This course teaches a broadly applicable framework for negotiating effectively, with an emphasis on working with those from different cultures. Because business leaders depend on others to accomplish goals, they need to be skilled negotiators to generate solutions that are acceptable, valuable, and able to be implemented.

Learning to negotiate involves learning how to listen to, communicate with, and collaborate with others, whether those others are similar to or quite different from yourself. It involves improving your ability to evaluate situations, develop a plan for action, handle discussions and reflect on your negotiation experiences to perform still better in the future. It also involves learning what you are willing to do and say to achieve outcomes, and developing an understanding of what outcomes you value.

The course is organized in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign/University of Georgia. Participating WU students will therefore have the unique opportunity to work together with the partner university students, who will stay at WU for the duration of the course.

Learning to negotiate will allow you to handle the many professional and personal negotiation opportunities you will face in relationships, groups, organizations, and careers.

The course is organized around a series of negotiation exercises. We will prepare for, participate in, and collectively analyze deal-making and dispute resolution exercises. The exercises are based on extensive research. They require thoughtful and engaged role players. If you read your role materials carefully, vigorously plan for your negotiations, energetically carry them out, and openly analyze them afterwards, then both you and your classmates will learn a great deal and substantially improve your negotiation effectiveness.

In addition, much of the course is designed to experience and explore the implications of negotiating with people from different cultures. Half of the class will be composed of students from WU, and the other half of US students from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, on a study abroad short program. You will have the opportunity to interact with students from the US during every class, and discuss issues related to cross-cultural negotiations. The course also includes two optional company visits with a focus on negotiating internationally.

1. Exercises 50% (process and outcome assessments)
2. Discussion participation 10% (quality contributions made in each class)
3. Exam 40%

The course is organized in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign/University of Georgia. Participating WU students will therefore have the unique opportunity to work together with the partner university students, who will stay at WU for the duration of the course.