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Campus Mediation Practicum

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The Campus Mediation Practicum offered to students interested in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and techniques necessary to mediate interpersonal disputes and disputes specific to institutional judicial systems. The practicum consists of two courses — Campus Mediation Practicum I (CMP 1) and Campus Mediation Practicum II (CMP2).

Practicum Goals

Provide the opportunity for growth and development of participants under a Transformational Learning Theory and Experiential Learning Theory model grounding.
Model an alternative problem-solving method—mediation—to Respondent participants, with the hope that exposure will increase the Respondent’s use of the mediation techniques exposed to in future conflict situations.
Repair harm to those directly impacted through direct interaction with the Facilitated Dialogue process, and increase the understanding of equity, dignity, and respect in the Cornell University community.
Provide an opportunity for campus collaboration between the Scheinman Institute and the OJA.
Increase campus exposure to the work of the Scheinman Institute.
Help challenge the punitive reputation of the OJA by providing a concrete example of an educational experience through this pilot program.

Recent Practicum News

Campus Mediation Practicum Revamped Virtually

This year, because of the pandemic the courses have been revamped to an online format.

Campus Mediation Program Provides Student Learning

Student mediators earn course credit while helping settle code violations.

Resolving Campus Conflict

Scheinman Institute teaches students to mediate Cornell cases.

Campus Mediation Comes of Age

Cornell students to mediate campus disputes.

Course Description

This course is offered to students interested in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and techniques necessary to mediate interpersonal disputes and disputes specific to institutional judicial systems. In the first segment of the course, students will be introduced to the guiding principles of restorative practices and interpersonal mediation. A review of the theories of conflict, its roots, and its resolution set the stage for the role mediation can effectively play in resolving conflict.

Students are introduced to the models of mediation and the benefits and challenges of each, including a comparative analysis of evaluative, facilitative, and transformative styles of mediation. In the second segment, students will be assigned to mediate cases referred to the Scheinman Institute from the Office of the Judicial Administrator. The role of gender, race, culture, ethics, and impasse in mediation will all be examined and incorporated into workshops and case studies. Students will have several opportunities to apply their knowledge of mediation and acquire the skills necessary to become effective mediators. Following each case assignment, students will be required to write a paper analyzing the nature of the complaint, the approach and techniques employed during the case, and the student’s evaluation of what worked and did not work in their attempt to resolve the conflict. Oversight will be provided by the course instructor.

Requirements

Campus Mediation Practicum I requires that students have some knowledge/understanding of mediation. Students will:
- Learn additional information about the theoretical underpinnings of the practice of mediation, as well as how restorative justice practices are being implemented in judicial and punitive systems.
- Apply understanding of mediation and restorative practice to in-class simulations based on actual cases within the Cornell judicial system.
- Apply knowledge to actual Cornell judicial cases referred by the Office of the Judicial Administrator.
Course Description

This course is offered to students interested in furthering their knowledge of the principles and practices of restorative justice. Students will also acquire the knowledge, skills, and techniques necessary to mediate complex campus disputes.

The course considers the needs and roles of key stakeholders (victims, offenders, communities, justice systems) and explores in depth the principles and values of restorative justice. It also identifies challenges to restorative justice — the dangers, the pitfalls — as well as possible strategies to help prevent restorative justice from failing to live up to its promise. Much of the course is organized around the issue of harm and crime within our legal system. However, students will also be exposed to restorative justice in multiple contexts, including issues in higher education.
- Learning Objective One: Students will build on the knowledge gained in Campus Mediation Practicum I which sets the stage for the role restorative justice can effectively play in resolving conflict in multiple settings and environments.
- Learning Objective Two: Students will be assigned to mentor CMP I student mediators as well as mediate complex cases referred to the Scheinman Institute from the Office of the Judicial Administrator and referrals from other Cornell University offices.
- Learning Objective Three: Students will conduct research and write a paper exploring the global use of restorative justice programs in a wide variety of contexts
Requirements

Campus Mediation Practicum II (CMP2) requires that students have taken Campus Mediation Practicum I (CMP1) in a previous semester. Students cannot take the two courses simultaneously. Students will:
- Act as co-mediators and mentors to CMP1 students.
- Learn how to mediate cases involving Title IX disputes.
- Mediate cases referred from the Office of the Judicial Administrator and the Title IX office

Faculty

Katrina Nobles

Katrina Nobles
Director of Conflict Programs

Katrina Nobles is the director of conflict programs for the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), focusing on educating the next generation of neutrals and practitioners on campus and in the workplace. Nobles designs curriculum, instructs professional programs, and facilitates discussions for organizational workplace conflicts. She also teaches the Campus Mediation Practicum, an on-campus credit course that applies mediation skills to the campus judicial system, allowing students to work as peer mediators. Nobles has presented at national conflict resolution conferences on Facilitating Collaborative Problem Solving, Cross-Cultural Communication, and Conflict Diagnosis. In addition to her position at Cornell, she facilitates for the Global Nomads Group, bringing together, through video conference, K-12 students in the United States and Middle East/North Africa region. She has practiced mediation for over 10 years, and prior to her employment at Cornell, Nobles was the Cortland County Coordinator for New Justice Mediation Services. During that time, Nobles mediated hundreds of community, child custody/visitation, child support, and family disputes. Director Nobles holds a master’s degree in conflict analysis and engagement from Antioch University Midwest.

See Katrina Nobles’s faculty profile on the ILR website.

Campus Mediation Practicum

Practicum Goals

Recent Practicum News

Course Descriptions and Requirements

Course Description

Requirements

Course Description

Requirements

Faculty

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