The National Conference on Current Trends in
Conflict Resolution in Higher Education

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Concurrent Session IV

Exploring Models of Curriculum Delivery in Various Conflict Resolution Programs

    This discussion focuses on the variety of delivery systems that are currently in use by graduate CR programs. Panelist and participants will discuss the strengths, weaknesses and new challenges we face in the delivery of carious types of Conflict Resolution/Management curriculum. The discussion will examine the range of delivery systems from traditional classroom, on-line assisted classrooms, night courses, weekend formats, mini-mesters, executive format, summer institutes, distance with limited residency, remote locations/distance (faculty going to or already in remote locations), and complete on-line curriculum delivery. Based on their varied teaching experiences the panelists will also examine what types of curriculum well suited for particular methods of delivery. Finally, the group will discuss how programs can choose a mixed system that matches various curriculum content to specific delivery methods while maintaining the quality and integrity of the program and creating more flexibility for students.

Workshop Presenters

    Timothy Hedeen is Assistant Professor of Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University and past chair of the Board of Directors on the National Association for Community Mediation. He serves on the editorial board of Conflict Resolution Quarterly, as chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution’s Community-based and Peer Mediation Committee, and as the Community section editor for Mediate.com. He has served as a mediator since 1989 and has directed community mediation programs in New York and Minnesota. He is an active member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, the Law and Society Association, the American Sociological Association, and the Peace and Justice Association.

    Sean Byrne, Professor & Director of the Arthur Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice St. Paul's College, University of Manitoba, is a native of Ireland. He received a BA degree in European Studies from the University of Limerick (1985), an MSSC in Irish Political Studies form the Queen’s University Belfast (1987) Northern Ireland, and an MA (1990), and a Ph.D. (1993) in International Relations from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He has done conflict resolution intervention work in communities in Bosnia, Israel, South Africa, Northern Ireland as well as Ft. Lauderdale. He was the 1994-1995 Theodore Lentz International Peace and Conflict Resolution research fellow at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a 91997 co-recipient of a United States Institute of Peace research grant with Dr. Cynthia Irvin to explore the role of external economic aid in the Peacebuilding process in Northern Ireland. He was Director of Doctoral Programs in the Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (DCAR) at Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale before he moved to Winnepeg. He had published a number of book chapters, as well as scholarly articles in the areas of third party intervention, ethnic conflict, and children and conflict. Dr. Byrne is former vice-president of the International Sector of the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR). He is also co-chair and board member of the Network in Community Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution (NCPCR), and with Dr., Jessica Senehi, co-newsletter editor of the Peace Studies section of the International Studies Association (ISA). He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Peace and Conflict Studies.

    Brian Polkinghorn is a Professor of Conflict Resolution and Executive Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution at Salisbury University. He is has been in the field of conflict resolution since 1991 practicing as a professional negotiator, mediator, arbitrator, ombudsman, hearing officer, dispute systems designer, facilitator, trainer and professor. Brian has authored over 25 articles almost exclusively in the area of applied research applications in a variety of conflict settings. He has also co-edited or contributed to over 10 books. Brian is also a member of four journal editorial boards and is active in PSJA, ACR, NAFCM and the GSA. His practice is mostly concentrated on large-scale long-term conflict intervention projects at in places such as Colombia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Israel, Guyana, Chile, South Africa and Ireland. He has also consulted with numerous governments, roughly 50 state agencies and businesses. He holds a BA from the University of Maryland (1985) an MS in conflict resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) George Mason University (1988), MA, M.Phil and Ph.D. through the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (PARC), the Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University (1991, 1992, 1994). He was also a visiting scholar at the Program on Negotiation (PON) Harvard University Law School (1991-1992) a Research Fellow with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (1990-1993) and a Presidential Management Fellow (1991). From 1994-2000 he lead the development of the MA and Ph.D. programs in the Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (DCAR) especially in regard to the practicum sequence, research and environmental studies. Since 2000 he developed and launched a BA program in conflict analysis and dispute resolution (CONFLICT ANALYSIS DISPUTE RESOLUTION) at Salisbury University and substantially restructured the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) into a leading international practice and research group that has gone on to receive numerous awards from professional and academic organizations.

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