Conflict and Dispute Resolution Program Theses and Dissertations

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Open Access
A History of Roger Fisher’s Single Negotiating Text and its Application by President Jimmy Carter to the Egyptian Israeli Conflict
(University of Oregon, 2022-05-10) Simmons, Chloe; Frank, David
Single negotiating text, also known as the one text method, is a method of mediation created by Roger Fisher which allows a mediator to easily bring parties involved in complex and contentious issues toward a solution. This method has been described most famously in Fisher and William Ury’s book, Getting to Yes, and was used in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter at Camp David to broker the lasting successful peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. In this paper, I will trace the history of the method itself through an in-depth analysis of Fisher and others’ texts about international conflict resolution as well as interviews from various colleagues of Fisher himself who have also used the single negotiating text method in their own work in international conflict resolution. All of these sources have pointed to how successful the one text method might be for complex negotiations, demonstrating that it should be used as a prominent tool in international mediation.
Open Access
A Look at the Continuum of Impression Formation on Two Cases of Violent Extremism in the Media
(University of Oregon, 2019-04-30) Hull, Christina; Girvan, Erik
This thesis investigates media impressions between radical far right violent extremism and radical Islamic violent extremism to see if impression formation explains differences in our associations of violent extremists. Focusing on two cases from 2015, the Charleston church shooting and the San Bernardino office shooting, this thesis examines impression formation to see if the initial categorizations of the extremists in the media change over time or remain consistent. This thesis explores whether violent extremists that are associated with the ingroup are more likely to have the impressions of them change over time to become more individuating than violent extremists associated with the outgroup which would remain more category-based. This thesis also addresses how to reduce bias that negative impressions of a group could cause, through intergroup contact.
Open Access
A Solution Under Pressure: Integrating Facilitative Practices into Water-Related Civil Litigations
(University of Oregon, 2017-09-06) Koller, David; Amos, Adell L.
The broad scope of this research concerns the field of conflict and dispute resolution, also referred to as alternative dispute resolution (ADR). ADR practices have developed in both executive and judicial branches of government since the early 1900’s. The goal of this paper is to evaluate how ADR practitioners working in water-related civil litigation can apply facilitative practices prior, during, and after the proceeding to reduce harm, cost, and time of litigation and increase the overall satisfaction of the parties when the proceeding has been resolved. To achieve this goal, a framework is constructed and applied to a case study in Cascade Locks, Oregon. This framework is not a way to avoid a court proceeding through use of alternative dispute resolution; instead this paper seeks to add facilitative practices to a civil litigation process to make the entire process more efficient to the parties and effective in resolving the dispute.
Open Access
"A Time to be Tough, a Time to be Tender:" Exploring the Paradigms and Effects of Masculinities in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland
(University of Oregon, 2018-04-10) Lada, Jenna; Baxter, Diane
This thesis examines the paradigms of masculinities during and after Northern Ireland’s conflict to understand how societal transition from intrastate conflict impacts males’ identities and mental health. Focusing on fieldwork conducted predominately in Derry/Londonderry and applying masculinity theories, this thesis explores the experiences of males aged 29 to 40 who grew up during the 1990s’ peace process. Social and mental health professionals and community and youth workers have expressed concern for the mental health and well-being of this population of men, as well as young men born after the peace process. With this concern in mind, this thesis argues that the continuous presence of contested images of masculinity that existed prior to the conflict and that emerged during the conflict, along with the cultural practice of silence, has resulted in an ambiguous understanding of masculinity in the post-conflict era, and has had a negative impact on males’ mental health.
Open Access
A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy: How Twitter Encourages Harassment (and How to Fix It)
(University of Oregon, 2019-09-18) Conbere, Timothy; Tippett, Elizabeth
In August 2014, the video games community on Twitter became embroiled in a months-long harassment campaign called Gamergate. The campaign initially targeted indie video game developer Zoë Quinn, but quickly spread to many women and feminist games developers and journalists, targeting them with slurs, sexualized epithets, threats of violence, and more. This thesis examines what Twitter has done to prevent the kind of harassment that occurred during Gamergate and explains the social-psychological principles behind Twitter’s failure to curb the culture of abuse on its platform. There is a fundamental disconnect between Twitter’s value of allowing its users to share information instantly without barriers and its desire to protect its users from harassment. In order to solve the problem of harassment, Twitter will need to shift its foundational value away from free speech and towards deliberate community building.
Open Access
Affirming Actions, Fallacy of American Post Racial Society: Policy Analysis and Critique of United States Supreme Court Effect on Black Student Access To Higher Education
(University of Oregon, 2018-04-10) Gomalo, Kena; Zack, Naomi
Affirming actions, fallacy of American post racial society: Policy analysis and critique of United States Supreme Court effect on Black student access to higher education. Since the inception of the country that is now known as the United States of America, the inquiry of racial equity and inclusion is one that has not been unequivocally and diligently answered. In attempt to remedy these societal burdens, the government leadership has retreated to various affirmative action policy initiatives. The affirmative action policies range from Executive Order from the President of the United States, policies in governmental contractors work sector, to university admissions policies. In turn, these policies, especially the college admissions policies, have been legally scrutinized and attenuated by the United States Supreme Court. As a result, theses policies, that were initially put in place to help Black students get equitable access to higher education, have had meager effects on creating a equitable education society. The meager effects are attributed to continuous restrictive guideline and regulations of the Supreme Court. In that vein, chronological research findings suggests that the Supreme Courts decisions have had injuriously powerful impact on Black students ability to get into an institute of higher education and subsequently find economic success. Furthermore, society’s increasing apprehension and non-understanding of the fundamental goals of affirmative action suggests that the Supreme Courts affirmative action decisions will morph from the restrictive and injurious strict scrutiny to permanent decease of any utilization of race based policy.
Open Access
ALL IS NOT FAIR: The Cosmetics war on Women in India
(University of Oregon, 2016-11-21) Sambhi, Sandeep; Girvan, Erik
THESIS ABSTRACT Sandeep K. Sambhi Master of Science Conflict Dispute Resolution Program June 2016 Title: All is Not Fair: The Cosmetics War on Women in India I examine the effects of skin whitening and bleaching practices by women and girls of India, and the links between globalization, capitalism, and Indian media. I examine the negative health effects of the use of skin lightening creams, along with the psycho-social effects for women and girls, and the pan-cultural effects of the advertising and marketing by the companies who sell these creams as cosmetics. I argue that the companies who sell them carry great economic power, bolstered by their promotion of colorism and bias toward fair skin. The links between profit, colorism, caste and gender inequality are explored, along with the historical roots of caste and color in India. Media bias for fair skin in India and media are discussed, along with effects on women’s efficacy, self-esteem, and the effects of fair skin bias on opportunities in work and marriage. Resolution, education and public outreach efforts are also presented here.
Open Access
An Analysis of U.S. Drug Policy: Its Effect on Communities of Color and a Path to End the War on Drugs
(University of Oregon, 2018-09-06) White, Alexis; Tippet, Elizabeth
This thesis examines the history of legal and illegal narcotics in the United States. This thesis explores the impact criminalizing drug use has on communities of color. The current criminal justice system seeks to correct behavior society and the law deems deviant but has not proven to be effective as shown by rates of recidivism. The present research uses a literature review to investigate how alternative dispute resolution practices and prison abolition meet the needs of the criminal justice system. The purpose of this thesis is to examine two proposed reforms: one that would abolish prison sentences except in cases where offenders pose a high risk to public safety, and another that would employ conflict resolution techniques to serve the retributive, and rehabilitative purposes of the criminal sanction. This thesis will suggest that these proposed reforms, if undertaken concurrently, will likely shrink the US prison population while advancing penal goals.
Open Access
Anonymity, Technology, and Conflict in the 2020-21 Portland Protests
(University of Oregon, 2022-05-10) Francis, Elise; Newell, Bryce
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis ignited protests around the world. Portland, OR quickly emerged as a vanguard for leftist organizing, based on principles of anti-racism, antifascism, and anarchism, leading to nightly demonstrations against law enforcement. The incentives to remain anonymous to thwart identification by police and right-wing opponents play out in-person and in online spaces, prompting new modes of organizing. Monitoring group boundaries, calling out wrongdoings, and limiting information to trusted comrades may estrange others who seek involvement in the rejuvenated Black Lives Matter movement. Social technologies create new dynamics in how activist networks can organize effectively, resolve conflicts, and endure hardship. This thesis proposes that mutual aid offers an inclusive and coalitional approach to addressing inequalities in the Portland community. It does so by leveraging the affordances of digital technologies to benefit the collective without requiring as robust a security culture as protests do and without foreclosing confrontational dissent against institutions of the state.
Embargo
Approach to Secession: Can United Nations Involvement Contribute to a Favorable Outcome for Secessionist Struggles?
(University of Oregon, 2016-10-27) Wickramasekera, Amanda; Moffitt, Michael
Ethnic groups fear of marginalization has triggered a number of secessionist movements, which have often resulted in long and destructive conflicts that threaten international peace and human life. Scholars have written about domestic and international explanations as factors that can affect the outcome of secession (Bert 2004, Dion 1996, Hechter 1992, Aspinall and Berger 2001, Horowitz 1985, Santos 2007). I argue that in a secessionist movement, if one or more bodies of the United Nations apply pressure on the host state, then it improves the prospect of a favorable outcome for the secessionist movement. I will focus on the international explanations as factors that can affect the outcome of secession by using South Sudan and Tamil Eelam as case studies.
Open Access
Beauty or the Beast: Understanding Attitudes About Wolves in Washington State and Their Implications for Wolf Management
(University of Oregon, 2018-04-10) Wiley, Patrick; Girvan, Erik
Washington State’s Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Plan has struggled to respond to conflicts between humans and wolves. This has led to an increase in cultural stratification between pro-wolf community members and anti-wolf community members. The Plan dedicates a disproportionate amount of time to biological science and does little to account for variance in human behavior. In this paper, I provide a series of personal stories that illustrate how human-animal relationships are developed and preserved through experience and why ingrained conceptualizations are difficult to transcend. I then draw on existing research to explore conceptualizations of wolves in the human imagination throughout history, the dominant wolf narratives that emerge from these conceptualizations, and use the psychological theories of Social Dominance and Right Wing Authoritarianism to understand the differences in behavior between pro-wolf and anti-wolf communities. Anti-wolf community members were higher in images related to SDO and RWA than their pro-wolf counterparts.
Embargo
Between Law and Public Policy: A Scalable Corporate Social Responsibility Model
(University of Oregon, 2024-01-10) Salehin, Shiri; Addae, Angela
This thesis looks at corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the intersection between law and public policy while using an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) framework. With more than 99.9% of businesses in the United States being small businesses and not large corporations, there is a major market for implementing strategic changes that can have far-reaching impacts. If small businesses really can build positive momentum, how could encouraging small businesses to invest in CSR also yield a substantial positive impact? This thesis will analyze the public policy and legal landscape of CSR before providing a practical framework that small businesses can apply when seeking to implement CSR principles.
Open Access
Beyond Resolution: The Invitation for Self-Growth Inherent in Conflicts
(University of Oregon, 2022-10-04) TURJEMAN, EYTAN; Temam, Edgar
This thesis examines self-growth as a predominant process inherent in disputes and whether exploration of this aspect by disputants in private sessions may contribute to a more intentional growth and effective conflict management. This approach draws from spiritual and therapeutic concepts that view interpersonal conflicts as mirroring internal disharmony of the disputants emanating from the conditioned mind and inviting us to connect to our innate inner guidance of the un-conflicted core (‘Self’) to balance the disharmony. While any conflict resolution process is likely to foster some level of awareness, addressing the tension between the mind and un-conflicted Self may contribute to a shift in the perspective on the conflict from mainly an external crisis to an internal invitation to a growth process mirrored by the disruptive relationship. This can then loop back to the relationship to support more awareness of the goals and conflict management process, open the door for more self-growth, and sometimes even transcend the conflict altogether. The Self-explorative process suggested in this thesis involves finding opportunities in private sessions to connect to the Self and receive inner insights and guidance. The process uses elicitive questions, guided meditations and teaching to establish conscious communication with the Self and bring harmony to the Self-mind tension. This process can be an addition to private sessions such as conflict coaching that can provide additional skills to manage the conflict. It offers individuals who are willing and ready another dimension of exploration not offered within mainstream conflict resolution practices and can benefit people who are interested not just in resolutions but also in exploring their opportunity to transform through conflicts and establishing communication with their Self for further growth.
Open Access
Changing Climate, Changing Commitments: Municipal Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies in Oregon
(University of Oregon, 2016-10-27) Levitt, Gordon; Wood, Mary
This thesis examines emerging commitments by local governments in Oregon to address climate change, and situates those efforts within climate policy development at the international, national, regional, and state governmental levels. It also reviews the literature for local climate initiatives and seeks to expand upon that knowledge by surveying “Climate Policymakers” in Oregon. The survey results provide insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with local government and state-level efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon. Considering current climate policies, a broad selection of scholarly analysis, and the opinions of leading climate policy experts in Oregon, this thesis recommends eight categories of strategies to enhance greenhouse gas reduction efforts in Oregon.
Open Access
Chunkey, Cahokia, and Indigenous Conflict Resolution
(University of Oregon, 2020-09-24) Gregory, Anne; Brown, Kirby
Chunkey, a traditional Native American sport, was a form of conflict resolution. The popular game was one of several played for millennia throughout Native North America. Indigenous communities played ball games not only for the important culture-making of sport and recreation, but also as an act of peace-building. The densely populated urban center of Cahokia, as well as its agricultural suburbs and distant trade partners, were dedicated to chunkey. Chunkey is associated with the milieu surrounding the Pax Cahokiana (1050 AD-1200 AD), an era of reduced armed conflict during the height of Mississippian civilization (1000-1500 AD). The relational framework utilized in archaeology, combined with dynamics of conflict resolution, will provide a basis to explain chunkey’s cultural impact. This thesis connects conflict resolution dynamics embedded in chunkey with its role in culture production while also centering an Indigenous worldview in an exploration of conflict resolution paradigms.
Open Access
Civic Engagement and Collaborative Governance in Post-Conflict Societies: Case Study, Ambon, Indonesia
(University of Oregon, 2013-10-03) Efendi, Johari; Hicks, Tim
This study analyzes how civic engagement and collaborative governance can be used to build peace in post-conflict societies. A case study approach is used to examine the presence of civic engagement as a precursor to collaborative governance in the reconstruction of segregated areas in post-conflict Ambon, Indonesia. The study evaluates the effective ways that people were engaged in the multiple processes of reconstruction and assesses the readiness of Ambon to apply collaborative governance in current affairs. It finds that collaborative governance can be applied to public policy processes in segregated societies in post-conflict and can promote inter-society engagement. This study suggests that governments and NGOs in post-conflict areas could use a collaborative governance approach to sustain peace in post-conflict areas. The conclusions recognize that integrating collaborative governance into peace building programs is a crucial element of the peace building process in post-conflict areas, creating a greater likelihood for sustainable peace.
Open Access
Closing the Gap: Identifying and Defining Challenges Faced by Alternative Dispute Resolution Professionals as They Enter the Field
(University of Oregon, 2015-08-18) Luna-Smith, Liana; Reynolds, Jennifer
The definitive flexibility, informality, and diversity of use make alternative dispute resolution (ADR) a unique field that deserves the time and effort it will take to determine best practice for establishing it as a true profession. That being said, before we begin the battle for legitimization we must not forget the heart and soul of the field, its practitioners. In the face of the unsure status of ADR as a field, there are many barriers currently affecting potential practitioners of ADR preventing the success of both these new members and the field itself.
Open Access
Communication, Collaboration, and Concern Between Elementary School Teachers: Unlocking the Positive Potential of Conflict
(University of Oregon, 2015-08-18) Bennett, Carrie; Tippett, Elizabeth
Collaboration is touted as a solution to modern challenges in education, but the difficulties of establishing truly collaborative communities are many. From a conflict-resolution lens, collaboration requires both assertiveness and cooperation (high preference for both completing tasks and maintaining relationships). This study uses surveys and interviews to explore the ways that teachers balance task and relationship orientations in resolving conflict between themselves and the impact that teachers’ behaviors while in conflict have on collaboration. Specifically, this study examines the role that trust, relationships, and process norms play in encouraging collaborative behaviors. Results suggest that teachers’ perceived ineffectiveness with conflict resolution and the fear of damaging relationships discourage open communication. Consequently, focusing on trust and relationship building does little to promote authentically collaborative exchanges. Instead, the perception of available time and a familiar process for raising concerns with colleagues are more likely to promote open communication and more authentic collaboration.
Open Access
Conflict Transformation and Deliberative Democracy: A New Approach for Interdisciplinary Potential
(University of Oregon, 2016-02-23) Kiefer, Mitchell; Girvan, Erik
Deliberative democracy and conflict management models have been given increasing attention for their potential consistency and similarities, which is useful knowledge given the opened possibilities of interdisciplinary work. I argue that this debate ought to be broadened to include how conflict transformation and a pragmatic strand of deliberative democracy are aligned with regard to orientation to conflict. First, I offer an account of why conflict transformation’s key values should be seen as valuable for democratic theory to emulate. Second, I show how a pragmatic strand of deliberative democracy is consistent and similar with respect to those key values. Together, these build a framework which offers the ability for practitioners and theorists to pursue interdisciplinary work between two particular strands of deliberative democracy and conflict management which to date have not been given adequate attention.
Open Access
Conflicts of Residential Landscaping
(University of Oregon, 2021-09-13) Rymph, Dustin; Jarvis, Todd
Residential landscaping is a focal point of academic observation regarding design, ecology, sociology, and geography. Previous studies often have conflictual dimensions, yet rarely is the focus of studies regarding residential landscaping centered around conflict. This exploratory thesis seeks to create a multidisciplinary framework, built upon Conflict Resolution studies, with which to analyze conflicts of residential landscaping in the United States. It includes numerous case studies of relevant conflicts. The final chapter contains a thematic analysis of 12 structured interviews conducted with participants who have been party to residential landscaping conflicts. Four overarching themes were discovered. The connection to the preliminary framework included in this thesis is connected to the thematic results and leads to suggestions for future research.This Thesis contains previously un-published co-authored material.