Certificate Programs

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

In all human societies, conflict is an integral part of daily life at interpersonal, intra-group, inter-group, and inter-national levels. Conflict can be constructive, focusing attention on neglected voices or social injustice and driving cultural and political change. It can also be destructive, damaging relationships, polarizing societies, or escalating into violence and war. In our increasingly interconnected world, it is crucial to develop effective methods to understand the sources and dynamics of conflicts and to deal with conflict productively. This course is designed to familiarize students with the interdisciplinary fields of peace and conflict studies, providing an overview of core concepts of contemporary theory and practice, as well as of the recent critical turn. We examine frameworks for analyzing the origins and processes of social conflict and violence and leading practical approaches to the conduct and evaluation of conflict resolution interventions. The course employs diverse methods and media, including lectures, discussions, interactive exercises, film, written assignments, and a conceptualization of an intervention. The course features experiential learning activities that provide opportunities for practical application of course concepts. Active participation in every class is essential; readings are always necessary but not sufficient for learning the material.

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

This course will focus on skills-building in mediation. Students will learn and practice a variety of tools and methods of mediating conflicts and disputes. Our experiential class will be divided between learning the traditional mediation skills, practice, and theory, including the benefits and limitations of mediation as a dispute resolution method on the one hand, and alternative approaches to mediation on the other. The alternative models will include the needs analysis-based Problem-Solving Workshop, the narrative analysis-based Mediation of History, and the Evolving Designs model aimed at work in multi-party environments. After taking this course, students will be able to: differentiate among various mediation processes; distinguish between interest-based and needs-based approaches; differentiate between the traditional and alternative mediation practices; demonstrate awareness in regard to ethical dilemmas of mediation practices; possess the skills to serve as a mediator; design and lead context-appropriate mediation processes.

The Intervention Design course provides a framework for students to synthesize and apply knowledge and practical skills gained during the program to create a specific conflict management/resolution project. The course is also a chance to create a key Kroc School Portfolio item that students can showcase to prospective employers, donors, or partners. The course is a requirement for the MS in Conflict Management & Resolution (MS-CMR) program and an elective option for the Graduate Certificate in Mediation & Conflict Resolution.

Starting with a solid understanding of the evolution of thinking and practice among key development and peacebuilding actors, this course is designed to prepare students to design, monitor and evaluate peacebuilding programs and project. Students will not only understand best practices in project design and management but also learn the skills and tools necessary to effectively carry out projects.

Negotiation is the most widely used means of conflict management. This course aims to develop your understanding of the principles, strategies, and tactics of effective negotiation in emotionally charged conflict situations. The role of identity – culture, gender, religion, nationality, class – will be mainstreamed throughout the course. Case studies and hands-on simulations will cover a variety of multi-issue, multi-party negotiations involving territorial and ethnic conflict, environmental justice, and post-conflict reconciliation. Each case involves both material concerns and underlying social-psychological interests. This course emphasizes the power of symbols, rules and norms, and regime and relationship building for cooperative ventures, governance, and conflict prevention.

The ability to facilitate difficult conversations is something that effective practitioners bring to their work. Ranging from a team struggling to agree on a new direction or a community in conflict over challenging issues or a complex shared history, practitioners must learn how to deal with difference, how do to deal with discomfort and how to deal with distractions. In an era characterized by increasing division and polarization, our ability to listen in order to understand rather than reply, has never been more challenged or more important. Being able to engage in healthy dialogues as a participant is a core skill for working on peace, justice and social change.

The aim of this course is to introduce, reinforce and encourage the core skills required by practitioners facilitating and engaging in dialogue. They incorporate both the design and facilitation of conversational space. They complement the skills used by mediators and focus of the class will be on a broad range of methodologies that can be used by someone shaping and holding such spaces.

This course explores the dynamics of conflict within organizational settings and examines strategies for effective conflict management, resolution, and transformation. Through conflict theories and real-world case studies, students learn to analyze organizational conflict and apply appropriate interventions to address the root causes of organizational conflict. By taking this course, students will learn: to apply conflict management principles to high-stakes environments such as healthcare, where collaborative problem-solving and effective communication are essential; to apply conflict resolution practices to address interpersonal and inter-team conflict in the workplace; to apply conflict transformation practices to create positive organizational change. Students learn to engage constructively with conflict, irrespective of their role and title within the organization.

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Globalization and rapidly increasing communications make us painfully aware of the intractable problems facing humanity and our planet today. Thankfully, we find that there is a growing number of talented, ambitious, and courageous individuals known as social entrepreneurs, and organizations known as social enterprises, that are creating initiatives that attempt to mitigate some of these problems on a scale - and with far more ambition - than ever seen before. These individuals and organizations are creating models of urgent, systemic change rather than more traditional incremental improvement, which are being advanced globally in what has come to be known as Social Entrepreneurship. In this course, we will get to know who these people are and what their organizations do, how they think and work, and why they represent more than just a ray of hope for our world today. Social entrepreneurship is a rapidly developing and evolving field in which nonprofit and business leaders design, grow, and lead mission-driven enterprises. As the traditional lines blur between nonprofit enterprises, government, and business, it is critical that students understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape. This course considers the full spectrum of social business models, including strictly non-profit organizations, enterprises developing revenue-generating products or services for a social goal, and socially responsible for-profit companies. This course will expose you to theory regarding entrepreneurship, models of social change, definitions of social entrepreneur and social entrepreneurship, management skills and the leadership required for social entrepreneurial organizations, scaling of social impact, the various possible legal structures, forms of financing and impact measurement for social mission organizations. We will also take an in-depth look at the history and evolution of a classic example of social entrepreneurship - microfinance. Social entrepreneurs address problems where the government, private sector, and traditional non-profit sector fail to achieve systemic impact. The course takes a global perspective, including organizations from San Diego, around the US, and abroad. It is designed to be highly participatory and engage students through readings, classroom discussions, videos, case studies, site visits and speakers from leading social enterprises. This course is designed for students who want to explore social enterprise start-ups, as well as those students who are just curious about the field and want to learn more about entrepreneurship and explore career opportunities.

Units: 1-3 Repeatability: No

This workshop provides an opportunity for students to experience the process of Design Thinking. Students in this course gain insight and understanding of the mindsets needed to engage in the design process. It prepares students to use Design Thinking strategies to engage in social change and social innovation projects.

Taught by Juan F. Roche

Is the capitalist system the evil of our time or the savior of our future? Are businesses the cause of society’s most pressing problems, or could they be part of the solution instead? How can business and entrepreneurial ingenuity reduce poverty and wealth inequality, protect the environment and natural resources, create community and social values, provide education and health services, and reduce gender inequality and migration? Can the capitalist system, powered by individualism, ambition, and a competitive spirit, evolve to be more humane and conscious of social problems? In a nutshell, what paradigms must change in the business world and society to make the market system a pillar for lasting positive peace? Working with real-life business cases, students in this course will be able to examine and critically analyze the above questions. The course will provide tools to tackle social issues using proven and innovative business techniques and models, from big businesses to small entrepreneurial examples. In short, this course focuses on the recently explored intersection between business and social innovation. Phills et al. define social innovation as “a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable or just than existing solutions and for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals.” Social innovation is about generating transformative ideas and initiatives that meet unmet needs and attempt to create a “new equilibrium” that is socially superior to the status quo. By the end of the course, students work in teams to develop a sustainability project for an existing company or a new entrepreneurial venture. The business initiative must create social value for all relevant stakeholders and society and show how it contributes to positive peace. The projects must be cross-functional so that students use the full spectrum of knowledge and skills acquired during this course.

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

This is a course where students integrate theory and practice to address real-world problems faced by organizations and communities seeking to create social change. Acting as consultants, students acquire knowledge of real-world constraints and opportunities faced by organizations leading social change. Students learn ways to work in teams with organization or community partners for effective co-design of solutions, as they practice resourcefulness and creativity in problem-solving.

Alternative: MBA students may substitute GSBA 519: Social Impact Consulting by arrangement