays.

2. Self-Study. A three to five page paper focusing on how you respond to conflict, including reflection on: your personal style profile; family of origin issues impacting the development of your style; goals for growth and change; obstacles you face in change.

3. Book review. Read one of the “Recommended Texts” listed below and write a two to three page book review, summarizing the content of the book, in addition to including your own critical reflections on the contribution the book makes to the broader field of church conflict transformation and mediation. The book should be one that you have not read previously; moreover, it should not be a textbook for one of the courses in the SMU Center Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management program.

4. Case-Study. A six to eight page study of an actual congregational conflict, including: a brief description of events and dynamics, an in-depth family systems analysis, actual outcomes to-date, proposed intervention strategies, projected outcomes after appropriate intervention. The paper should also provide evidence of substantial reading from several of the books listed below among the “Recommended Texts,” by referencing at least ten insights gleaned from at least three of those books. One of the books can be the same book chosen for the book review.

Required Texts

Two training manuals to be purchased from the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center ahead of time(approx. $75.00 total) and brought with you to Italy:

Blackburn, Richard (ed.). Mediation Skills Training Institute, (Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, 2004).
Gilmore, Susan and Fraleigh, Patrick. Style Profile for Communication at Work, (Friendly Press, 1992).

Recommended Texts:

Augsburger, David. Conflict Mediation Across Cultures: Pathways and Patterns. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992.
Boers, Arthur Paul. Never Call Them Jerks: Healthy Responses to Difficult Behavior. Washington D.C: The Alban Institute, 1999
Brubaker, David. Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Conflict and Change in Congregations. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2009.
Friedman, Edwin H. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. New York: Seabury Books, 2007.
Friedman, Edwin H. Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue. New York: The Guilford Press, 1985.
Herrington, Jim; Creech, Robert; Taylor, Trisha. The Leader’s Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2003.
Lederach, John Paul. The Journey Toward Reconciliation. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1999.
Richardson, Ronald W. Creating a Healthier Church: Family Systems Theory, Leadership, and Congregational Life. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996.
Schrock-Shenk, Carolyn and Ressler, Lawrence (ed.). Making Peace With Conflict: Practical Skills for Conflict Transformation. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1999.
Steinke, Peter. Healthy Congregations: A Systems Approach. Washington D.C: The Alban Institute, 1996.
Steinke, Peter. How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems. Washington D.C: The Alban Institute, 1993.

Evaluation

Evaluation and Due Dates:

The various course requirements will carry the following weight in assessing the final evaluation:

 30% - Class attendance and participation

 20% - Self-study

15% - Book review

35% - Case-study

The self-study and case-study papers should be typewritten, double-spaced. Papers are expected to reflect a graduate level of competence in research, analytical skills, and writing ability. They can be sent via email attachment to admin@LMPeaceCenter.org– or to the postal address for the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (see below). If you would like to have the paper returned to you after grading, you may provide the instructor with a self-addressed envelope (9 1/2" x 12 1/2 ") with sufficient postage attached.

Work for the course will be evaluated with letter grades, following standard SMU-in-Legacy policy: A, exemplary performance and attendance; A-, excellent performance and attendance; B+, very good performance and attendance; B, B-, good performance and attendance; C+, C, C-, average performance and attendance; F, failure; I, incomplete; NC, no credit received; WP, withdrawal passing.

Every student is expected to adhere to the SMU Honor Code when doing all assignments. Any form of cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in an F grade for the class.

Instructor

Richard Blackburn, Executive Director
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center
101 W. 22nd St., Suite 206
Lombard, IL 60148
Phone: 630-627-0507
Fax: 630-627-0519
E-Mail: admin@LMPeaceCenter.org
Web Site: www.LMPeaceCenter.org

Responsibility

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