About the Symposium
Each summer for over 10 years the University of Texas Project on Conflict Resolution hosts the Global Ethics & Conflict Resolution Summer Symposium for high school students. An exciting program that explores sources of conflict and discovering effective resolution at all levels, from the personal to the international.
About the Director
Madeline M. Maxwell, Ph.D., Professor of Communication Studies. Dr. Maxwell, who has published extensively, is an experienced mediator and mediator trainer. She teaches courses in conflict theory, conflict resolution, as well as language and culture. Dr. Maxwell developed and heads a program in mediation and facilitation at the University of Texas. She is the Co-Chair of the Graduate and Law Portfolios in Dispute Resolution and the Undergraduate Bridging Disciplines Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies. She is Director of the UT Project on Conflict Resolution. Dr. Maxwell also taught high school students at a school for the deaf for several years.
Goals and Objectives
Students will analyze individual, family conflicts, etc. and compare their elements
- analyze the life cycles of conflicts considering bullying, avoidance, escalation or confrontation, and post-conflict
- be guided through critical and creative thinking about practical alternatives for dealing with conflict situations, considering ethics, prevention, mitigation, and alternative responses as non-inevitable choices
Students will apply problem-solving strategies
- apply strategies for both direct and indirect participants in conflicts
- apply techniques for identifying needs and fears of those affected by conflict
- demonstrate awareness of differences in global ethics
Students will practice and evaluate negotiation skills
- analyze and apply strategies for encouraging involvement of key participants in conflicts
- practice strategies for negotiation
- practice communication skills for negotiation
- apply global differences in negotiation
Students will practice and evaluate third-party skills such as facilitation and mediation
- evaluate the risks of involvement with or as a third party in conflicts
- practice communication skills involved in facilitation, negotiation, and mediation
Students will explore the styles and approaches of the participants in the camp
- share experiences with other participants in structured ways to analyze possible differences in style
- apply joint problem-solving strategies for developing practical relationships to manage difficult conflicts, considering ethical standards
- apply strategies for recognizing different points of view, different values, and their role in conflicts
- apply strategies for maintaining their own values when dealing with others who are equally committed their own but different points of view