Discourses of Conflict and Reconciliation 3201-DKP-OG

The recent drive towards cultural integration in major social domains is a response to the progressing need for closer interpersonal/intergroup cooperation. The latter has always functioned as the most reliable force safeguarding balance in interhuman relations and natural ways of conflict avoidance. Despite some efforts undertaken today towards implementing/extending pluralistic and democratic procedures, the integration tendencies are often paralleled with sustained or growing social divisions. These are linguistically manifest in acts of social segregation, marginalization and exclusion. Instead of building respect and understanding, they convert interhuman exchange into communicative chaos, antagonism and violence. Such oppressive activities are easily transformed into physical aggression, including fights, warfare or terrorist attacks. In the light of the (still) growing cultural and interactive dissonance in different regions of the world, questions arise as to the role of linguists in proposing solutions to the communicative distrust, polarisation, coercion and manipulation that penetrate both public and private domains.
The aim of this course is to address the possibilities of overcoming different forms of the ‘communication crisis’ by studying discourse strategies that can neutralise confrontational positions and prevent their dissemination. Are there any alternatives to oppressive styles and exclusionary rhetoric in public and private spheres? Under which conditions and by which linguistic means can the conflictual behaviours be transformed into substantial ‘cross-cultural dialogue’? The latter is meant to transcend particularistic interests with a view to negotiating constructive and efficient ways of problem-solving, conflict-management/resolution and reconciliation. The above problems pose questions about speakers’ responsibility in conscious selecting, rejecting, modifying and creating their own local and global linguistic practices. Their critical and reflective choice is a key factor in people’s self-understanding, self-definition and self-constitution. It also represents a major source of personal self-constancy, uniqueness and dignity as fundamental constituents of basic human ethics in the modern world.

student's contribution to the course: 3 ECTS

30h - participation in the classes
20h - reading assignments
25h - homework
15h - preparation of the semester project

Course coordinators

Urszula Okulska-Łukawska

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

general knowledge of social communication

Learning outcomes

KNOWLEDGE
The student knows and understands:

K_W02 to an advanced degree the psycholinguistic, biological, cultural, and linguistic aspects of language use.
K_W09 to an advanced degree the relationships between linguistics and other fields of study.
K_W14 to an advanced degree the fundamental dilemmas of contemporary civilization.

SKILLS

The student is able to:

K_U02 identify cultural elements characteristic of the studied linguistic area and interpret socio-historical changes occurring within that linguistic area.
K_U08 cooperate and work in a group, assuming the role of a language mediator within it.
K_U11 collaborate with representatives of a linguistic and cultural community.

COMPETENCIES
The student is ready to:

K_K02 appropriately identify and resolve problems of interlingual and intercultural communication.
K_K04 perform the profession of a language mediator in accordance with the principles of professional ethics.
K_K05 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems and seek the opinions of experts.

Assessment criteria

grade credit (100% of the final grade) - based on oral presentations of semester projects

Assessment criteria:
- coverage of the course material
- students’ ability to express themselves orally on a specific research topic

The condition to approach the final evaluation is participation in the course, with the maximum of 2 absences allowed.

Practical placement

Bibliography

Arendt, Hannah. 1998. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Bush, Robert A. Baruch / Joseph P. Folger. 2005. The Promise of Mediation. The Transformative Approach to Conflict. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Cloke, Kenneth. 2001. Mediating Dangerously. The Frontiers of Conflict Resolution. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Ensink, Titus / Christoph Sauer (eds.). 2003. The Art of Commemoration. Fifty Years after the Warsaw Uprising. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Gójska, Agata et al. 2012. Konsultacje społeczne w przestrzeni wielkomiejskiej. Warszawa: Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne.
Grillo, Eric. (ed.). 2005. Power without Domination. Dialogism and the Empowering Property of Communication. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Grimshaw, Allen D. (ed.). 1990. Conflict Talk. Sociolinguistic Investigations of Arguments in Conversations. Cambridge: CUP.
Gutmann, Amy / Dennis Thompson. 1996. Democracy and Disagreement. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Habermas, Jürgen. 1984. The Theory of Communicative Action. Vol. 1. Reason and the Rationalization of Society. Boston: Beacon Press.
Muntigl, Peter. 2004. Narrative Counselling. Social and Linguistic Processes of Change. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Pawelczyk, Joanna. 2010. Talk as Therapy. Linguistic Investigations in Psychotherapy. Poznań: UAM.
Reykowski, Janusz (ed.) 2007. Konflikt i porozumienie. Psychologiczne podstawy demokracji deliberatywnej. Warszawa: Academica.
Ricoeur, Paul. 1992. Oneself as Another. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
Rogers, Carl. 2002. O stawaniu się osobą. Poglądy terapeuty na psychoterapię. Poznań: Rebis.
Skarżyńska, Krystyna / Urszula Jakubowska / Jacek Wasilewski (eds.). 2007. Konflikty międzygrupowe. Przejawy, źródła i metody rozwiązywania. Warszawa: Academica.
Tanner, Deborah. 1998. The Argument Culture. Moving from Debate to Dialogue. New York: Random House.
Verdoolaege, Annelis. 2008. Reconciliation Discourse. The Case of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Wesołowska, Elżbieta. 2010. Deliberatywne rozwiązywanie konfliktów wartości. Wielość dróg do porozumienia. Olsztyn: Wydawnictwo UWM.
Winslade, John / Gerald Monk. 2000. Narrative Mediation. A New Approach to Conflict Resolution. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes: