Thu, May 28, 2009

Topical Video Archives from Conversations with History

I’ve mentioned the Conversations with History video series from the University of California at Berkeley before, but I wanted to note that the curators have been busy developing topical archives, many of which now point to YouTube videos of the interviews which could be used as supplemental materials in courses. The full collection includes more than 450 interviews with a diverse group of “diplomats, statesmen, and soldiers; economists and political analysts; scientists and historians; writers and foreign correspondents; activists and artists.”

Three topic areas that may be of particular interest include:
The Peace Movement and the Nuclear Arms Race
and
Peacekeeping, Humanitarian Intervention, and Nation Building
and
The Search for Peace in the Middle East

Tue, May 26, 2009

Conflict Resolution-related docs from UNESCO Documents and Publications

I had reason to search the UNESCO Documents and Publications site last week and I discovered a number of interesting full-text documents relating to conflict resolution (including a mediation training manual) that I hadn’t seen before. The items I’ll share here are from work on handling water conflicts and work on women’s issues and promotion of a culture of peace.

From the Series - Technical documents in hydrology: PC-CP
(PC-CP = From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential Project)
Alternative dispute resolution approaches and their application (2003, 51 pages)
Author: Shamir, Yona; Kutner, Ran

Participation, consensus building, and conflict management training course: tools for achieving PCCP (2003, 189 pages)
Author: Delli Priscoli, Jerome

Advanced mediation skills, course C: course book (2003, 78 pages)
Corporate author: WaterNet; Centre for Conflict Resolution (South Africa); Higher Institute of International Relations (Mozambique); Catalic; UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (Netherlands); University of Zimbabwe

From Materials on Women and a Culture of Peace
Women and peace in Africa: case studies on traditional conflict resolution practices (2003, 127 pages)
(Includes examples from Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Namibia; Somalia; Tanzania UR)

Gender, conflict and journalism: a handbook for South Asia (2005, 103 pages)
Author: Lloyd, Fiona; Howard, Ross

Mon, May 25, 2009

PowerPoint Game Templates

Educators interested in adding some interactivity to their presentations will appreciate the work already done for you in these PowerPoint Game Templates provided courtesy of the Jefferson County Schools in Dandridge, TN.

Available templates include:

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader
Password
Wheel of Fortune
Jeopardy
Who Wants to be a Millionaire
Twenty Questions
Guess the Covered Word
Holiday Squares
Weakest Link
Concentration

Sat, May 23, 2009

Article on Core Competencies for Graduate Programs in Conflict Studies

The just released special issue of the International Review of Education journal focusing on Education for Reconciliation and Conflict Resolution includes an interesting article by John Windmueller, Jannie Botes and Ellen Kabcenell Wayne from the University of Baltimore’s Program in Negotiations and Conflict Management. It explores a topic that I have addressed in years past, namely core competencies for graduate programs in conflict studies, both in my own research and as Editor of the Conflict Management in Higher Education Report.

Here’s the details and the abstract:

Special Issue: Education for Reconciliation and Conflict Resolution
International Review of Education
Volume 55, Numbers 2-3 / May, 2009 (pages 285-301)

Core Competencies: The Challenge For Graduate Peace and Conflict Studies Education
John Windmueller, Ellen Kabcenell Wayne and Johannes (Jannie) Botes

Abstract - This article uses a case study of the assessment of a graduate program in negotiations and conflict management as a springboard for discussing several critical, but unanswered questions in our field. It raises questions regarding the lack of clear core competencies and expectations regarding curricula at the graduate-level of peace and conflict studies programs, as well as concerns over how educators in this field can or should assess their own work and train students for practice. It also addresses, via a comparative case analysis in Tajikistan, the degree to which the competencies and pedagogical approaches in this field are culturally bound. The picture that emerges from these case studies suggests that there have been important omissions in the way that the varied educational programs and the larger peace and conflict studies field itself have developed thus far.

Fri, May 22, 2009

Video: Len Riskin speaking on Awareness in Dispute Resolution and Law

Legal scholar and ADR advocate Len Riskin presented a talk on “Awareness in Dispute Resolution and Law” as this year’s Saltman Lecture on Dispute Resolution at UNLV. He explored how mindfulness meditation, an ancient method of paying attention in the present moment and without judgment, can be combined with a focus on core emotional concerns to foster better negotiation.  His remarks, and those of a set of commentators, are scheduled to be published in the Nevada Law Journal.  You can watch a web cast of his talk using this link.

Thu, May 21, 2009

Intercultural and Interdenominational MEETING POINTS: A proposition and 80 prayers and texts for pea

Baketik, a peace centre established in 2006 in the Basque Country, is working on the “ethical management of conflicts”. One of the interesting products of their work is a guidebook entitled Intercultural and Interdenominational MEETING POINTS: A proposition and 80 prayers and texts for peace that provides examples from across the spectrum of world religions that support nonviolence and conflict resolution.

Included are religious prayers for peace from the following faith groups:
Buddhism
Hinduism
Islam
Jainism
Sintoism
Sikhism
Traditional African Religions
American Indian Religions
Zoroastrianism
Judaism
Baha’i
Christianity

Also provided are a variety of short texts promoting peace that have been organized in the following categories:
Peace as a demand and a desire.
Reasons for Peace
The Absurdity of Violence
Peace as a Process…which begins from the inside
Peace and Action
Peace and Ethics
Peace and Justice
Peace and Love

Sun, May 10, 2009

Take 2 - Conflict Zones Video Edited by Student Teams

  Take 2 Videos is a nonprofit organization dedicated to getting high school and college students involved in global issues through the use of digital media. Each year, professional-quality video footage is made available to educational institutions free of charge. Participating students edit this high-definition video in classroom projects, gaining video journalism experience while researching and debating the complexities of the current crisis with their peers and educators. Students ultimately take their work on the road to educate a wider audience as part of the advocacy requirement. To see the student/teacher collaborative site, go to http://take2videos.ning.com/

Take 2 has sent a professional field producer (Karin Muller) to a different global conflict zone for three months. The producer learns the principal local language, travels alone, and lives among the people she is filming. The result is in-depth footage rarely seen on the nightly news or even PBS specials. So far they have filmed in Sudan (2008) and Cuba (2009) with Gaza being covered in 2010-2011.

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