center for research & Practice

Research Projects

Thematic Focus

Three themes in Conflict Resolution represent well-developed faculty expertise, overlapping research interests, and selected topics for further development to guide the mission and activities in the Center for Research and practice:

The Artful Practitioner

Developing the blend of appropriate skills for effective Conflict Resolution practitioners drawing on new theory and approaches to negotiation and mediation, mechanisms for evaluation and reflection, and ethical behavior standards.

Ethnic Conflict Assessment

Analyzing the characteristics, sources, and dynamics of domestic and international conflicts using new frameworks and models to map escalation and de-escalation processes and recommend whether and how to intervene.

Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Restoration

Structuring programs for capacity building and ways to restore community fabric in intractable ongoing, and recently settled, conflicts.

Projects

Evaluating Colorado Community Mediation Impact

Community Mediation continues to be a vibrant and growing movement for bringing straightforward dispute settlement opportunities into the hands of ordinary citizens. From parent-child to small claims, victim-offender, neighborhood disputes, and larger public conflicts, community mediation provides mechanisms for addressing diverse interests and building relationships. This project is designed to develop a common framework for tracking the accomplishments and impact of community mediation efforts across Colorado to demonstrate the value of mediation and nurture its growth. Click here for details.

Capacity Building in Mediation in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago, a plural society with divergent social, ethnic and cultural groups, seeks to develop alternative systems of justice and form of civil disputes through capacity building in mediation and related conflict resolution frameworks. This project is designed to enhance conflict analysis and resolution training programs at The University of West Indies, St. Augustine campus in Port-of-Spain, by working with the Trinidad faculty in developing their mediation curriculum to create a master’s degree, establishing a Conflict Resolution Center on the campus, and providing students and faculty at UWI and the University of Denver with greater international perspectives in understanding conflict and conflict resolution dynamics.

Partnership to Establish the Georgia Mediation Clinic

The Republic of Georgia, transitioning from communist rule to free-market democracy, recently introduced a program of political reforms, including changes in the judicial and legal system that highlight the need for improved conflict management between disputing parties. In this project, Tbilisi State University and the University of Denver are combining their conflict resolution expertise to create a training center and curricular model to support mediation practitioners in the South Caucasus region, and to develop a local mediation clinic. The clinic will provide free, confidential services for the university and the community, offering reforming business, educational, and legal sectors a viable, respected institution for non-violent resolution of disputes.