DESCRIPTION:

Conflict in personal, familial, congregational, and communal life are continuing problems and possibilities in Christian ministry. This course offers an experiential, clinical, theological, and pastoral approach to the management, resolution, transformation, and utilization of conflict in both personal and pastoral perspectives. As an interdisciplinary approach it will draw on communication theory, therapeutic process, conflict studies, and mediation skills.

The capacity to go beyond survival of conflict to both transform it and utilize it in creative growth is essential in ministry as a pastoral counselor, caregiver, mediator, educator, or administrator. All class participants will (know) develop a cognitive grasp of conflict theory; (be) integrating affective growth in comfort with and appreciation of conflict dynamics; and (do) skill development in coping, recreating, and redirecting tensions in constructive conciliation.

An integration of lecture, dialogue, experiential exercise, sociodrama, small groups, simulations, and class discussion of cases, theory, and theology will allow opportunity for personal as well as professional growth experiences to be processed and integrated into pastoral identity. Class meets once each week for three and a half hours.

A minimum of 1200 pages of cases, theory, theology, and practice including:

Augsburger, David. Conflict Mediation Across Cultures. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1992.

__________. Helping People to Forgive. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1996.

__________. Hate-work: Working through the Pain and Pleasure of Hate. Westminster/John Knox, 2004.

Fisher, Roger and William Ury. Getting Together. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.

__________. Getting to Yes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

Hocker, J. and Wilmot. Interpersonal Conflict. Dubuque: William Braun, 1978.

Halverstadt, Hugh. Managing Church Conflict. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1991.

Katz, Neil and Lawyer, John. Communication and Conflict Resolution Skills. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt, 1985.

Mediation and Facilitation Manual. Akron, Penn.: Mennonite Conciliation Service, 1995.

Mitchell, Kenneth R. Multiple Staff Ministries. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1988.

Tavris, Carol. Anger. New York: Simon & Shuster, 1983.

Two written projects will be required the fifth, and eleventh week. These are: 1) a personal anxiety/anger management study and conflict style analysis; and 2) a case study of a conflict with analysis. Details in syllabus.

This is an advanced course restricted to students who have completed 96 units.

The third paper functions as the final exam; an evaluation process will conclude the final period.