I. Course Title: The Power of Dialogue (POD): Deconstructing the Rural-Urban Divide
Part I
II. Course Number: APST 410
III. Credit Hours: 2 credits (the final credit for a total of 3-credit hours will
be acquired with the successful completion of APST420)
IV. Prerequisites: None; however, students enrolling in APST 410 must enroll in APST
420.
V. Course Description:
This course is an immersive learning experience for Georgetown, Radford, Columbia,
and Indiana University of Pennsylvania undergraduates from a range of backgrounds.
Students share one week of in-class and outdoor educational experiences in which they
delve into the complexities of rural and urban living. The Radford portion of the
trip focuses on Appalachian culture, understanding sources of conflict, and communication
skills needed for managing differences. As students travel to DC, they explore the
complexities of urban development and frameworks for multi-stakeholder negotiation
in public disputes. Rooted in social psychology and the study of diplomacy, these
interactive sessions use self-assessment, interactive lectures, hands-on simulations,
and site visits to equip students with analytical frameworks and practical tools for
managing conflict in a range of personal and professional settings.
VI. Goals and Objectives of the Course:
Learning Aims
- Cultural dexterity: Develop the cultural dexterity needed to serve as a bridge between
rural and urban communities of Appalachia and Washington, DC; understand political
and socio-economic histories; and build necessary skills needed for navigating contentious
discussions.
- Mediation skills needed for navigating contentious discussions: Explore conflict styles
and productive approaches to managing them; practice giving and receiving feedback;
and build active listening skills.
- Consensus building: Learn analytical tools to systematically prepare for and practice
consensus building; understand the role of interest-based negotiation in building
agreement.
Learning Outcomes
Students will ...
- Establish nuanced working definitions of the rural-urban divide
- Develop contextual knowledge of diverse communities and the challenges of economic
development in rural Appalachia and Washington, DC.
- Recognize underlying causes of conflict in challenging conversations
- Practice skills to manage difficult team dynamics
- Implement a framework for systematic negotiation preparation
- Engage in giving and receiving constructive feedback to peers; https://elireview.com/2016/08/03/describe-evaluate-suggest/
- Produce a final research-based presentation that proposes a solution to problems caused
by the rural-urban divide
VII. Assessment Measures:
- Pre-course assessment (5%): Students will be required to complete an online pre-course
assessment of attitudes toward rural and urban culture and ability to navigate conflict.
Grading will be based solely on timely completion.
- Online discussions (20%): Prior to the course, after the fourth session, and following
the weeklong seminar, students will be required to engage in online discussions on
Canvas. Each discussion prompt will require a substantive answer (approximately 200-250
words) to the question and meaningful responses to one or more other students鈥� postings.
- Daily reflection log (25%): Each student will be provided a notebook for recording
syntheses of daily reflections. Although the substance of the journals will not be
graded, instructors will check to make sure students are keeping track of ongoing
questions and key insights from the course. The log will inform student responses
to questions posed in the mid- and end-of-course debriefs and online after session
four.
- Final presentation (30%): Over the Fall 2020 Semester, students will work in groups
of 2-3 to prepare 20-minute oral presentations on the following topic: What would
be the best way for individuals, groups, or governments to address the rural-urban
divide and/or the problems caused by the divide? Students will develop a plan for
an individual, group, or government to address their chosen issue. A one-page summary
of your final project proposal, with initial citations, is due on Canvas by XXdate.
Using research beyond class readings, each group should prepare a draft slide deck
and submit to the professors one week before final presentations. Final decks are
due the day before presentations. Each presentation should include a short introduction
to the topic, analysis, and recommendations and will be followed by a brief Q&A with
the class.
- Class participation (20%): Class participation is essential to the success of the
course. Participation will be evaluated based on quality of preparation for simulations
and exercises, thoughtful contributions to classroom discussion and connections to
readings, use of time provided to give and receive peer feedback, and timely arrival
at all sessions. Each simulation will conclude with small- and full-group structured
debrief around specific topics such as negotiation preparation, conflicting values,
interpersonal barriers to reaching agreement, cultural issues, and complex public
disputes.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
March 01, 2021