Sarah Stroup

Conflict Transformation: An On The Ground Case Study in Northern Ireland (half-credit)
In preparation for a spring break trip to Northern Ireland, we will learn how conflict transformation (CT) led to the Good Friday Agreement, to The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and how it continues to be used to maintain peace there. We will approach this with a CT lens while also learning and practicing CT skills and traveling to Northern Ireland to study the history of the conflict and its current status today. This course will look at many aspects of The Troubles including history, religion, colonialism, violence, peacemaking, and civil involvement through readings, lectures, using CT approaches to reflection and hearing from local experts and peace activists during our trip. The tour will be led by Mejdi Tours, a tour group which provides guides from different perspectives for a dual-narrative approach. Throughout the course and our travels we will ask how the CT approach in Northern Ireland may or may not be relevant to other global or local conflicts. This class will be team taught by Sarah Stroup, Mark Orten, Danielle Stillman and Zahra Moeini. We will meet weekly for classes over dinner before the trip, travel to Northern Ireland together over spring break, and gather for three more weeks of final presentations after the trip. Students must apply for this half credit course; the application deadline is October 15, 2024.

Conflict Transformation: Approaches and Skills
This course introduces students to a variety of approaches to conflict transformation (CT), including mediation, restorative practices, intercultural communication, and structured dialogue. The course is organized around three questions: What is conflict, who am I in conflict, and what skills and dispositions can help transform conflict? These skills and dispositions are applicable across many levels, including interpersonal, organizational, community, and global conflicts. Students will learn about the drivers of conflict and then practice CT skills in the course. This course is a complement to INTD 228, which focuses on conflict analysis. While this course can be taken at any time, it can serve as a foundation for students who wish to pursue practicum or research opportunities in other CT programs. (Not open to students who have already taken INTD 1259)

Conflict Transformation: Approaches and Skills
This course will introduce to students to a variety of approaches to conflict transformation (CT), including intercultural competence, mediation, restorative practices, and structured dialogue. CT skills enrich classroom learning and prepare students to be effective citizens in a polarized public square. To transform conflict, we must first understand the nature of conflict and then develop tools to build healthy relationships and communities – locally, nationally, and globally. Students will learn about the drivers of conflict and then practice CT skills in the course. This course is part of a Middlebury-wide CT initiative, and this course foundational for students who wish to pursue practicum or research opportunities in other CT programs.