Kris Oehlert
Department Assistant
History, Culture & Society
Complements any Major
About
Baker University is one of the few universities in the region to offer this field at the undergraduate level. Students who minor in conflict management will develop skills in working in diverse groups, critical thinking and analytical reasoning, creativity and innovation, ethics and values, and complex problem-solving. They learn to communicate clearly and solve problems with others at home and in the workplace.
Program Features
- Survey a range of conflict management strategies and understand the differences between them.
- Identify factors that contribute to conflict escalation and avoidance.
- Understand mediation and principled negotiation processes.
- Define and practice communication skills that facilitate conflict resolution.
Don’t wait for graduate school—gain the skills that employers seek now.
- Advanced listening skills
- Ways to speak clearly and calmly when in conflict
- Respect for other disputants
- Third-party conflict management assistance strategies
- Ethics in personal relationships
- Tools for expanding the number of options for solutions
- Communication across cultural differences
A Bridge Across Campus
The conflict management minor offers a curriculum that develops skills that benefit students in a variety of majors throughout the campus. For instance, criminal justice alumni working in police departments have mentioned that the conflict management minor was one of their most formative educational experiences and has great application in police work. Pre-law students and students preparing for careers in ministry also benefit from the minor.
This minor serves as a bridge with other programs, including sociology, business, and psychology. The ability of students to pair the conflict management minor with other programs of study offers a distinguishing factor for Baker students upon graduation.
—Dr. Audrey Hane of Newman University during a review of the program
Conflict Management Coursework
Required Courses
Meet the Faculty
Dr. Tim Buzzell
Professor of Sociology
B.A., M.P.A. Drake University; Ph.D. Iowa State University
Expertise: Computer crime and Internet deviance, sociology of ritual and holidays, political sociology and extremist groups
Office: Parmenter Hall 16
Dr. Michelle Deming
Assistant Professor of Sociology
M.A. University of North Carolina in Wilmington; Ph.D. University of South Carolina; Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, University of South Carolina
Office: Parmenter Hall 23
Dr. Susan Emel
Professor of Communication Studies, Ernestine Susannah Buckley Chair
B.S. Kansas State University, M. Div. St. Paul School of Theology, Ph.D. University of Kansas
Expertise: interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, communication theory, rhetorical studies
Office: Parmenter Hall 15
Dr. Alan Grant
Professor of Business & Economics, the Barbara and Charles A. DuBoc University Professor
B.S., M.A., Ph.D. Kansas State University
Expertise: inflation forecasting and lottery finance
Office: Mabee 208
Dr. Robyn Long
Professor of Psychology, Director of Study Abroad
B.S. Baker University, M.Ed. & Ph.D. University of Georgia
Office: Mabee Hall 206
Dr. Kimberly Schaefer
Associate Professor of Communication Studies
B.A. University of Richmond; M.A., Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin
Expertise: interpersonal communication, communication technology, personal relationships
Office: Parmenter Hall 18
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