Conflict Management
Course content
Most MSc candidates working with natural resource management,
planning, development, and e.g. landscape architecture must
collaborate across disciplines with representatives from other
educations and sectors. Often they act in conflicted situations be
it as part of political decision making, public or private
management or in relation to an involved, often critical, even
angry general public.
Constructive management of complex and conflict laden problems is
one of the key demands to actors in contemporary natural resource
management – whether taking place in a public or private setting.
Systems thinking is launched as an approach to handle complexity
and promote collaborative learning among different people.
Analysis and collaboration skills are trained in order to develop a
qualified problem solving approach spanning different disciplines
and cultures. Active stakeholder involvement is introduced as a key
element in management. The course covers process facilitation and
collaborative learning as integrated elements in problem solving
and conflict management.
The course introduces a series of concrete analysis and problem
solving methods and tools. Through the use of qualitative methods,
including interview techniques, the student is trained in
uncovering, understanding and structuring knowledge, attitudes and
behaviour of different stakeholders.
The course uses concrete cases from natural resource management in
Euro-American as well as developing countries contexts. Through
exercises and project work the students can try various tools and
approaches to conflict assessment and development of management
strategies.
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
MSc Programme in Forest and Nature Management
MSc Programme in Nature Management
The course aims to qualify the students to better understand,
analyse and manage environmental conflict situations.
The learning includes: 1) Basic concepts related to conflict and
conflict dynamics, 2) Conflict assessment, strategy and management,
and 3) Personal skills and contact to practice.
After completing the course the student should be able to:
Knowledge
- Understand and analyse conflict at a basic level.
- Understand fundamental theories and principles for cooperation,
competition, negotiation and the causes of conflicts as well as
their development and handling.
- Understand fundamental problem solving theory, including learning
theory.
- Understand a problem solving (win-win) approach as against a
competitive (win-lose) approach to negotiation and conflict
resolution.
Skills
- Apply concrete analytical tools and methods to specific real life
situations.
- Apply theories and principles to new situations through the
characterisation and analysis of the problem situation and the
development of suitable models for conflict resolution.
- Reflect on and use the mutual connection between theory and
practice.
- Reflect upon basic concepts related to the cause, development and
management of conflicts (e.g. trust, power and
communication).
Competencies
- Understand and analyse conflict and transform into management
strategy and action.
- To asses environmental conflict situations, e.g. by conducting a
stakeholder analysis,
- Facilitate a decision making process with the participation of
stakeholders.
- Reflect upon own and others behaviour and response in relation to
conflict situations, collaboration and decision making.
- understand the value of self-monitoring and self-reflection and
actually monitor and reflect on own performance and impact in
conflict situations.
- Discuss power, conflict management, democracy and decision making
processes as well as underlying value questions.
Approx. 1/3 with lectures which aim to create overview and make
connections between theory, methods and practice, approx. 1/3
practical and personal skills through exercises, approx. 1/3
assignment work in groups combining theory and practice.
The course is composed of alternating lectures, exercises and
discussions. The lectures give overview of theory, examples of
application in practice and make connections between different
parts of conflict management. Exercises are made as well as written
course assignments where theory and experiences are translated into
practical analysis and advice. During the assignments the students
work in groups with a concrete problem case relating typically to
natural resource management, landscape- or urban planning, or e.g.
wildlife protection. Hereby insight is gained into conditions under
which decision making processes are made. The specific content of
the course is adapted from year to year based on the composition of
students. External specialists and practioners will be involved
during lecturers/workshops.
See Absalon for a list of course literature.
Examples of literature are Daniels, S.E. and Walkers, G.B.,
Working through environmental conflict, the collaborative learning
approach and Fisher, R. and Ury. Getting to yes:
Negotiating agreement without giving in.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Feed-back is given at class- as well as group-level to the course assignments. Current feed-back is given in connection to (group) discussions and exercises held in class.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Oral examination, 20 min.Description of Examination: Individual oral examination based on pre-released questions. No time for preparation. The student is tested in relation to the syllabus and the core areas of competence of the course. Further, the student is tested in the specific themes and topics related to the students own group project report. Questions are broad and discussion oriented.
- Aid
- Only certain aids allowed
For each examination question one A4 page with notes and one A4 page with diagrams for the presentation are allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Criteria for exam assessment
To obtain the grade 12 the student must fullfil the Learning Outcome
Single subject courses (day)
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 40
- Preparation
- 86
- Theory exercises
- 18
- Practical exercises
- 8
- Project work
- 50
- Guidance
- 2
- Exam
- 2
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- LFKK10265U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 block
- Schedulegroup
-
A
- Capacity
- 104
- Studyboard
- Study Board of Natural Resources, Environment and Animal Science
Contracting department
- Department of Food and Resource Economics
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Christian Gamborg (3-6a6f6e47706d797635727c356b72)
- Jens Emborg (3-716c6c47706d797635727c356b72)
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