Undergraduate Life

College is an opportunity to learn conflict transformation skills to prepare students for engaged and ethical citizenship in a polarized public square. We are expanding training and coursework in self-awareness, restorative practices, dialogue, intercultural communication, and mediation. Faculty are receiving new support for professional development and research in conflict. Our goal is for our college students to better understand and address conflict at individual, community, and global scales.

Select Projects in 2022-23

• Restorative practice training for incoming students
• New courses in CT Skills (INTD 1259 in Winter 2023, INTD 0232 in Spring)
• Support for faculty research projects
• Facilitator training for Engaged Listening faculty cohorts
• Beyond the Page classroom engagement

CT For College Faculty (May 2023 update)

In this first full year of the CT Collaborative, we have had 77 students in our pilot “CT Skills” courses. 43 faculty and staff joined our spring CT lunch discussion series. We had 24 faculty and staff applicants for the F23 Engaged Listening Project. 13 college faculty were recipients of funding for research and performance. In the spring and summer, 99 students will have funded internships and experiences connected to conflict analysis and transformation.

In fall 2023, faculty can get involved in the following ways:

• research: attend our showcase of 2022 faculty research grant recipients on Sept. 13th at 3:30 ET and apply for 2024 funding by October 27th
• teaching: join a faculty advisory group to pilot an interdisciplinary “conflict analysis” course, join our Canvas page to learn about what we are doing, or tell us about your courses that analyze various conflicts, or join a “mindfulness and CT” fall discussion (email conflicttransformation@middlebury.edu or sstroup@middlebury.edu)
• events: view past recordings at our website, attend a talk by Joshua Kalla (Yale) on October 9, or connect with CT skills instructor and international mediator Julian Portilla
• skills: if you have training in mediation, negotiation, restorative practices, dialogue, intercultural competence, or mindfulness, let us know! We are planning to offer mediation training in May 2024 for those looking to increase their own skills.

Contact

Sebnem Gumuscu, Associate Professor, Political Science
Brian Lind, Associate Dean for Community Standards

“There is no bigger issue that exists than the growing divisiveness undermining freedom and equality everywhere. It is harder and harder to participate in the public square. Teaching the skills to address this challenge aligns with our mission of preparing our students to make meaningful change in the world.” — Laurie L. Patton, Middlebury President