Christine Sleeter wrote this essay in response to the topic "Even Laureates Were Beginners Once: Lessons Learned Along the Way," which was the title of the Laureate Panel at the Kappa Delta Pi Convocation in October 2017.

Considers that Arendt's connection of argument and thinking, and her perception that both serve to thwart totalitarianism, suggest that agonal rhetoric is the best discourse for a diverse and inclusive public sphere. Notes that Arendt's advocacy of agonal rhetoric is troubling, especially in regard to its potential elitism, masculinism, and…

The paper provides a simplified introduction to conflict theory through a series of in-class exercises. Conflict resolution, defined as negotiated settlement, can occur through three forms of communication: tacit, implicit, and explicit. Tacit communication, taking place without face-to-face or written interaction, refers to inferences made and…

Evaluates the Carl Rogers Peace Project workshop held in Austria in 1985. Defines ways in which the workshop was unique. Elaborates on staff participation and the author's personal reactions. Concludes by discussing the distinctive role facilitators had in this workshop. (BR)

Responds to an article criticizing the author's inclusion of unresolved argument as a feature characterizing interactional argumentation (published in an earlier issue). Traces the disagreement to different uses of "paradigm case" and "prototypical case," and attempts to clarify these differences. (MM)

Investigates Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and its potential as a topic for business communication practice and research. Explores what ADR is; how mediation and ADR are used in business; how mediation and ADR are similar to and different from negotiating; and two or three essential learning points or skills to teach business students about…

Notes that responses to moral conflict often lead to reciprocated diatribe and the use of violence. Describes a potentially more constructive approach, called transcendent eloquence, in which interveners or the conflicting parties themselves develop a new framework for understanding and comparing such conflicts. Discusses a number of case studies,…

Recommends and describes assertive management techniques for dealing with conflicts or problems in libraries: (1) listening to understand problems; (2) stating expectations clearly; (3) focusing attention on the real issue; (4) explaining situational givens; (5) compromising/negotiating when possible; (6) being persistent and patient; (7) giving…

Discussion of the conflict common in the relationship between a college and its host community looks at some of its common characteristics and at institutional barriers to the use of alternative dispute resolution strategies using a third party. A preventive approach is recommended over reactive forms of resolution, and this approach is…

The criterion of topicality must be met by all advocates of academic debate policy in order to achieve effective and organized argument. The plan upon which each individual debate round is built must first satisfy the requirements imposed by the resolution. The policy proposal should answer the question of whether the affirmative plan, as a whole,…

Reports and critiques the Rust workshop conducted in 1985 in Vienna, Austria. Provides an analysis of the challenges to the person-centered approach as applied to international tension reduction. Concludes with issues for further exploration and a declaration for an ongoing program in person-centered approaches in international relations. (BR)

Techniques of conflict resolution are discussed as a means of effecting constructive change. The Collegial, Zero-Sum, and Strategic Negotiation models of conflict are outlined, a sequence of necessary resolution steps is presented, and an approach for arbitrating third-party disputes is proposed. (MSE)

Addresses how the ambivalence of sociology affects students' understanding of it. Contends that this ambivalence affects the usefulness of sociology as a discipline and sociologists' attitudes towards their profession in addition to creating problems in applying a sociological perspective to everyday life. Concludes that one possible solution is…

While educational institutions and industry share some common elements of the administrative decision-making process, a major point of divergence is the treatment of conflict. In higher education, conflict is seen as destructive and should be avoided, but it can be handled positively. Types, common elements, and styles of conflict are reviewed.…

This article follows the activities of Nicholas Murray Butler's involvement in the peace movement at the turn of the century. Butler, a college administrator, statesman, Republican politician, and friend of big business, belonged to the peace-through-internationalism approach and believed in working within the domestic system. (JMK)