Humor Theory for When Everything Seems Like it is Going to Hell

Mediators have long recognized that they can use humor to help disputants deal with conflict (though it can really backfire). What about using humor when it seems like the world is going to hell? In her essay, Please Laugh About My Abortion With Me, comedian Alison Leiby describes experiences with her comedy show “Oh God, … Continue reading Humor Theory for When Everything Seems Like it is Going to Hell

Is the World Really Falling Apart, or Does It Just Feel That Way?

That’s the title of an article by New York Times reporter Max Fisher.  He summarizes, “By most measures – with one glaring exception – people around the world are better off than ever.  So why doesn’t it feel that way, especially to Americans?” Scanning the headlines, it’s easy to conclude that something has broken.  The … Continue reading Is the World Really Falling Apart, or Does It Just Feel That Way?

Readings and Resources for Teaching

As an annual tradition, this is a reminder of some of my favorite things you might use in your courses as you plan for next academic year. Here’s a post suggesting how you can teach students to use more realistic, thorough, and practical models of negotiation and mediation than we traditionally teach. Here’s a message … Continue reading Readings and Resources for Teaching

Retrofuturism on the Supreme Court

Princeton sociology professor Paul Starr wrote an essay in the Washington Post, Conservatives Hope to Turn Back the Cultural Clock. Can They Succeed? He writes that “[r]etrofuturism is a term for imaginative works that envision a future out of the past,” and he compares the Supreme Court’s abortion and other recent decisions to “prohibition and … Continue reading Retrofuturism on the Supreme Court

What Jamelle Bouie is Reading

New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie is an avid reader with a particular interest in American history.  In today’s column, he describes various books he has been reading lately.  Two of the books are relevant to the recent audacious decisions by the Supreme Court majority to radically redirect legal doctrine by using dubious jurisprudential methods.  … Continue reading What Jamelle Bouie is Reading

Study of ODR in Family Cases with Positive Results

From Donna Shestowsky: Parties who used online dispute resolution (ODR) for child custody, parenting time or child support matters in Ottawa County, Michigan, were more likely to reach agreement and to rate their experience highly as those who were offered ODR but didn’t use it, a new study by UC Davis Professor of Law Donna Shestowsky … Continue reading Study of ODR in Family Cases with Positive Results

Gay Couples Can Teach Straight People a Thing or Two About Arguing

That’s the title of an article in the New York Times. It reports that “[s]ame-sex couples, on average, resolve conflict more constructively than different-sex couples, and with less animosity, studies have shown.” It cites researchers suggesting ideas that our field generally recommends including: Using humor to defuse anger Staying calm Being mindful of the other’s … Continue reading Gay Couples Can Teach Straight People a Thing or Two About Arguing