The course expands your understanding of foundational and advanced topics in negotiation and conflict management. In the five main sessions of the course, we will focus on (1) claiming and (2) creating value in negotiations, (3) developing strategies for multiparty negotiations, (4) the role of emotions, rights, interests, and power in dealing with human conflicts, and (5) the use of a third party (i.e., mediator) for conflict management and resolution. In the course, you will

1. experience various negotiation situations firsthand in the classroom that allow you to apply negotiation concepts, influence tactics, and improve your negotiation skills.
2. learn how to analyze your experiences using insights from research on social judgment, social cognition, and decision-making.
3. receive feedback on your negotiation performance to identify what you did right, what you did wrong, and improve your performance by evaluating your work compared to the rest of the class.

The course is designed for students who are not yet familiar with negotiation theory and concepts as well as students who have acquired first experience in these domains (e.g., through participation in related courses).

This course provides training in both the theory and practice of negotiation. After completing this course, students will have

• acquired the conceptual skills necessary to become a sophisticated analyst of negotiation situations.
• advanced their understanding of the underlying structure of negotiations, as well as the psychology behind negotiation-based judgment and decision-making.
• gained knowledge on the complexities involved in satisfying interests in multiparty negotiations and practiced how to gain information and leverage in these situations.
• improved their negotiation skills in hands-on negotiation experiences, with the goal of imparting comfort and confidence when using these tools in every-day life.
• understood the nature of complex conflicts and gained insights into different approaches that facilitate conflict resolution as a first- and as a third party (i.e., mediator).

Attendance in class is required (formal records of attendance will be kept). You at least need to be present 80% of the time, which implies that you should not miss more than one session. However, as a great deal of the value you will derive comes from the in-class negotiation exercises, I strongly encourage you to be present in all sessions.

In case you do have to miss a session (e.g., due to sickness), please let me know as far ahead as possible. In case of excused absence (please provide medical certificate if possible), there is the possibility to make up for your participation points with an additional assignment. This is an optional offer, so please contact me directly in case you want to make use of this opportunity. 

This course will oscillate between negotiation simulations in the classroom and learning negotiation theory through discussion of scientific articles, conceptual frameworks, and case studies. The goal is to teach you the theory and enable you to see the complexities involved in putting theory to practice.

Every session you do an in-class negotiation with your classmates. These exercises are the heart of the course and range from simple two-party negotiations to complex multiparty negotiations. The negotiation exercises are designed to give you the opportunity to try out new negotiation strategies and tactics that are applicable in your work environment and in all aspects of life. You will learn to communicate more effectively, recognize, and develop alternatives as well as overcome barriers, and utilize your existing strengths in each class. You will learn how to manage and resolve conflicts by analyzing and discussing real-world cases.

Please be aware that some role-play simulations used in this course require you to pay a licensing fee. Each student is required to purchase their assigned role for the negotiation using their own credit card. The total sum that you will have to invest for all required purchases will presumably range between 15€ and 20€.

Grading components for performance assessment:

• Participation (30%)
• Conflict Resolution Proposal (30%)
• Capstone Negotiation Exercise (40%)

Below are brief descriptions of each of these grading components. For each component, a more detailed instruction will be provided in the extended syllabus and throughout course.

Participation (30%)

Your participation grade is assessed at the individual level and is composed of three elements

• Active contribution to in-class discussions (10%): The course provides ample opportunities to engage in in-class discussions. You can earn up to two points for being an active contributor to these in-class discussions.
• Negotiation preparation worksheets (10%): While your negotiated outcomes will not count towards grades, your preparation and participation are essential for your own learning experience and that of your classmates. Thus, for most sessions, you will be asked to turn in a thoughtful negotiation preparation worksheet. This worksheet is due at the beginning of the respective session in which the negotiation will be conducted.
• Individual reflection reports (10%): The reflection reports are a vehicle for you to synthesize the lessons that you want to retain from your in-class negotiation exercises. Written reflection reports are completed individually, should be about 1-page long and in pdf format, and are due at the beginning of session 3 and session 4. Each of the two reports should focus on exactly one of the in-class negotiation exercises in which you participated in the prior session. Your report should include three sections: 1) a simple description of what happened, 2) a key insight that you had/learned, and 3) implications that this insight has for how you should negotiate certain situations in the future.

Conflict Resolution Proposal (30%)

The conflict resolution proposal is a graded presentation of a group task. Students will form groups of four (or five, depending on class size) to analyze and propose a theory-guided solution for a real-world conflict (e.g., Russian invasion of Ukraine). The conflict resolution proposal requires you and your team to gather background information on the conflict, identify relevant actors, issues, and interests, and develop and discuss potential pathways for conflict resolution.

Each group will share their proposals for a conflict resolution in a 10-min presentation with the class. Your grade for this task will be evaluated at the group-level and will be based on the quality of your case summary and proposed conflict resolution (20%), application of relevant course concepts in the analysis (5%), and presentation style (5%).

Capstone Negotiation Exercise (40%)

The capstone negotiation is a graded negotiation exercise, in which you will prepare, conduct, and reflect on a two-party negotiation, with each party consisting of a team of two students (randomly assigned). The capstone negotiation will be conducted live in class, just as most other negotiation exercises are conducted. Your grade will be made up of three elements:

• Group preparation note (10%): This document summarizes your team’s strategy heading into the negotiation.
• Group negotiation outcome (10%): Your party’s outcome is scored relative to other parties in your role.
• Individual reflective analysis report (20%): Each student will write a summary of his or her experience with this negotiation. The report should critically reflect upon the team’s initial strategy, the role of each team member, and the negotiation process.

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If you have any further questions regarding the course content or organization, feel free to contact me anytime: pascal.guentuerkuen@wu.ac.at