CAS 208NIntroduction to Managing Conflict and Bargaining

3 credits · Communication Arts and Sciences · Penn State

CAS 208N introduces students to the nature of interpersonal conflict and emphasizes how this knowledge, in turn, helps students become more effective negotiators. Students apply both objectivist and interpretive theories to different communication contexts and across various communication channels (face-to-face and mediated). Students learn affective communication skills (e.g., how to be an empathetic listener) and instrumental communication skills (e.g., how to manage interpersonal conflict). Much of the class focuses on relational power dynamics in interpersonal contexts. Thus, students learn the importance of empathetic listening, especially when another person disregards students' core concerns (ego, affiliation, appreciation, status, and role). Students will also learn distributive and integrative bargaining strategies, including how best to negotiate across cultures. The class integrates an array of theories where intellectual traditions from both the Humanities (GH) and the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) are covered equally.