Fall 2013: Conflict and Governance

Full-time, 15 credits (DIAL 390W, 391W, 392W)

Conflict and contradiction are unavoidable aspects of contemporary life. We encounter conflict everywhere: in ourselves, in small groups, and in every organization in which we are involved, be they an enterprise, club, political party, team, seminar group, business or social movement. We hold beliefs that are inconsistent, we face political or institutional contradictions we cannot resolve but must work with. In something as everyday as sports, we embrace confrontation as part of our lives. How do we arrange or manage this tension and find ways to create conditions within which we can engage conflict positively? How do we create collectives that welcome and thrive on difference?

The governance of modern life, at all scales, is more than anything else the process of managing these conflicts. Conflict management has many objectives: sometimes we try to minimize or resolve it, sometimes we try to put it to good purposes, occasionally we just try to ignore it, but much of the time we try to figure out ways to work with it. From judges to referees to leaders of large institutions; from activists to soldiers to union members: governing ourselves effectively and legitimately requires an understanding of conflict and conflict management. All of these people work in and with less-than-perfectly-harmonious realities. How do they do so? What works and what doesn't? What do they prioritize? How do they make decisions? What institutional structures and methods do they rely on? How do they move past 'mistakes' or obstacles?

FACULTY

Sean Blenkinsop is an Associate Professor in the SFU Faculty of Education with a secondment for five years to the Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue.

Geoff Mann teaches and is the graduate chair in the Geography department at Simon Fraser University, and directs SFU's Centre for Global Political Economy.

OUTLINE

• Conflict and Governance Outline