CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Conflict Resolution

Religious Violence Expert Mark Juergensmeyer to Begin CSU Dominguez Hills’ Semester-Long Speaker Series ‘Tolerance and Violence in the Mind of God’

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“Tolerance and Violence in the Mind of God,” California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) semester-long speaker series exploring the connection between religion and violence, solidarity, peacebuilding, and combating terrorism, kicks off Feb. 7 with professor and author Mark Juergensmeyer.

Mark JuergensmeyerJuergensmeyer is a professor of sociology and director of global and international studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. An expert in religious violence, conflict resolution and South Asian religion and politics, Juergensmeyer is the author of 22 books including, “Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence” (University of California Press, fourth edition forthcoming in 2017).

The book is based on interviews with religious activists around the world–including Jihadi activists, ISIS supporters, leaders of Hamas, and abortion clinic bombers in the United States. An earlier edition of the book was listed by the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times as “one the best nonfiction books of the year.”

Juergensmeyer is regularly featured as an expert on religion and violence on such television news networks as CNN; ABC News; NBC News; and Fox News.

When:
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.
The lecture will be followed by a reception from 4:15 to 6 p.m.
Where:
California State University, Dominguez Hills, University Library South Wing, 5th floor.
The university is located at 1000 E Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747.
Click here for directions and a printable campus map.

Other lectures from internationally renowned speakers to take place during the “Tolerance and Violence in the Mind of God” series include:

  • March 2
    “Justifying Violence in a Buddhist World”: Michael Jerryson, associate professor of religious studies at Youngstown State University.
  • March 16
    Larycia A. Hawkins, visiting faculty fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia.
  • April 25
    Najeeba Syeed, associate professor of Interreligious Education Active Faculty, Claremont Graduate University.
  • May 4
    Hon. Juan Zarate, former deputy assistant to the U.S. president and deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism (2005 to 2009), and senior national security analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

CSU Dominguez Hills Master’s Student Scott Martin Named Rotary Peace Fellow

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Scott Martin’s unique blend of talent, ambition, and compassion, and his desire to use those traits to help others, has earned him the 2017 Rotary Peace Fellowship and the opportunity to study in the Rotary Peace Centers program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, where he will train to become an “agent for peace.”

Scott Martin
Scott Martin, NCRP master’s student and partner in The Workshop Group.

“I was shocked and pretty humbled when I got the fellowship. I’ve never been to Thailand before, so it will be a completely new experience for me,” said Martin, who is earning his master’s degree in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). “Some of the larger questions I have now are around whether I’ll be moving into peace work full-time.”

At the age of 17, Martin launched his own landscape design business. Today, as a landscape architect, he is a partner in The Workshop Group, a design/build firm in Redondo Beach specializing in whole-system approaches to custom, environmentally-conscious development. He has also designed and participated in large projects around the world, including Dubai and India, and has travelled, lived or worked in nearly 50 countries during his career.

Martin is also an active member of Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBB) and is former president of its Los Angeles chapter. The organization works to bring mediation and “peace skills” to communities around the globe so that they can, in turn, build a more peace “able” world. In 2010, Martin was co-leader of MBB’s “Rwanda Team,” which trained the trainers in trauma awareness and transformative mediation.

Martin will arrive in Thailand in January 2017 for three months of training as a Rotary Peace Fellow, where he will learn to serve as leaders and “catalysts for peace and conflict resolution” at home and around the world. The program is designed for professionals, like Martin, who have already worked in international relations, or peace and conflict resolution.

“As a fellow, my role will be assisting Rotary around the world, not necessarily just doing hands on work, but talking to and training locals to empower themselves; to increase their capacity to be more effective at peace building and coalition building,” said Martin.

Rotary is a global network dedicated to addressing humanitarian challenges around the world with more than 1.2 million leaders who work within more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries. Through its Rotary Peace Center program, the organization “promotes world peace by educating and empowering peace-builders through rigorous academic training, applied field experience, and global networking opportunities.”

“Rotary International is a huge network with local clubs in practically every major city around the world, which makes them a vital partner to learning about local culture, as we did with Mediators Beyond Borders,” said Martin, who became a certified mediator after working with juveniles in victim/offender restorative justice programs after serving on the board of directors for Environmental Charter Schools. “Another part of Rotary’s push to work in peace building is the effective implementation of their other initiatives like the eradication of Polio. That interdisciplinary approach to implementation is something that attracted me to the organization–to use my skill set to help them.”

Martin’s social entrepreneurial prowess includes founding The Living Christmas Company in 2008, which rents living Christmas trees as an alternative to cut or artificial trees. In 2012, Mark Cuban, billionaire investor and owner of the NBA team the Dallas Mavericks, joined the company and expanded its impact in local communities and the environment. Martin also serves on the board of directors for South Bay Business Environmental Coalition.

As a fellow, my role will be assisting Rotary around the world, not necessarily just doing hands on work, but talking to and training locals to empower themselves; to increase their capacity to be more effective at peace building and coalition building – Scott Martin

As he continues to enjoy the work he and his partners are doing at The Workshop Group, Martin is grateful for the financial support it has provided him while he pursues his passion for conflict resolution and peace building. But he continues to contemplate his future, which alternatively could include teaching–possibly at the college level–and/or becoming a conflict resolution consultant full-time.

“I find that when you’re around like minded people it gets contagious. My experience so far in life is that if you commit, opportunities present themselves,” he said. “Sometimes it feels like balancing between bravery and stupidity.”

International Leaders Discuss Conflict Resolution with Students

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Katherine Clerides is a recipient of the 2016 Weinstein JAMS International Fellowship, and a lawyer who currently serves as president of the board of directors of the political think tank the Glafcos Clerides Institute.

J. Steven Rhodes, former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, and Katherine Clerides, daughter of the late President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus, were on campus last month as visiting scholars in the Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding (NCRP) program.

The leaders spent one to four days on campus, meeting with faculty and lecturing in NCRP classes.

“NCRP speakers bring a vast wealth of experience that they share with our students,” said professor and NCRP Director Brian Jarrett. “They share the lessons that they often had to learn the hard way, and students can benefit from these experiences so when they are in practice out in the world, they are ready for such situations, ethical dilemmas, and roadblocks.”

…students can benefit from these experiences so when they are in practice out in the world, they are ready for such situations, ethical dilemmas, and roadblocks.

Clerides, who visited CSUDH as a recipient of the 2016 Weinstein JAMS International Fellowship, is a lawyer who currently serves as president of the board of directors of the political think tank the Glafcos Clerides Institute. As part of her fellowship, Clerides is focusing on the “concepts of forgiveness and dignity in the mediation of political conflicts to address long-standing interethnic disputes in Cyprus.” She is following her father’s footsteps, who as president of Cyprus was celebrated for his efforts to reach a settlement and peace between Cyprus’ Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.

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J. Steven Rhodes was appointed ambassador to Zimbabwe by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.

Rhodes, who was appointed ambassador to Zimbabwe by President George H.W. Bush in 1989, discussed his work and relationship with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who still holds the office today. He began his take by covering a wide variety of topics–from early United States history, such as the Connecticut Compromise, and George Washington at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, to the functions and issues related to regulatory agencies.

Throughout his remarks, Rhodes sprinkled in tips and advice related to conflict resolution and negotiation.

“For every issue there are a bunch of concerns, so you need to get the leaders on each side to tell you what their three most important issues are, then go back and strategize about what you will propose in relation to those items,” said Rhodes while sharing a “common marketing technique” used in negotiations. “Why does that work? Because if you can get down to just a few of the most important things, then get the person two out of the three things, that person will be happy. Everyone knows that they can’t get everything they want. It’s about getting the priorities down to a workable number on both sides.”

Rhodes and Clerides were on campus as part of a visiting scholars series that Jarrett has organized for the NCRP program this academic year. Professor Zhiqun Zhong of Jinlin Police College is currently conducting research and working with faculty and students in NCRP on understanding how police enforcement, corrections, and restorative measures are implemented in China and how these processes differs from such processes in the United States. In spring 2017, well-known environmental meditator Peter Adler will also join NCRP and teach a class on environmental meditation.

Jarrett believes lessons gained through personal experiences are among the most valuable.

“It is important for students to listen carefully to the stories, case examples, and in particular experiences of each presenter as they bring the hands-on knowledge to the classroom,” said Jarrett. “I think the most valuable message that our speakers bring is the importance of developing one’s own autonomy and sense of personal accountability to make positive changes in one’s life, the community, and the society at large.”

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L. Steven Rhodes (center) poses with NCRP students in Assistant Professor Deborah A. Thomas’ (right) NCRP class.

CSUDH and Whitaker Initiative Teach Students How to Solve Conflict

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Forest Whitaker and the Domestic Harmonizer Program kickoff at Carnegie Middle School in Torrance California September 6, 2016. Forest speaks to the students at Carnegie Middle School about conflict resolution and living peaceful.
Forest Whitaker, CSUDH President Willie J. Hagan, and others launch the Domestic Harmonizer Program at Andrew Carnegie Middle School on Sept. 6.

To resolve a personal conflict, a middle school student might turn to a family member, a friend, or a teacher. Sometimes students also seek support from each other through a school program. This is the goal at Andrew Carnegie Middle School in Carson, California where students are taught to manage and solve conflict.

To acquire the skills necessary to teach youth how to manage and resolve conflict, the teachers at Andrew Carnegie Middle School are being trained through the Domestic Harmonizer Program. This program was developed by California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), an international non-profit organization founded by its CEO, Academy Award-winning actor, social activist, and 2015 CSUDH honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Forest Whitaker.

The Domestic Harmonizer Program is being piloted at Andrew Carnegie Middle School from 2016-2019, and will serve as a model for expansion to other schools in Los Angeles and potentially across the United States. The program was officially launched at Carnegie on Sept. 6 during two assemblies that were attended by all of the school’s 915 6-8th grade students.

This is a program that I have envisioned for years,” said Whitaker. “To me, conflict resolution is an essential life skill that is best learned during the formative middle school years. Finding solutions to our problems–however big or small–is something that isn’t always taught in school as a part of the traditional curriculum, but it is one of the most important subjects. I am delighted to be piloting the Domestic Harmonizer Program at Andrew Carnegie Middle School with Cal State University, Dominguez Hills.”

Sixth grade students will focus on general conflict resolution, such as learning about conflict dynamics, creating opportunities rather than roadblocks, and practicing effective communication techniques, according to WDPI Program Manager, Monya Kian. In the 7th grade, students  learn about peer mediation, while 8th grade students focus on restorative justice. Each year builds from the previous year so students are consistently learning new concepts, skills, and techniques.

“The program infuses Common Core subjects [social studies, science, math, and English] with Conflict Resolution Education,” said Kian. “For example, students learn how mediation may be used to resolve a historical conflict in a better way during social studies classes, and see how the brain functions during conflict, in a science module. Each year there has a different focus.”

In August 2016, teachers from Andrew Carnegie Middle School attended a training provided by conflict resolution experts from WPDI and CSUDH to learn about the curriculum and practice conflict resolution techniques. Throughout the academic year, WPDI and CSUDH will provide technical assistance to teachers as they implement the program.

The Domestic Harmonizer curriculum will be assessed by Heather Kertyzia, an assistant professor in both CSUDH’s Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding program and College of Education (COE), and one of the teacher trainers.

“We have two main goals [for the curriculum], one is to increase academic knowledge among students in relation to conflict transformation, and to build vocabulary for them around that. We want them to understand the concepts and be able to use them in an academic way,” said Kertyzia, who specializes in peace education. “But we are also looking for attitudes, values, and behavioral changes among the students. Our hope is that students learn peer mediation, and restorative justice concepts–that they’ll start to apply that at the school and in their daily lives to resolve their own conflicts.”

Choosing the Right School

Andrew Carnegie Middle School was selected by WDPI to pilot the Domestic Harmonizer Program with the help of COE Dean John Davis and College of Arts and Humanities Dean Mitch Avila based on its fit and readiness for the program.

“We had great buy-in from the faculty and the administration, and the school had a program that was similar to ours that laid great groundwork for us,” said Davis. “They asked really hard questions about what would be required of them, and just how much they would have to change their instructional approach. They were earnest, sincere, and committed as we worked together to find solutions and answers to their questions.”

Carnegie Middle School Principal Cheryl L. Nakata said that often programs that are not designed in an inclusive way often just run their course and are discontinued. She believes that middle school is the perfect age to teach CRE concepts to students.

“Kids in middle school really don’t know much at all about how to resolve conflict. Their first instincts are to yell and scream, and/or physically fight because that’s what they know and see,” said Nakata. “Kids are pretty honest at that age, and they want to do the right thing. When they begin to learn what conflict really is and how to work it out, they will begin to build confidence, and be better equipped to handle all kinds of situations. This is a three-year program with input and feedback from our teachers and students, so I look forward to seeing how it develops.”

Forest Whitaker, CSUDH Program to Teach Conflict Resolution in Schools

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Forest Whitaker talking to students
Forest Whitaker and the Domestic Harmonizer Program kickoff at Carnegie Middle School in Torrance California September 6, 2016. Forest speaks to the students at Carnegie Middle School about conflict resolution and living peaceful.

Today at a school-wide assembly at Andrew Carnegie Middle School, artist and social activist Forest Whitaker–the Founder and CEO of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) and UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation–officially launched the Domestic Harmonizer Program with California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Andrew Carnegie Middle School is in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and currently enrolls 915 6-8th grade students, all of whom will participate in the program.

The Domestic Harmonizer Program is an innovative initiative designed by WPDI and CSUDH’s Negotiation Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding program and College of Education specifically for middle schools, with the aim of nurturing a new generation of youth leaders committed to peaceful conflict resolution. This is a unique program as it integrates Conflict Resolution Education with Common Core State Standards in math, science, social studies, and English. Through this program, students and teachers will have an opportunity to practice conflict resolution skills every day, and thereby better tackle issues such as youth violence and bullying, and create a peaceable school climate. The Domestic Harmonizer Program will be implemented at Andrew Carnegie Middle School for the next three years, and will serve as a model for expansion to other schools in Los Angeles and potentially across the country.

“This is a program that I have envisioned for years,” said Forest Whitaker. “To me, conflict resolution is an essential life skill that is best learned during the formative middle school years. Finding solutions to our problems–however big or small–is something that isn’t always taught in school as a part of the traditional curriculum, but it is one of the most important subjects. I am delighted to be piloting the Domestic Harmonizer Program at Andrew Carnegie Middle School with Cal State University Dominguez Hills.”

The Domestic Harmonizer Program will focus on general conflict resolution skills in the 6th grade, peer mediation in the 7th grade, and restorative justice in the 8th grade. The curriculum for the Domestic Harmonizer Program was co-designed by WPDI and CSUDH, and will be implemented in classrooms by teachers from Andrew Carnegie Middle School. In August 2016, teachers from the school attended a three-day training provided by conflict resolution experts from WPDI and CSUDH to learn about the curriculum and practice conflict resolution techniques. Throughout the academic year, WPDI and CSUDH will provide technical assistance to teachers as they implement the program. The Domestic Harmonizer Program will be assessed by an independent evaluator from CSUDH.

“This program is a trailblazing initiative in education, and it is exactly what is needed for the 21st century if we are to create a world where peace, tolerance, and understanding of differences take precedence over fear, hate, and ignorance,” said CSUDH President Willie J. Hagan. “We are honored to partner with the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative in this important endeavor to educate our youth and nurture them to become the leaders of tomorrow in peace and conflict resolution.”

Andrew Carnegie Middle School was chosen to pilot this program due to its location in Carson and the school’s strong leadership team and educators. In the past, the school had a peer mediation program, and the administration at Carnegie was eager to introduce a new program with similar goals to peacefully address conflicts on campus.

“We are extremely excited to be partnered with CSUDH and the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative to implement this one of a kind program. This innovative approach will teach our students the essential life skills of conflict resolution and peace building. Through this program, we hope that it will make a difference in our students’ lives and one day, they will make a difference in this world,” said Andrew Carnegie Middle School Principal Cheryl Nakata.