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 develop in cognitive grasp of conflict theory, affective growth in comfort with and appreciation of conflict dynamics and 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 four hours.

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

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

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

Fisher, Roger and Ury, William. Getting to Yes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

Gilmore, Susan K. and Fraleigh, Patrick W. Style Profile for Communication at Work. Eugene: Friendly Press, 1992.

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

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

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

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

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

Three written projects, each six pages, will be required the third, sixth, and tenth week. These are: 1) a personal anger management study; 2) a personal conflict style analysis; and 3) a case study of a conflict with analysis. Details in syllabus.

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

Elective.

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