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News from the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development
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#FabGrad Dr. Autumn Cockrell-Abdullah Discusses Art, Conflict, & Iraqi Kurdistan

Our #FabGrad Dr. Autumn Cockrell-Abdullah discusses her research for her dissertation for the Ph.D. in International Conflict Management, titled “Art & Agency: Transforming Relationships of Power in Iraqi Kurdistan,” and its contribution to new scholarship and understanding of Kurdish identity through art and culture in the face of the region’s long, complex history of conflict.

Autumn Cockrell-Abdullah says jokingly that one of the best outcomes of her year working and doing research in Northern Iraq — known as Kurdistan — is the street cat she rescued on a Halloween night, named Boo, and brought home to live with her in the U.S.

Some of her colleagues and professors in the Ph.D. in International Conflict Management program, from which she will graduate on May 8, might disagree. Some have suggested that the research Cockrell-Abdullah conducted for her dissertation, titled “Art & Agency: Transforming Relationships of Power in Iraqi Kurdistan,” contributes new scholarship and understanding of Kurdish identity through art and culture in the face of the region’s long, complex history of conflict.

“Despite the Kurds’ role in some of the most critical conflicts in the Middle East, even today in the fight against ISIS,” Cockrell-Abdullah says, “most of the world lacks an understanding of the complex, multi-layered cultural impacts of the socio-political factors inside Iraqi Kurdistan.”

Violent conflicts in Northern Iraq like the Anfal campaign near the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988 and the 1991 uprisings against Saddam Hussein’s regime led to tens of thousands of Kurds being killed and more than two million displaced. In the wake of those conflicts, Cockrell-Abdullah’s research seeks to use art to expose and examine what she says is “a bubbling pot of social issues that lies just underneath the skin of inter-Kurdish tensions.”

In four visits to the region from 2013 to 2017, she has discovered voices among contemporary visual and conceptual art and artists that point towards cultural and structural forms of violence within Kurdish society that could create conflict. They are voices not reflected in what Cockrell-Abdullah calls “the deeply entrenched political rhetoric of a nationalist narrative.”

Her research also examines the place of culture in conflict and conflict analysis, and how meaning is made and translated into ideas and behavior, potentially producing moments of conflict.

"Autumn’s dissertation is a good demonstration of what visual arts reveals about conflict – more specifically about the struggles of a minority group like the Iraqi Kurds in a post-conflict period," said Debarati Sen, associate professor of anthropology and conflict management and Cockrell-Abdullah’s dissertation chair. “Her research contributes significant scholarship on an important topic that has received little attention.”

Read the rest of KSU's news story here. 

Original article by Sabbaye McGriff, Photos by Lauren Kress, Video by Rob Witzel

Dr. Timothy Hedeen Receives National Recognition for Ombuds Research

Professor of Conflict Management and University Ombudsman, Dr. Timothy Hedeen, received national recognition for his research on ombuds practitioners and programs, including a comprehensive study of ombuds offices in federal agencies.
 
The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), a public-private partnerships that advises the federal government, commissioned and interdisciplinary team to understand how federal ombuds serve their constituents. These may include agency employees and contractors, military service members and their families, intelligence analysts, vendors, and citizens.
 
“My contributions to the ACUS project were the development and analysis of extensive online surveys of federal agency ombudsman offices,” said Hedeen. “We identified a wide-range of office functions and types, including offices ensuring intelligence work is credible and rigorous to those supporting families of Navy or Coast Guard service members, from offices resolving concerns from government vendors to those assisting employees to address workplace concerns.”
 
Read full article, written by Ashley Crisler, on page 12 in the Summer 2018 issue of The Graduate College Magazine.

Chris Pallas and Charity Butcher Awarded European Political Science Prize 


The EPS Prize is one of only a handful of awards the European Consortium for Political Research gives each year. This year was awarded to Dr. Christopher Pallas and Dr. Charity Butcher of KSU's School of Governance and International Affairs. The story of their award begins more than 7 years ago, when Dr. Pallas devised an unusual way to get students to start thinking about international relations: to ask them to think about dating.  Most theories of international relations are based around different assumptions about human nature - how people tend to act and what they tend to want.

Dr. Pallas realized that those same assumptions informed what students thought about dating. He devised an exercise asking students to create theories to explain the breakup of a fictional couple, and then led them into a process of examining their dating theories to uncover their own intuitive understanding of human nature. After running the exercise for several years with good results, he wanted to share it with other teachers. He reached out to Dr. Butcher for her help in explaining the underlying learning processes. Dr. Butcher agreed to help and began implementing the exercise in her own classes and adding her own improvements. Soon they crafted an article that gave step-by-step instructions for running the exercise, and explained how the exercise facilitated 'category learning' - creating mental bins into which students could sort future information.

The journal European Political Science published the article in 2017 and then selected it as the best article published in the journal for that year, garnering Pallas and Butcher this year's EPS Prize.

KSU Celebrates with GODR for their 25th Anniversary!

Dr. Susan Raines, Associate Director, School of Conflict Management; Tracy Johnson, Director of GODR; Ansley Barton, founding Director of both GODR and the MSCM program
This year marked the 25th Anniversary of the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. In celebration and as a thank you to those working in conflict resolution and mediation, the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, in tandem with the Paulding County Courthouse, hosted a seminar. There were over 100 people in attendance. The attendees ranged from mediators to judges and lawyers, and other people interested in the field of dispute resolution. The presentations featured Ms. Ansley Barton, Esq. of Conflict Management Services and Dr. Susan Raines of the Kennesaw State University's School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development as guest speakers. Their presentations were given as free continuing education credits to attendees. Dr. Raines spoke first on the topic of "Staying Safe While Mediating or Representing Volatile Clients." She was followed by Ms. Barton who spoke on the topic of "Ethics: The Heart of Mediation." Both speakers highlighted important topics, specifically in light of a recent tragedy in the community. Additional events have been scheduled for the anniversary celebration in other areas of Georgia and can be found on the GODR website.

SCMPD Seeks Assistant Professor of Conflict Management. APPLICATION DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 15

Kennesaw State University, School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding & Development at Kennesaw State University invites applications for a nine-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Conflict Management. Primary teaching duties will include courses in our Executive Master of Science in Conflict Management (MSCM) program with occasional courses in our PhD in Conflict Management program. Primary job duties include teaching approximately 4-6 courses per year to include some of the following: Negotiation, Mediation, Grant Writing & Program Evaluation, Conflict Management for Managers, Leadership & Organizational Conflict Management, Dispute Systems Design, Conflict Theory and ADR Continuum.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to engage students in an active learning environment while producing high-quality, published research. Additional duties include service to the School, College University and profession, which includes the provision of training through the Center for Conflict Management at least twice per year.

Minimum requirements include a terminal degree such as a PhD or JD in a field related to Conflict Resolution or its foreign equivalent, teaching experience, and experience as a practitioner of mediation/negotiation/alternative dispute resolution. Corporate training or business experience is desired but not required.

Required Documents
Letter of Application
Current Curriculum Vitae
Unofficial Academic Transcripts (official transcripts due upon hire)
List of Names and Contact Information of Three References
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Summary of Teaching Evaluations
Sample Syllabi

Kennesaw State University, a member of the University System of Georgia, is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and/or veteran status. Georgia is an Open Records state. 

APPLY ONLINE HERE: 
https://facultyjobs.kennesaw.edu/postings/5296

Student News:

Caitlin Lowther (MSCM Cohort 16) was selected for a KSU CHSS Homecoming Award for the CHSS Outstanding Alumni Award. The award will be presented at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Homecoming Event on October 6th. 

Lakeshia Jarrett (MSCM Cohort 4) of Charleston, passed away August 30, 2018, at Hubbard Hospice House. She was a workforce staff manager for the AT&T Corporate Office in Atlanta, Georgia, graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina, and also held a Master's Degree in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. Lakeshia was a loving wife and mother, who loved singing and going to church. Surviving are her husband of 17 1/2 years, Darren Jarrett; daughter, Skyler Raine Jarrett of Charleston; mother, Jeanette Lee of Cary, North Carolina; and a brother, Billy Gaskins Jr., also of Cary. To send the family online condolences or sign the guest book, please visit the website at fidlerandframefuneralhome.com.​

Faculty News:

Susan Raines will be hosted a webinar "Getting Published in the Fields of Conflict Resolution and ADR" on September 6 in which 76 people participated remotely. She will also be teaching a free Continuing Education event titled "New Opportunities for Practice Inside and Outside of the Court System" at Carrol County Courthouse. Click image below to register.
Allison Garefino was featured on page 46 in MyForsyth Magazine discussing how positive behavioral strategies can help children thrive. Learn more about the Children and Family Programs here. Click photo for magazine access. 








Several Call for Papers for Conflict Resolution Quarterly:
  1. Lessons from the Front Lines: Evidence and research-based articles from seasoned ADR/CR professionals. Due November 1, 2018
  2. Conflict Management/ADR in Healthcare: Trends, Best Practices, and Innovations. Due November 1, 2018
  3. On-Going Call for Papers. Submit anytime.
12-Hour General Mediation Practicum
Sept. 20-21
Register
Alternatives to Violence (AVP) BASIC First Level Workshop
Sept. 22-23
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Specialized Issues in Domestic Violence Mediation
Sept. 24-25
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Representing Clients in Mediation: How to Prepare for Mediation and Get Better Outcomes
Oct. 5
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Delegation Skills for Managers and Professionals
Oct. 9
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Domestic Relations Practicum
Oct. 11-12
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Managing Conflict and Increasing Collaboration in Diverse Teams
Oct. 25
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Complex Finances and the Division of Assets in Domestic Relations Cases
Oct. 26
Register
Managing Generational Conflict in the Workplace
Nov. 7
Register

AVP Basic First Level Workshop

AVP workshops are a series of hands-on, experiential, workshops where participants learn conflict resolution techniques to respond non-violently to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustration, and anger can lead to violent words or actions. Learn proven strategies and methods for implementing nonviolent alternatives in your life.

Take this workshop for personal growth or as a first step toward volunteering as a workshop facilitator in the community or in our prisons.

Location: Emory Faculty Office Building, adjacent to Grady Hospital
Saturday & Sunday, September 22nd & 23rd, 9:00 am -- 6:00 pm

Register here

Complex Finances and the Division of Assets in Domestic Relations Cases

Oct. 26, 9am-12pm
Approved by the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution for 3 hours of CE credits.
Approved by the Georgia State Bar for 3 hours of CLE 
Register

 

Annual ACR Conference in Pittsburgh: Hotel Group Rates


There will be high-quality sessions, opportunities to make connections and fun. For additional information and to register, click to go the conference website.

The 2018 ACR Annual Conference will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh - Green Tree.  ACR has negotiated a group rate which will end September 12.  Please register today before the rates increase.  When making your reservation, use the code ACR.  
Mediation videos are now available ONLINE for trainers who wish to use role-play videos in their workshops. Scenarios include small claims, spousal support, child support, parenting plans, and hidden assets in divorce. Available pricing includes 6 week and 2-year access.
Click here for more info. 
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