Description
The doctoral program, the first of its kind in the United States, provides advanced study for students in the fields of conflict and conflict resolution. Students are prepared for careers as researchers, theoreticians, and teachers in higher education, and as policy administrators, analysts, and consultants in both the public and private sectors. The program stresses a close link between knowledge of theory and of process in the resolution of conflict. For this, training in the methods of research and analysis is necessary and is emphasized. In addition, students are expected to obtain a background in a substantive area of conflict, usually related to the topic of the dissertation.
For students with a master's degree, a total of 57 credits are required.
Required Core Doctoral Courses
CONF 801 Introduction to Conflict Analysis and Resolution - 3 credits
Foundation Courses
Students take 15 credits of required foundation coursework with student options in areas of theory research and practice; each class is 3 credits:
Theory (6 credits)
Any 2 of the following 3 classes:
CONF 802 Micro Theories - 3 credits
CONF 803 Macro Theories - 3 credits
CONF 804 Alternative Theoretical Foundations - 3 credits
Research (6 credits)
Any 2 of the following 3 classes:
CONF 811 Quantitative Foundations - 3 credits
CONF 812 Qualitative Foundations: Social Sciences - 3 credits
CONF 813 Qualitative Foundations: Humanities - 3 credits
Practice (3 credits)
Any 1 of the following 2 classes:
CONF 713 Interpersonal and Intergroup Conflict - 3 credits
CONF 890 Applied Practice & Theory- 3 credits*
Specialization Courses: Students take 9 credits of graduate level specialization courses, evenly distributed across the areas of theory, research and practice. The program director must approve courses.
Elective Courses: 19 elective credits must be completed prior to comprehensive exams (credit for prior relevant graduate level degrees).
Dissertation: Students are required to complete 12 combined units of CONF 998 (Dissertation Proposal- up to 6 credits) and CONF 999 (Dissertation Research- up to 12 credits). Students must have a signed dissertation proposal in order to register for CONF 999. The student's dissertation chair is the instructor of record for CONF 998 and CONF 999.
*see APT description below
The APT program is a six-credit course running yearlong. It is designed to take the concepts presented in class and practiced in labs into real situations with conflict and consequences. Students work in teams integrating research and practice with theory development and applied ethics.
Doctoral students should register for CONF 890.
Fall 2015 - Spring 2016 APT's
CONF 890 Applied Practice and Theory Program
International APT
Dr. Karina Korostelina
The purpose of the International APT course is to give students experience in understanding dynamics of conflict that include issues of violence, injustice, and discrimination as well as in building research and practice projects on conflict resolution. Students have the opportunity to learn field research in different cultural context, conflict analysis, research and intervention design, intervention processes, data analysis, evaluation, consulting, contracting, entry and exit. Inevitably, they also learn about themselves: their skills, their abilities to work in the ebb and flow of real conflict, their abilities to work in teams, their preferences in research and intervention style, and preferences for form of practice and research. Students find that lessons learned and capabilities built are not easy to articulate. Some students report that the knowledge only coalesced years after graduation.
Students should contact Dr. Korostelina at [email protected] with an email of interest prior to registering for the course.
Doctoral students are encouraged to apply.
Students can visit the following site for additional information and syllabus: http://scar.gmu.edu/ms-program/integration-options/apt
CONF 890
South Caucasus Conflict Resolution Action Research: Implementing, Evaluating, and Innovating in Reconciliation Programs
Dr. Susan Allen
Building on grants to Mason for Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-South Ossetian confidence building measures and people-to-people reconciliation, this APT team will engage directly in conflict resolution reflective practice and action research. While some parts of the project are already underway (see website: http://pointofviewdialogue.com/en/), APT team members will have opportunities to explore potential innovations in the practice, while learning through doing. Each team member is encouraged to bring his/her preferred theoretical lens to the course, and to examine the utility of that lens in supporting conflict resolution practice throughout the course.
Students should contact Dr. Susan Allen at [email protected] with an email of interest prior to registering for the course.
Doctoral students are encouraged to apply.
Students can visit the following site for additional information and syllabus: http://scar.gmu.edu/ms-program/integration-options/apt
CONF 690/890 Applied Practice and Theory Course
Research and Practice: Community Conflicts in Centreville, Virginia
Dr. Julie Shedd and Lisa E. Shaw
The Centerville Labor Resource Center (the only day labor center in Fairfax County) is deeply engaged with a community of approximately 1,000 immigrants from Guatemala. A majority of the immigrants are young men who use the resources of the labor center to secure work at fair wages. While most of the community speaks Spanish, the native language is the Ixil Mayan dialect.
In the past two years relatively small arguments have become violent, and leaders of the community have reached out to ask for help in developing inter-community conflict resolution skills to help manage, prevent and transform conflict within the migratory community membership. Many of these members have been directly or indirectly impacted by the atrocities of the Guatemalan Civil War.
Additional Fairfax community based partners will include the county Labor Resource Center, Northern Virginia Mediation Services, Fairfax County Police and other Mason departments who will assist in developing conflict resolution capacity to this group.
This recently developed project will be developed in a team-based atmosphere with multiple S-CAR faculty members including Mara Schoeny, Patricia Maulen, Julie Shedd, Lisa Shaw and others who have expressed interest.
Students should contact Julie Shedd ([email protected]) or Lisa Shaw ([email protected]) with an email of interest prior to registration for the course.
Students with an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University may have the course total required for doctoral degree, reduced by up to 15 credits. The actual number of the credit reduction is determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the program director, after a review of courses taken.
Students entering with graduate credit or degrees (M.A., M.S. or J.D.) may have required course load reduced by up to 15 credits. The actual number of applied credits is determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the program director, after a review of courses taken.
Every doctoral student must show competence in a foreign language (that is, a language other than the native tongue), preferably before taking the comprehensive field paper examination. This requirement must be completed before beginning the dissertation. On no account are dissertations accepted without evidence of meeting this requirement. Overseas students may use English as their foreign language and the TOEFL examination as a demonstration of competency. The Department of Modern and Classical Languages has ruled that American Sign Language or computer languages cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
Upon completing course work (except dissertation) listed under Degree Requirements and passing the comprehensive field paper examination, students will be advanced to candidacy. A candidate is permitted five years from the advancement date to complete the dissertation.
Details on the comprehensive field paper examination, dissertation and other writing resources, please visit the: Student Services Page.
Printable S-CAR Dissertation Process Handbook
Each year S-CAR is able to offer funding to a limited number of PhD students. Applications are reviewed carefully for funding decisions. Once the initial offers go out, students offered funding have until April 15th to accept. Any funding packages that are not accepted at that point will be offered to other admitted PhD students.
Students who do not receive direct funding from S-CAR have in the past used the following other sources of funding to support their study:
Each year S-CAR hires a number of students in part time administrative roles. As these opportunities open they are circulated to the entire graduate student community with information on how to apply. These appointments are not set aside ahead of time but are done through matching of needs of the position and student experience and skills.
Each year S-CAR faculty hire a number of students in research assistant positions on grants they receive. These positions are at the discretion of individual grant holders and vary in length. Application for these positions is done through the faculty grant holder.
Students are eligible for a variety of on-campus positions. In the past students have worked at :
- University Information http://info.gmu.edu/employment.html for the Arlington campus
- Arlington Campus Library
- University Life
- Other administrative offices
Most on-campus positions are listed through HireMason, https://gmu-csm.symplicity.com/students/ a service available to active students and alumni
Students can look for opportunities teaching as adjunct professors at both S-CAR and other relevant Mason departments. PhD students are eligible to teach at the undergraduate level. Adjunct faculty are hired on a department by department basis so to apply for these position requires contacting specific departments that seem to be a good match
Off-campus employment- Washington, DC still enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Relevant off-campus employments has regularly been found at organizations such as the United States Institute of Peace, Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, various International Development agencies and many others. Several websites are particularly good sources for finding positions including:
- Peace and Collaborative Development Networkhttp://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/
- Idealist.Org
- S-CAR Community Network and Forum http://icarcommunity.ning.com/ (open to current students and alumni)
Financial Aid- The financial aid office at George Mason http://financialaid.gmu.edu/ processes both grant and loan assistance requests. They also maintain a database of scholarship opportunities. In addition, the office of Post-Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships maintains a list of additional opportunities and offers assistance with applications http://www.gmu.edu/depts/saa/fellowships/opportunities/gradstudy.html
For more information on career development, visit our site here.
Students are required to complete 12 combined units of CONF 998 (Dissertation Proposal- up to 6 credits) and CONF 999 (Dissertation Research- up to 12 credits). Students must have a signed dissertation proposal in order to register for CONF 999. The student's dissertation chair is the instructor of record for CONF 998 and CONF 999.
All theses and dissertations submitted to UDTS on or after Tuesday, January 22, 2013 will be submitted under the Mandatory Electronic Submission Policy. Starting on that date, all theses and dissertations will be placed in our Institutional Repository, MARS. We will no longer be requiring students to turn in cotton copies of their theses and dissertations, and we will no longer place bound copies of theses and dissertations in Fenwick Library.
You will still need to submit to S-CAR's John Burton Library a copy of: your original proposal; one (1) paper copy (unbounded is acceptable) of your final dissertation two weeks before your defense; and a pdf. copy of your final dissertation with all corrections after your defense (to be email to [email protected]).
With this change to Mandatory Electronic Submission, Mason will be introducing an embargo policy, which will enable students to make their work available in MARS immediately, or to delay availability of their work for 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. All students must complete the embargo paperwork even if they choose not to delay the work.
Full details of the dissertation submission process can be found on the UDTS web site. Book your UDTS review appointment early and watch for GMU deadlines in order to graduate on time.