Prospectus

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Mediation Skills

Course
2015-2016

Entry requirements

Dutch speaking Master students of Social and Organisational Psychology
Mandatory: the S&O Master course “Negotiation and Social Decision Making” and “Organisational Management”
Strongly advised: the specialisation course “Social Psychology in Organisations”

Description

The mediation course is an advanced course for Master students. The course focuses on mediation as a conflict management skill (NOT statistical mediation). On the one hand this course elaborates on knowledge that students acquired in the third-year bachelor course Conflict and Cooperation and in the Master mandatory course “Social Psychology of Organisational Behaviour”. On the other hand, this course is very practical. Students acquire conflict management skills and mediation skills. Those skills are applicable in almost any conflict situation, be it in a work context or a private context.

The course will also cover the juridical aspects of mediation and will deal with the Dutch law concerning labour (arbeidsrecht) such as the Wet Poortwachter and the behavioural code of the Dutch Institute for Mediation (Gedragscode van het MfN) that every mediator in the Netherlands has to follow. Those texts are only available in Dutch, and students have to be able to read and understand these texts and be able to discuss these using the appropriate legal (Dutch) terms.

Course objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will:

  • Acquire advanced knowledge and insights about conflict processes;

  • Acquire knowledge about intervening in a conflict situation;

  • Learn how to apply this knowledge in mediation settings;

  • Train their own mediation skills and learn basic mediation techniques; and

  • Acquire knowledge about the juridical background of mediation and the formal behavioural code that mediators have to follow.

Timetable

For the timetables of your lectures, work groups and exams, please select your study programme in:
Psychology timetables

Registration

Course

Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions.
Master’s course registration

Examination

Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date. Students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination.
Registering for exams

Mode of instruction

The course will be taught in small groups (max. 15 participants). During the work group sessions (7 sessions of 4 hours), the students will receive one hour of theoretical background, and 3 hours of practice and assignments. Attendance to all sessions is mandatory.

Assessment method

The examination will consist of:

  • An exam about mediation theory, 30 MC questions, 1 open question (rated between 1-10)

  • An assessment on mediation skills (rated between 1 – 10)

  • 4 practical assignments (rated between 1 – 10)

  • 3 written personal reflections (strengths and weaknesses), showing insight in one’s own mediation skills (assessed using either a pass or fail).

All examinations need to be passed with a sufficient grade. The final grade is calculated by averaging the achieved results.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. Please see the information concerning fraud.

Reading list

  • Handboek Mediation. Den Haag 2009, 4e herziene druk, SDU uitgevers

  • Mediation in arbeidsconflicten. Den Haag 2009, 2e herziene druk, SDU uitgevers

Contact information

Belinda van Riesen
briesen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl