At SPS Peter...
- Takes a scholar practitioner approach
- Exposes students to the world of multicultural conflict
- Uses film to apply theory to chaos
- Leads research toward finding sustainable change
- Wrote the preeminent book on the subject…
What do you find exciting about the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program?
NECR draws students from all over the world who are interested in going beyond theory. We believe in the power of ideas, but also the importance of empirical science to refine and apply those models in the real world. We are scholar/practitioners who keep science and practice as close as possible.
You use film in your class, to teach students how to integrate theory and practice. Tell us about that.
Students choose one of eight films that are about conflicts. I tell them, ‘Select a theory from class, and apply it.’ I define theory as an arbitrary structure that you impose on chaos. Does the chosen theory make the film more meaningful, and what happens in it more predictable? That’s one example of what we do.
Tell us about how you apply complexity theory to the conflicts you study.
For most of my career, I’ve studied intractable conflicts, such as Israel/Palestine. These happen in families, organizations and across the world. About 10 years ago, I got funding to convene a group to apply ideas from complexity science to understand why such problems persist. We’ve brought together physicists, political scientists, and psychologists to work across disciplines. We use dynamical systems that have a lot of different pieces interacting. We also have a moral conflict lab. We try to understand why things get stuck, using mathematical models. The mission is to discover how to foster change in a more effective, sustainable way.
