30803 - Professional Skills Laboratory: Pedagogy II (G.D)

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this lab, students will be able to:

• Independently apply specialized knowledge in both autonomous settings and within institutional frameworks.
  
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with peers regarding the application and documentation of learned techniques.
  
• Contextualize specialized knowledge within various types of social and educational services.
  
• Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the technical tools acquired.
  
• Adapt and integrate technologies into diverse contexts, applying personal insights and modifications.
  

Course contents

Theories and Practices of Social Mediation and Conflict Resolution

The lab provides a comprehensive overview of mediation practices for conflict resolution, with a specific focus on urban environments and multicultural social contexts. A dedicated module will explore intra-family conflicts.

Participants will examine mediation as an "alternative" dispute resolution (ADR) tool to the formal justice system. The curriculum emphasizes practical application through simulations of micro-conflicts in neighborhood, school, and workplace settings. The lab concludes with a small-group project focused on designing socio-educational interventions related to community coexistence and mediation systems.

Readings/Bibliography

A fundamental bibliography is provided below. A more extensive reading list will be distributed during the lab sessions.

• L. Luison (ed.), La Mediazione Come Strumento di Intervento Sociale. Milan: F. Angeli.
  
• Vaccari M. (2014), "Progettare insieme la convivenza in Via Turri," in Corradini, F. (ed.), Dalla città all'Europa. Strategie di sicurezza urbana. Città di Castello: NuovaPrhomos.
  
• Vaccari, M. (2016), "Io dico com'è iniziata questa storia. Le parole che 'agiscono' in due centri pubblici per la mediazione sociale e dei conflitti," [Ph.D. Dissertation], Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna. Doctoral Program in Pedagogical Sciences.
  
• Zannoni, F. (ed.) (2012), La società della discordia. Prospettive pedagogiche per la mediazione e la gestione dei conflitti. Bologna: CLUEB.
  

Note: These texts are not required for purchase.

Teaching methods

Topics will be introduced via brief lectures to provide theoretical frameworks, followed by active learning methodologies, including:

• Case studies
  
• Practical exercises
  
• Simulations and role-playing

The sessions will be structured as follows:

1. Introduction to Mediation: Historical-geographical overview and analysis of different approaches (Problem-Solving, Transformative, and Humanistic Mediation).
   
2. Conflict Mediation: The role of narrative "in-interaction" in mediation processes.
   
3. Social Mediation: An analysis of diverse experiences and mediation systems.
   
4. Family Mediation: Promoting well-being in developmental stages.
   
5. Design: Developing "mediator systems" and "mediation systems."
   
6. Presentation and Discussion: Project feedback and final review.
   

 

Assessment methods

Assessment is based on:

• Consistent attendance and active participation throughout the lab.
  
• Evaluation of the final project presentation and subsequent discussion.
  

Teaching tools

• Case materials (projects, reports, documents) from public institutions and non-profit organizations within Italy and the EU.
  
• Audio-visual materials.
  

Office hours

See the website of Manuela Vaccari