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2020/2021

Environmental Negotiation

Code: 102813 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2501915 Environmental Sciences OT 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Júlia Miralles de Imperial Pujol
Email:
Julia.MirallesDeImperial@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

It is required to have passed the subject "Environmental administration and policies". It is also necessary to read generalist newspapers and to have interest in the current environmental political conflicts and negotiations. Finally, the kind of activities and evaluation of this subject makes essential the assistance to the majority of the sessions. Other ways of pursuing the subject are considered exceptional and should be previously agreed with the lecturer.

Objectives and Contextualisation

Negotiation is a key element in the process of elaboration and of public policies and the management environmental conflicts. The objective of this subject is to offer to students the theoretical and practical tools to understand and manage public controversies, and to introduce students in the negotiation theory and tecniques in the framework of public policy processes and environmental conflicts. 

The subject combines the theoretical and practical dimensions. During the course we will analyse public controversies and explore different ways to negotiate by means of simulations and practical cases, from the most simple to the most complex ones and combining the perspectives at the different levels of government. 

Competences

  • Adequately convey information verbally, written and graphic, including the use of new communication and information technologies.
  • Analyze and use information critically.
  • Demonstrate adequate knowledge and use the tools and concepts of the most relevant social science environment.
  • Demonstrate concern for quality and praxis.
  • Demonstrate initiative and adapt to new situations and problems.
  • Information from texts written in foreign languages.
  • Teaming developing personal values regarding social skills and teamwork.
  • Work autonomously

Learning Outcomes

  1. Adequately convey information verbally, written and graphic, including the use of new communication and information technologies.
  2. Analyze and use information critically.
  3. Apply the concepts and approaches of political science, especially the explanations of social inequalities between classes, between genders and among ethnic groups, the implementation of public policies and the resolution of conflict situations.
  4. Demonstrate concern for quality and praxis.
  5. Demonstrate initiative and adapt to new situations and problems.
  6. Describe and properly use the main concepts in the field of study of the relationship between politics and society: regulation of social conflict, political power and legitimacy, political system.
  7. Describe the main elements of the political process: socialization, attitudes and political ideologies.
  8. Information from texts written in foreign languages.
  9. Make a diagnosis of the problems of conflict and cooperation to the countries, regions and areas of the international system as it takes.
  10. Make a diagnosis of the problems of security and development to countries, regions and areas of the international system as it takes.
  11. Political actors describe and critically evaluate the political behavior in different socio-political and historical contexts.
  12. Show whether these policies cause conflicts or respond to a consensus.
  13. Teaming developing personal values regarding social skills and teamwork.
  14. Tests to distinguish between political science and value judgments on democracy, human rights, social justice and sustainable development.
  15. Work autonomously

Content

Lesson 1: Negotiation in public interventions

  • General framework.
  • Distributive negotiation and positions negotiation.
  • Negotiation based on principles. Harvard model of negotiation.

Lesson 2: Negotiation tecniques

  • Planification of a negotiation.
  • Formats, strategies and instruments during negotiation.

Lesson 3: Agents and power

  • Who participates and who influences in a negotiation.
  • Power in the negotiating table.

Lesson 4: Negotiation and participation

  • Negotiation and participation in public interventions.
  • Potentialities and limits of participation.

Lesson 5: Negotiation and mediation

  • Third parts in a negotiation process.
  • Mediation as an instrument of negotiation.

Methodology

The subject Negotiation of Public Interventions has 6 ECTS credits, that is, a total of 150 hours of dedication by the student (25 hours per credit). These hours are structured in the various types of training activities and teaching methodologies described below with the objective of combining a well-founded theoretical approach with practical exercises,to allow a direct approach to the reality of negotiations linked to the implementation of public policies.

The theoretical foundations will be exposed in the sessions dedicated to theoretical lectures, that will be at all times opened to the participation of students for clarification and debate.

The fundamentals of the theory will be settled on the reading of texts and the autonomous study, both of the material exposed in the classes and other materials that will be indicated in class or through the Virtual Campus.

The study work will be complemented with individual exercises related to the seminar readings and cases, from which a debate will be held between the students led by the lecturer. During the course, a total of 10 seminars will be take place, 5 of which will include a written assignment and 5 more that will just be treated orally in class. All seminars will be evaluated both in terms of oral contributions in class and, where appropriate, written assignments. It will be communicated through the Virtual Campus in sufficient advance in what specific activities will consist each seminar and the necessary preparation by students.

The practical paper will consist of an applied research on a local public policy chosen by the students from among the proposals made by the lecturer. The work will be carried out in teams of 2 people, with the exceptions that can be considered for working or other kind of reasons duly justified.

On the days of oral presentations of papers, a round of questions will be made by the lecturer and the students. Finally, a debate will be opened on the set of topics addressed in the oral presentation.

During the course, individual and group tutorials will be carried out for the accomplishment of the practical paper and on the follow-up of the course in the hours that will be previously fixed through the electronic mail at the request of the students as well as by indication of the teacher.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Practical exercices in the classroom. 19.5 0.78 2, 3, 5, 4, 12, 11, 7, 6, 14, 9, 10, 8, 1, 13
Theoretical lectures: explanations by the teacher with ICT support and debate in a large group. 30 1.2 3, 12, 11, 7, 6, 14, 9, 10
Type: Supervised      
Tutorial: individual and group tutorials for support for the accomplishment of the work and monitoring of the work done in the subject. 25 1 5, 4, 1, 15
Type: Autonomous      
Elaboration of the course paper and the seminar papers. 25 1 2, 3, 5, 4, 12, 11, 7, 6, 14, 9, 10, 8, 1, 15, 13
Study: Carrying out diagrams and summaries of theoretical contents. 20 0.8 2, 3, 11, 7, 6, 14, 8, 15
Texts reading: individual exercice of comprehensive text reading. 20 0.8 2, 3, 11, 7, 6, 14, 9, 10, 8, 15

Assessment

 

The evaluation of this subject is composed of the following evaluation activities:

- Final exam: 30% of the final grade.

- Written seminars about readings and cases: 25% of the final grade.

  • Only the 4 best qualificacions will be considered. 

- Oral participation in the seminars: 15% of the final grade.

- Course work: 30% of the final grade.

  • 10% of the final grade the oral presentation and 20% the written paper.

Important considerations

  • It is a necessary condition, but not enough, to pass the exam in order to pass the subject.
  • To pass the subject it is necessary to approve the whole set of seminars (the 5 that include a written paper and the 5 that will be only treated orally in class), such as the course work, such as the exam.
  • The dates of the seminars as well as the oral presentations of the course papers will be specified within the framework of the course programme through the Virtual Campus.
  • It is required to assist to the seminar sessions. Any abscence due to labour or medical issue appropiately documented will not have any effect on the final mark. It is permited to have two non justified absences to the seminar session, only one of which can correspond to a seminar with written assignment. 
  • Written seminar papers will be submitted before the corresponding class through the Virtual Campus. They will only be evaluated if the student attends the corresponding seminar session or presents medical or work justification of the absence.
  • The exam will be at the end of the semester on the day and schedule set by the Faculty, which will be made public in sufficient time and that students will have to confirm through the Faculty website.
  • Students must notify the composition of the group and the subject choosen for the course paper through the teacher's email during the first two weeks of the semester. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to deliver it.
  • The fact of doing the exam, or presenting the course paper or participating in at least 4 seminars exempts the student from the "Not Presented" qualification.
  • Students who have not passed the whole of the seminars or the coursepaper or both may submit a new individual written work, determined by the lecturer, to obtain the necessary grade to pass the assessment activities that they had failed. The lecturer will specify to the students in this situation the characteristics and date of delivery of the corresponding work.
  • Students who have not passed the exam will have the opportunity to take part in the compensation activities, that is to say, they will be able to re-test the failed exam on the day the Faculty determines, after the end of the second semester.To ask for a reevaluation the student must have been received a mark in activities that represent at least 2/3 of the global mark during the course.
  • Any student who, due to justified work or health reasons or because he is performing an exchange programme, can not attend the course normally, must notify this situation to the lecturer during the first two weeks of the semester in order to agree the corresponding compensatory activities. In case this notification occurs later without a justification, the student can not pass the subject.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Course paper 30% of the final grade 0.5 0.02 2, 3, 5, 4, 12, 11, 6, 14, 9, 10, 1, 15, 13
Final exam 30% of the final grade 4 0.16 2, 3, 12, 11, 7, 6, 14, 9, 10, 1
Oral participation in seminars 15% of the final grade 5.5 0.22 2, 3, 5, 4, 12, 11, 7, 6, 14, 8, 1, 15, 13
Seminar papers about readings and cases 25% of the final grade 0.5 0.02 2, 3, 5, 4, 12, 11, 7, 6, 14, 9, 8, 15

Bibliography

The subject does not have a reference bibliography that must be read compulsorily to follow the course. However, for the realization of the seminars, some texts will have to be read. These texts will be indicated by the lecturer during the course, well in advance so that students can work on them.

On the other hand, for those who want to expand their knowledge about theory and negotiation and mediation techniques, we propose the following publications:

 

Fisher, R. (1996). Más allá de Maquiavelo. Barcelona: Granica.

Fisher, R., Ury, W., Patton, B. (2011). Obtenga el Sí. El arte de negociar sin ceder,. Barcelona: Ediciones Gestión 2000.

Lebel, P. (1990). El arte de la negociación, Barcelona: CEAC.

Mendieta, C. (2010). Tècniques de negociació i resolució de conflictes. Manual de Consulta. Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona. Disponible a https://www1.diba.cat/llibreria/pdf/51553.pdf

Moore, C. (1995). El Proceso de Mediación, Buenos Aires: Granica.