Assignment: Human Needs and Power

Human needs and power are primary elements in conflict. In order for conflict to be resolved, the needs of the involved parties must be met at least to some degree. In the struggle to meet these human needs, people often use power. People use power in a variety of ways and how it is used often influences the outcome of conflict.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review Chapter 1 in your course text, The Dynamics of Conflict Resolution, paying particular attention to the relationship between human needs and conflict.
• Review Chapter 3 in your course text, The Dynamics of Conflict Resolution. Focus on the role of power in conflict.
• Think about an intergroup conflict with which you are familiar or interested. It may be contemporary or historical.
• Consider the human needs that each party is or was trying to address in the conflict and how they affected the conflict.
• Reflect on the role of power in the conflict and if, how, and to what degree power played a part in the conflict.
• Think about if and how power influenced or could influence the outcome of the conflict.

The assignment (2 pages):

• Briefly describe the conflict that you selected.
• Briefly describe the needs that each party is or was trying to address in the conflict and explain how they affected the conflict.
• Explain the role of power in the conflict, including if, how, and to what degree power played a part in it.
• Explain how you would expect power to influence—or how it did influence—the outcome of the conflict (its resolution, management, etc.).

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course.