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2004/5 Courses offered by Responding to Conflict
Responding to Conflict
July 21, 2004

Certificate in Conflict Resolution Skills

Background
Dealing with conflict is something we all do in our daily lives, whether at the inter-personal, social or political levels. We are living in a world where conflict is an integral part of the human experience, yet who provides us with the skills to understand its dynamics, or alleviate its consequences? Wherever we live conflicts of various forms surround us in our professional and social interactions.

By offering this course, the Centre for Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Coventry University in partnership with Responding to Conflict (RTC), in Birmingham, want to support people who are interested in making a practical contribution to their society and who want to become more effectively involved in alleviating or transforming conflicts at the inter-personal, national or international levels.

Aims
This certificate aims to provide a greater conceptual understanding of conflict, violence and peace and the forces of conflict dynamics. Crucially, we will provide a range of practical skills-based training in the handling of conflict situations.

Objectives

• To develop skills in analysing and understanding conflict in context and within particular settings
• To develop and practise skills including communication, active listening, mediation, negotiation and strategy building
• To develop the ability to work with others to sustain a long-term approach to changing the relationships which give rise to conflict
• To learn how to evaluate and assess the impact of such interventions.

Who Should Come

• Are you a recent graduate who would like to work for an NGO in a region of conflict, but are without any practical experience?
• Are you a member of a statutory agency or an NGO working in conflict situations?
• Are you a practitioner working in the field who would benefit from a renewed focus on the dynamics of conflict and the use of analysis to develop approaches that can be employed to deal with it?
• Are you a police officer or community worker seeking to enhance ways of dealing with racism and social exclusion?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, and if you want to gain a range of practical skills in understanding and dealing with conflict situations, then this Certificate in Conflict Resolution Skills is for you. The essential factor is that you intend to use the knowledge and skills gained to address practical situations of conflict and instability.

The course will particularly benefit people who are considering working, with either non-governmental or intergovernmental bodies, in areas of the world effected by conflict. It will also benefit people in statutory agencies and other organisations who deal with community conflict as part of their work.

Applicants should normally hold a good second class degree or its equivalent. However, applications from students with relevant professional qualifications and/or substantial experience will also be considered.

The Course
The curriculum is designed to provide a rich cross-fertilisation within the student group, from those newly graduated who want to become involved in NGOs or statutory agencies dealing with conflict situations, either within Britain or abroad, to existing practitioners in conflict zones who wish to refresh and refocus their thinking and their activities in the field.

Students will work in learning sets that take advantage of their range of experience in different political, social and cultural contexts. The variety of experience and political backgrounds of participating students will help to illustrate the generic features of conflict, both in terms of its causal factors and the techniques that can be used to address its consequences.

The curriculum will introduce a range of skills, analytical tools and exercises based on understanding conflict and handling it effectively. The teaching method will be highly participative, with space for extensive student contribution and class discussion, in combination with more formal tutor input. A range of conflict situations will be discussed as case studies based on participants' own experience and interests. The curriculum is intended to encourage reflective learning, and to enable students to apply the skills they have learned.

The Certificate will be taught as an intensive residential 14-day course during September 2005.

Staff
RTC will lead the teaching of the certificate in conjunction with The Centre for Forgiveness and Reconciliation. The teaching team of tutors and practitioners bring a wide range of experience and expertise of conflict situations.

Course fee and application procedure
Email: clare@respond.org

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