Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

GOVT – 4345 PA – 4345

Syllabus – Fall 2005 Revised 8/23/05

Professor Marie Chevrier Teaching Assistant: Larry Terry

Office: Green 3.204 Office: Green 2.512
Phone: 972-883-2727 Email: ldt041000@utdallas.edu
Fax: 972-882 2735
Email: chevrier@utdallas.edu
Website: www.utdallas.edu/~chevrier/

Course Description
Students in this course will learn about conflict, conflict resolution and negotiations,
principally in the public sector, and will develop and practice skills to become more
proficient negotiators. The course will be a combination of learning about these topics
and participating in exercises and simulated negotiations. The exercises and simulations
are chosen to reinforce the theories about successful conflict resolution and successful
negotiators and to all students to develop their own negotiation skills.

Course Objectives
1. To understand the dynamics and process of interpersonal and inter-group conflict,
and recognize different conflict behaviors.
2. To explore the major concepts and theories of bargaining and negotiation.
3. To learn how negotiations can lead to better outcomes than other methods of
managing or resolving conflicts.
4. To learn the differences between distributive and integrative negotiations.
5. To understand the process of negotiations in varied contexts.
6. To become better principled negotiators.

Ground rules:
1. All behavior is real. We will be participating in simulated negotiations
throughout the semester. Students will make their own choices about the way
they behave. All behavior has consequences and students must be willing to live
with these consequences. The stakes are very different inside and outside the
classroom, but the behavior is no less ‘real’.
2. All confidential information provided in most role-playing scenarios will be
treated as confidential. Students are expected to excuse themselves from an
exercise if they are aware of the other side’s confidential information.
3. The behavior of individuals and groups within the boundaries of the course should
be held in the strictest confidence. Students are encouraged to respect the rights
of others and to refrain from out-of-class discussions.
4. Even within a simulated environment people become angry and upset when
betrayed, duped or ignored. No violence (threats or physical confrontations) will
be allowed.
Govt. 4345/PA 4345 Syllabus

Student Work Requirements

This course will require that students come to class prepared to discuss and negotiate.
The purpose of any lectures by the instructor is NOT to summarize the readings so that
you do not have to do them! Lectures are to help you understand difficult information, to
set the stage for future readings and simulations and to cover material that is not in the
readings. Class attendance and participation is critical because negotiating skills, like
swimming, cannot be learned by reading alone. The class participation segment of your
grade will be based upon your class attendance, preparation for all class activities and the
quality of your contributions to class discussions and simulations.

Textbooks:
• Roger Fisher and William Ury Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without
Giving In, 2nd Ed. (New York: Penguin Books, 1999). Referred to as YES.
• William Ury, Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way From Confrontation to
Cooperation Rev. Ed. (New York: Bantam Books, 1991). Referred to as NO.
• Roy J. Lewicki, David M. Saunders, and John W. Minton, Essentials of
Negotiation (Boston: Irwin McGraw Hill, 2000). Referred to as Essentials.
• Leigh L. Thompson, The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator, 3rd Ed. (Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005). Referred to as Heart

Grading: Midterm exam: 15%

Class participation: Professor and peer evaluations: 30%
Scored negotiations: 20%
Final Exam: 25%
Negotiation Reflections: 10%

The exams will be short answer essay questions. The point of the exams is for you to
demonstrate to me your understanding of the material. It is a tool for me to distinguish
among students in order to assign grades.

Much of the work of this course will be practicing negotiation skills. Because of the size
of the class, some of these negotiations will take place outside of class. For each
negotiation that you do outside of class you are REQUIRED to write and turn in a 1
paragraph summary of the agreement that you reached by 10 am the day we debrief that
negotiation in class. These summaries are part of your class participation grades.

Also, you are required to evaluate the people with whom you negotiate using the peer
evaluation for EVERY negotiation in which you take part.

I expect to establish as many observed negotiations as possible. I will observe all or parts
of some of your negotiations. My teaching assistant, Larry Terry, will also observe all or
parts of some of your negotiations. Finally, students in my graduate negotiations class
may observe one of your negotiations later in the semester. Feedback from these
negotiations may become part of your class participation grade.

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Govt. 4345/PA 4345 Syllabus

Class Schedule 8/23/05

SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME

Week 1: August 22
Introduction to Negotiations
Terms, definitions, conflict.
Exercises: Personal Bargaining Inventory; Practice Negotiation #1 The Antique Car
from Asherman and Asherman 25 Role Plays for Negotiation Skills (Amherst MA: HRD
Press, 1995); New Bicycle, 25 Role Plays
Hand Out Assignment: Collect Nos Due Week 2, Monday, August 29th.
(From Lewicki, Saunders, and Minton, Negotiation 3rd Edition, pp 573-576.)
Commons Dilemma Week 1

Week 2: August 29
Topic: Interests, BATNA
Readings: YES pp. 1-55; Essentials, Chapters 1 and 2 pp. 1-53. Heart: Chapters 1 and 2
pp. 1-39.
Exercise: Practice Negotiation #2: The Alpha Project
Nos assignment due.
Commons Dilemma Week 2

Labor Day -- No Class Sept. 5

Week 4: Sept. 12
Topic: Principled Negotiations
Readings: YES pp. 56-94; Essentials: Chapter 3 pp. 54-88; Heart: Chapter 3 pp. 40-68
Exercise: The Playground Negotiation
Commons Dilemma Week 3

Week 5: Sept. 19
Topic: Getting to the Table Prepared
Readings: Essentials pp.89-109; YES pp. 97-106; Heart: Chapter 4 pp 69-90.
Exercise: Chestnut Drive
Commons Dilemma Week 4

Week 6: Sept. 26
Topic: Communication
Readings: Essentials pp.110-131; Heart: Chapter 5 pp. 91-122.
Commons Dilemma Week 5

Week 7 October 3
Topic: Tradeoffs
Readings: NO pp. 3-14 and pp.31-51; Heart: Chapter 6, pp. 123-150.
Exercise: Sanibel Island (Scored)
Commons Dilemma Week 6

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Govt. 4345/PA 4345 Syllabus

Week 8: October 10
Topic: Negotiations in Groups
Readings: NO pp. 52-75; Heart: chap 9 pp.206-241.
Exercise: Town of Tamarack (Exercise 27)
Commons Dilemma Week 7

Week 9: October 17
Midterm
Commons Dilemma Week 8

Week 10: October 24

Topic: Overcoming obstacles
Readings: NO pp. 52-104; Essentials 207-226; Heart: Chapter 8 pp 174-205 and
Appendix Chapter 11 pp 285-302.
Exercise: Newtown School Dispute Exercise 9
Commons Dilemma Week - Debrief

Week 11: October 31 Happy Halloween!

Topic: Mediation
Readings: NO pp.105-129
Guest Lecture: Barbara Kirby

Week 12: November 7

Topic: Power in Negotiations
Readings: Essentials pp. 132-161; NO pp. 130-156; Heart Chapter 7 pp. 151-173.
Exercise: Power

Week 13: November 14

Topic: Negotiation Ethics
Readings: Essentials pp. 162-182
Exercise: Washota Fishing Rights

Week 14: November 21

Topic: Complex negotiations
Readings:
Exercise: Washota Fishing Rights

Week 15: November 28

Conclusion

Final Exam: December 5