Opening Up: A Podcast

In this episode, we bring you a panel discussion with two practiced negotiators. In January, the CT Collaborative and MiddCORE each planned to bring an expert in to help build student skills - and so we decided to put our two visitors in conversation with one another. Morgan Gaskin Thomas is Managing Director and Americas Lead for Accenture's Resolution Excellence Center. She has previously served as an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law.  She has her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Southern Methodist University and her JD from Cornell. Sarah Federman is associate professor of conflict resolution at the University of San Diego and author of the book Transformative Negotiation. She spent a decade as an international executive before changing careers to focus on corporate accountability, mass violence, and peacebuilding. Learn more about MiddCORE and about our experts at the links below. https://www.middlebury.edu/middcore  https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-gaskin-thomas/  https://sarahfederman.com/ 

  Today's podcast features historian Connor Williams, Middlebury Class of 2008.5. We explore the role of history and memory around the US Civil War and the way in which historical narratives inform our ability to tackle contemporary conflicts. Connor shares his experiences in community dialogues across the United States and lessons for engaging in discussions about controversial issues. Connor Williams is a scholar, teacher, and advocate of American and African American history. In 2021 and 2022, Williams served as the Lead Historian for the United States Congress' “Naming Commission,” researching the history, causes and context of Department of Defense assets that commemorate Confederates or the Confederacy. His two forthcoming books tell the story of the naming commission and explore the history of the Civil War and Confederacy. He is also an occasional teacher at Middlebury College.  Learn more about https://connorwilliamshistorian.com/

In this episode, we bring you a talk from Ava Homa, the first Kurdish woman writer to publish a novel in English. In September 2024, Homa spoke at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey. Professor Sharad Joshi provides an introduction.  Homa is an acclaimed author, speaker, activist, and faculty member at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her debut novel, Daughters of Smoke and Fire (HarperCollins & Abrams, 2020), was featured in Roxane Gay's Book Club, the Unplugged Book Box, and Women for Women International. Learn more here: https://www.avahoma.com/bio  This event was co-sponsored by BIPOC Voices at MIIS and the CT Collaborative.

In this episode, Teyonce Allison '25 talks with Professor Jonathan Miller-Lane. Professor Miller-Lane, known affectionately as “JML,” teaches education studies at Middlebury and is a facilitator in the Engaged Listening Project, a professional development program for faculty and staff. Prof. Miller-Lane discusses his upbringing in various countries as son of a foreign service officer and how that shaped his understanding of culture, hospitality, race, and conflict. The discussion explores the role of higher education in supporting and preparing students. They discuss lessons from diplomacy about how to create a welcoming, structured environment as well as the challenges of integrating skills for constructive conflict across a student body with different goals and backgrounds. Learn more about Professor Miller-Lane here: https://www.middlebury.edu/college/people/jonathan-miller-lane Learn more about the Engaged Listening Project here: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/engaged-listening-project

At the end of 2024, we mark the end of Laurie Patton's tenure as president of Middlebury by sharing her reflections on conflict transformation, protest, and higher education. In September, President Patton sat down with Eboo Patel, president of Interfaith America, as part of their programing on Teaching Interfaith Understanding.  Their conversation was posted to Interfaith America's podcast and we reshare the episode here with permission. Patel and Patton discuss how Middlebury's campus culture evolved in the years since 2017, when political scientist Charles Murray's visit was met with upheaval. Patton elaborates on Middlebury's conflict transformation efforts, including the successes of the Engaged Listening Project, the challenges of countering a national narrative, and the outcomes of building a resilient culture, evidenced by her community's constructive engagement of tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the spring of 2024. To hear other episodes in Interfaith America's podcast, click here: https://www.interfaithamerica.org/podcast/  Many thanks to Teyonce Allison, Brett Simison, and the Conflict Transformation Collaborative staff for editing and production. Thank you also to Middlebury music professor Damascus Kafumbe for our music. 

In this episode, Sarah Stroup talks with Meg Griffiths, director of programs at Essential Partners (formerly the Public Conversations Project). Founded in 1989, Essential Partners (EP) uses a reflective structured dialogue approach to help people communicate across deep differences in identities and values in order “to address communities' most pressing challenges.” Meg Griffiths and her colleagues at EP have been leading professional development workshops at Middlebury since January 2019 as part of Middlebury's Engaged Listening Project. She has over 15 years of professional experience in higher education and community organizations, and holds certifications and degrees from Boston College's School of Theology and Ministry and from Georgetown's Organizational Development Consulting and Change Leadership program. In this conversation, Meg and Sarah talk about the ways in which dialogic practices can enhance student learning and strengthen campus communities. With scaffolding and careful question design, it is possible to disrupt established stories and patterns that can keep people from understanding and addressing the problems they face. The conversation also takes up common critiques of dialogue in the larger framework of conflict transformation. To learn more about Essential Partners, click here: https://whatisessential.org/about-us To learn more about Meg Griffiths, click here: https://whatisessential.org/people/meg-griffiths

Today, we bring you a conversation with Susan Sgorbati, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College. In conversation with Lida Winfield, the undergraduate pillar head of the CT Collaborative and dance professor, Susan shares insights from her journey as a dance artist and educator, and how the principles of dance improvisation inform her work in conflict mediation and social justice. They explore how embodied practices, active listening, and improvisational skills can foster collaboration and create transformative change in both artistic and social contexts. Sgorbati is the former Dean of Faculty and holds the Barbara and Lewis Jones Chair for Social Activism. In 2018, Sgorbati co-founded the Transboundary Water In-Cooperation Network (TWIN) with Dr. Asim Zia.  TWIN works with communities on six continents in the major river basins of the world. She is also a partner with the African Centre for Climate Action and Rural Development in moving a new Convention forward on Saving the River Deltas for the United Nations (UNCCRD).  In collaboration and conversation with scientists, Sgorbati named a form of improvisation, 'emergent improvisation' and wrote a book called, "Emergent Improvisation: On Spontaneous Composition Where Dance Meets Science".  She also co-founded "Quantum Leap" a program that connected public school students to their education who were at risk of dropping out of school. Over 2000 students participated in this program. Sgorbati completed two projects for the US State Dept. Art in Embassies with Sarah Tanguay and Jon Isherwood, who collaborated with a student collective in creating two public art installations for the new US Embassy in Oslo, Norway and for the new US Consulate in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is a re-posting of an episode from Lida Winfield's podcast, Making Embodiment Visible. Learn more here: https://www.lidawinfield.com/podcast.html Learn more about Susan Sgorbati here: https://www.bennington.edu/academics/faculty/susan-sgorbati Many thanks to Teyonce Allison, Brett Simison, and the CT Collaborative staff for editorial support.

What does peace look like for ordinary people, and how we can create metrics of peace that reflect those things that people value? In this conversation, we bring you audio from a May 2023 talk by Peter Dixon, a member of the CT Collaborative's External Advisory Board and a Middlebury alum.  Peter Dixon is an Associate Professor of Practice in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University. He graduated from Middlebury in 2001.5 and has a PhD in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. In his research, Dr. Dixon uses mixed methodologies to understand how local knowledge can influence transformative solutions toward peace and justice in conflict-affected communities. Currently, he is researching community-based transitional justice in Colombia and bottom-up approaches to public safety and restorative justice in urban America. He has received support for this work from foundations including the National Science Foundation, United States Institute of Peace, Inter-American Foundation, and Humanity United. To learn more about Dixon, see here:  https://sps.columbia.edu/person/peter-dixon-phd To learn more about Everyday Peace Indicators, click here: https://www.everydaypeaceindicators.org/  To learn more about our External Advisory Board, see here: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/who-we-are#external-advisory-board 

What is safety? What is comfort? How does learning happen in an immersive, international setting? How do we foster meaningful relationships with host communities? In this episode, we talk about those questions and more with Dr. David Wick. Wick is Associate Professor and Program Chair in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and a 2023 research grant recipient from the CT Collaborative. Wick has worked with several of Middlebury's Schools Abroad on the integration of conflict transformation approaches and the importance of considering the impact on host communities.  Learn more about David Wick here:  https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/people/david-wick To access a "CT Toolkit" for Study abroad experiences, check out the "Our CT Approach" page at our website: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/media-and-resources#our-ct-approach  Wick and other Middlebury colleagues are leading the opening plenary panel, "Embracing and Transforming Conflict to Enhance Education Abroad Learning for All," at The Forum on Education Abroad's Europe, Middle East, and Africa conference this October. Learn more here: https://www.forumea.org/emea-plenary.html  Learn more about our research grant recipients here: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/supporting-faculty-research/spring-2023-grant-recipients

In this episode, Caroline Harding '24 interviews Professor Jennifer Ortegren, associate professor of religion at Middlebury and a 2022 CT faculty grant recipient. Ortegren is author of Middle-Class Dharma: Women, Aspiration, and the Making of Contemporary Hinduism (2023, Oxford University Press), which examines the intersections of gender, religion, and class among upwardly mobile Hindu women in Udaipur, Rajasthan. In her CT-supported project, “"'We Live with Love for Each Other': Navigating Neighborhood Relationships between Hindu and Muslim Women in Middle-Class India," Ortegren examined how Muslim women experience upward mobility in ways that are both similar to and distinct from Hindu neighbors, and how these shifts shape, and reshape, relationships between Hindu and Muslim neighbors. In particular, it asks if and how young women are meeting and supporting one another in the same ways their mothers did or if they are connecting in other ways that are rooted in their shared middle-class lifestyles. Learn more about Prof. Ortegren here: https://www.middlebury.edu/college/people/jennifer-ortegren Learn more about other research projects supported by the CT Collaborative here: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/supporting-faculty-research

At the beginning of the fall semester, we invite you to join a conversation about conflicts on college and university campuses. This episode was recorded late in Spring 2024 and features some of our Conflict Transformation (CT) interns - Mandy Berghela, Teyonce Allison, Agnes Roches, and Caroline Harding - and Sarah Stroup, the CT director and college faculty. The launching point of this discussion is a 2023 report from the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI), "Transforming Conflict on College Campuses." CDI uses the conflict transformation framework of Lederach and others to understand the many different types of conflict that can arise on campuses, and to suggest actions that can foster more constructive dynamics. As they describe their research, "[w]e embarked on this research project to better understand free speech issues on campuses, but what we heard from many participants was that the framing of free speech situates the problem in an abstract national debate that hinders, rather than facilitates, problem-solving. What participants emphasized instead was the increase in conflict that stemmed from competing community values and stakeholders who lack the skills and vocabulary or will to discuss and integrate these competing values." You can listen in without reading the report first, but we strongly encourage you to check it out! The download is free at their website: https://constructivedialogue.org/articles/transforming-conflict-on-college-campuses 

At a time when campus conflict and protest is in the national spotlight, we revisit an important moment for Middlebury College - the March 2017 visit of Charles Murray - through the voices of ten Middlebury students. This episode was created in 2019 and hosted by Sarah Stroup. She interviewed a group of students with different experiences and perspectives. Each student agreed to be recorded and to have their first names used. Each student was asked four questions: (1) Where were you on March 2, 2017? (2) Which person or view frustrated you the most? (3) Under what conditions would you be willing to talk to that person or engage with that view today? (4) What is the biggest take away for you today? To Lily, Pete, Charles, Porter, Zorica, Adam, Mike, Trey, Charlotte, and Alex - thank you. For more student perspectives on Murray and campus protests and conflict, see our student newspaper, the Middlebury Campus: https://www.middleburycampus.com/  For a 2018 report from the Committee on Speech and Inclusion, see: https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/news/2018/01/committee-speech-and-inclusion-issues-report-recommendations   

In this episode, we talk with longtime Middlebury partner, the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP). SHECP assistant director Jen Handy invited CT leaders Kailee Brickner-McDonald and Sarah Stroup to join the "SHECP Talks" podcast to discuss how the CT lens can enhance experiential learning opportunities for students concerned about privilege and poverty. We are cross-posting the episode in our feed here. SHECP encourages the study of poverty as a complex social problem, by expanding and improving educational opportunities for college students in a wide range of disciplines and career trajectories. Through its programs, SHECP and its member institutions prepare students for a lifetime of professional and civic efforts to diminish poverty and enhance human capability, while also supporting connections among students, faculty, staff, and alumni engaged in the study of poverty. Learn more about SHECP at their website: https://www.shepherdconsortium.org/about     

Democratic institutions can serve as a powerful mechanism for channeling constructive conflict, which makes a recent wave of democratic decline particularly concerning. In this episode, we hear from Sebnem Gumuscu, associate professor of political science and head of the undergraduate "pillar" of the CT Collaborative at Middlebury. Gumuscu is an expert on Turkey and teaches classes on threats to democracy, politics of the Middle East, and comparative politics. She is also trained as a facilitator in reflective structured dialogue. She is author of two books, most recently Democracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia (Cambridge University Press) focuses on Islamist parties and their democratic commitments in power. Learn more about Prof. Gumuscu here: https://www.middlebury.edu/college/people/sebnem-gumuscu  The audio for this podcast is generously shared with us through the Faculty at Home webinar series, another Middlebury initiative. You can see a video recording of this talk and others in the series here: https://www.middlebury.edu/provost/faculty-home/spring-2024-recorded-series. 

On today's episode, we are excited to share a story of an experiential learning opportunity for exploring peacebuilding and intercultural competence (ICC). The CT interns lead a conversation with professor Thor Sawin. At the time of recording, Sawin was associate professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and has since taken on the role of Associate Dean of Language Schools for curriculum. Sawin has 20 years of teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the United States, Lithuania, South Korea and China, as well as in summer secondary-level programs in Korea, Taiwan and Albania. Sawin has led several experiential learning trips to the former Yugoslavia to explore national identity, education, language, and culture, and how these and other factors fuel tensions and conflict within each country. This is a longstanding course at MIIS and offers an invaluable opportunity to see and understand post-conflict reconstruction, language and communication, and national identity in process. ·        For a story on the 2022 trip: https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/advancing-your-career/career-guide/field-work-students-share-photos-immersive-peacebuilding-course ·        For information about the most recent trip: https://sites.miis.edu/balkans/ ·        About Thor Sawin: https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/announcements/2023/04/thor-sawin-appointed-associate-dean-language-schools ·        About Thor Sawin:https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2023/04/thor-sawin-named-new-associate-dean-of-middlebury-language-schools-for-curriculum

As we have started teaching "Conflict Transformation Skills" at Middlebury, we have been fortunate to have a leading global mediator as a guest speaker and teacher. Francisco Diez is senior mediation advisor at the United Nations (UN). He has contributed to the UN's efforts to foster dialogue and reconciliation in Bolivia, and provided expert advice on conflict prevention and preventive diplomacy in Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela. From 2014 onwards he worked with the Kroc Institute to set up the Colombia Peace Accord Matrix to monitor and support the implementation of the peace agreement between the Colombian Government and the FARC, and assisted dialogue processes in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Mexico.  This episode starts with introductions from Julian Portilla, mediator and co-instructor of the CT Skills class, and Caroline Harding, CT Collaborative intern. Diez gave this talk remotely in 2023, and we were lucky to have him back in January 2024 to lead trainings for students.  For more on Francisco Diez, see: https://franciscodiez.com.ar/ For a video recording of this talk, see our video library: https://www.middlebury.edu/ct-video-collection 

Restorative justice, transnational activism, and communication across cultures are all spaces in which conflict transformation can inform the long work of social change. In this episode, restorative justice leader sujatha baliga and civil society scholar Sarah Stroup discuss the foundations of their work and its connection to the CT Collaborative at Middlebury. The conversation, held at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey in September 2023, was moderated by Netta Avineri, the leader of the Graduate Pillar of the CT Collaborative and a scholar of intercultural communication.  You can watch a full recording of the talk in our Video Library here: https://www.middlebury.edu/ct-video-collection/restoring-justice-cultivating-hope-scholar-practitioner-conversation  Learn more about sujatha baliga here: https://www.sujathabaliga.com/ 

This episode features selections from a September 2022 talk at Middlebury by John Paul Lederach, with an introduction from Middlebury president Laurie Patton.  John Paul Lederach is globally recognized for his pioneering theory and practice in the field of conflict transformation (CT). Lederach is senior fellow at Humanity United and professor emeritus of international peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame. He is also the co-founder and first director of the Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. Our work at Middlebury has been inspired and enriched by Lederach's work and by his personal example of hope and generosity. In September 2022, he was the keynote speaker at the college's Clifford Symposium. He serves on the Middlebury CT Collaborative External Advisory Board.  His 2005 book, The Moral Imagination, identifies risk taking, curiosity, creativity, and a relational focus as key dispositions for constructive engagement in conflict.  Thanks as always to our team of interns and staff who edit and produce these episodes. Special thanks to Caroline Harding for selecting powerful parts of Lederach's talk! https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/who-we-are#external-advisory-board  

In this episode, we speak with Elspeth Boynton, the founder and CEO of diiVe, a South Africa-based organization that offers high-impact internships to college students. The in-person and remote global internships integrate leadership development, purpose coaching, data science skills, and cultural immersions. diiVe has brought conflict transformation approaches into their curriculum, with interesting lessons for responding to conflict in the workplace and in cross-cultural experiences. Boynton spoke with Amy McGlashan, Director of Academic Initiatives and Special Projects in the Center for Careers and Internships, and Sarah Stroup, CT Collaborative director. Learn more about diiVe at their website: https://www.godiive.com/  

Addressing social and political conflicts seems particularly challenging in an era of high polarization. Yet under certain conditions, perspective taking and story telling may shift exclusionary attitudes and policy preferences. In this episode of our podcast, we are sharing audio from a campus talk in October 2023 on persuasion by Professor Joshua Kalla of Yale University. Kalla's research explores political persuasion, prejudice reduction, and decision-making among voters and political elites. Kalla (PhD, UC Berkeley) is Associate Professor of Political Science at Yale University with a secondary appointment as Assistant Professor of Statistics and Data Science. See the full talk and others in our library here: https://www.middlebury.edu/ct-video-collection Learn more about Professor Kalla here: https://politicalscience.yale.edu/people/joshua-kalla  

Water shortages in the USA and dozens of other countries have highlighted our tenuous relationship with the world's most important resource. In this podcast episode, we share audio from a TED-style talk from MIIS Environmental Policy and Management Professor Dr. Jeff Langholz. Langholz shares a vision for the future of water that transforms the way we collect and distribute water resources. Dr. Langholz is a recipient of a 2023 Faculty Research Grant from the CT Collaborative. Learn more about Langholz's work and our research grant recipients at the links below.  https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/people/jeff-langholz https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/supporting-faculty-research/spring-2023-grant-recipients

In this episode, Joseph Kaifala recounts his experiences growing up in civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and lays out a vision for peacebuilding that requires first dealing with the legacies of mass atrocities.  Kaifala is the inaugural recipient of the Projects for Peace Alumni Award. The newly created award, supported by the CT Collaborative, grants up to $50,000 in support of the ongoing peacebuilding efforts of a past Projects for Peace recipient who demonstrates innovation and persistence in working for peace and transforming conflict. A former Davis United World College Scholar, Kaifala earned his bachelor's degree from Skidmore College, a master's in international relations from Syracuse University, and his juris doctorate from Vermont Law School.  This episodes draws from an interview with PfP director Betsy Vegso and from a July 2023 campus talk that Kaifala gave as part of a convening on experiential learning and CT.  Learn more from our newsroom and video library: https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/announcements/2023/05/projects-peace-presents-first-alumni-award https://vimeo.com/852855029

In this episode, dance professor Lida Winfield is interviewed by Middlebury College senior and CT intern Joe Hanlon. They discuss the importance of transformation and growth and the role of the arts in facilitating communication, relationship-building, and social change. Lida Winfield plays several important roles in the CT Collaborative. She is a facilitator in the Engaged Listening Project, leading professional development in structured dialogue, and also has advanced training in restorative practices. The Dance department, with the support of a faculty research grant from the Collaborative, has hosted a year-long artist in residency program focused on “Movement Matters: Global Body in Conflict.” Winfield is an innovative and accomplished dancer, choreographer, spoken word artist and educator; who has created original work merging storytelling, dance and visual art. Learn more at https://www.lidawinfield.com/ Learn more about the Global Body in Conflict project at our website and in our event listings: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/supporting-faculty-research/spring-2023-grant-recipients https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/events    

In this episode, Joseph Kaifala recounts his experiences growing up in civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and lays out a vision for peacebuilding that requires first dealing with the legacies of mass atrocities.  Kaifala is the inaugural recipient of the Projects for Peace Alumni Award. The newly created award, supported by the CT Collaborative, grants up to $50,000 in support of the ongoing peacebuilding efforts of a past Projects for Peace recipient who demonstrates innovation and persistence in working for peace and transforming conflict. A former Davis United World College Scholar, Kaifala earned his bachelor's degree from Skidmore College, a master's in international relations from Syracuse University, and his juris doctorate from Vermont Law School.  This episodes draws from an interview with PfP director Betsy Vegso and from a July 2023 campus talk that Kaifala gave as part of a convening on experiential learning and CT.  Learn more from our newsroom and video library: https://www.middlebury.edu/announcements/announcements/2023/05/projects-peace-presents-first-alumni-award https://vimeo.com/852855029

Strategic empathy is the sincere effort to identify and assess patterns of behavior and the underlying drivers and constraints that shape those patterns.  In a CT Collaborative-funded research project, a team from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at MIIS explored the utility of this concept for understanding the acquisition, threat, and use of strategic weapons. In this episode, we offer selections from a 2023 webinar describing the project's insights. Through case studies involving three US adversaries – Russia, North Korea, and Iran – the authors suggest that a more holistic, nuanced understanding of the adversary can inform effective policy responses. The CNS team included Sarah Bidgood, Robert Carlin, Siegfried Hecker, Jim Lamson, and Hanna Notte. You can read their full report at our website: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/supporting-faculty-research/spring-2022-grant-recipients  

In this episode, we talk with Beyond the Page (BtP), a Middlebury program of professional teaching artists who use theater techniques in college classrooms to foster creativity and storytelling. Conflict Transformation Collaborative and BtP have been exploring ways to shift conflict dynamics through community building, playful exploration, and seeing our relationships and structures in new ways. CT Director Sarah Stroup speaks with Craig Maravich, BtP program director and visiting assistant professor at Middlebury; Jude Sandy, BtP lead teaching artist; and  Madison Middleton, BtP teaching artist. Learn more about the Beyond the Page program, visit their website: http://beyondthepage.middcreate.net/ Beyond the Page emerged from the Bread Loaf School of English, where conflict transformation programs focus on the role of storytelling in understanding and approaching conflict. To learn more about CT at Bread Loaf, visit: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation/reaching-students-high-school-through-graduate-school/high-school-students 

 Dylan Moglen and Alex Christodolou are two recent MIIS graduates. In 2022, they participated in a research project that fundamentally reexamined the definition of conflict, resolution, and transformation, focusing on communities that occupy a unique yet powerful space in the global imaginary: Indigenous communities living in the Amazon basin. In total this project engaged in dialogues with leaders and thinkers from over 9 different ethnicities in communities surrounding Leticia, Colombia, in the Pastaza region of Ecuador, and with communities and organizations near Nauta and Pucallpa, Peru.  In this conversation with CT Collaborative director Sarah Stroup, Dylan and Alex explore the insights from their fieldwork for understanding and engaging in conflicts, and invite us to reflect on the relationship between humans and their environment as central to our understanding of conflict. This research project was one of ten inaugural research projects funded by the Conflict Transformation Collaborative in 2022.  They recommend a few additional resources as supplemental material: Davis, Wade. (2010)  The wayfinders : why ancient wisdom matters in the modern world / Wade Davis  UWA Publishing Crawley, Canadian Broadcasting Company W.A  Slutkin, G. (2013). Violence is a contagious disease. The Contagion of Violence. Institute of Medicine.  www.cureviolence.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/iom.pdf GINTY, R. M. (2008). Indigenous Peace-Making Versus the Liberal Peace. Cooperation and Conflict, 43(2), 139–163. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45084517 The Territory (2023) Documentary featured on Disney+ Mihnea Tanasescu (2013) The rights of nature in Ecuador the making of an idea, Vrije Universiteit Brussel,  

Welcome to the Opening Up podcast series, a new effort from the Conflict Transformation (CT) Collaborative at Middlebury!  The Conflict Transformation (CT) Collaborative at Middlebury is a major new initiative that seeks to expand our work on critical self-awareness, conflict analysis, intercultural communication, dialogue, restorative justice, and beyond. Our first two episodes are hosted by Sarah Stroup, director of the CT Collaborative and a political science professor at Middlebury. In Episode 2, we introduce you to the faculty and staff who are designing the new projects and programs at Middlebury. Middlebury is a global educational institution, and CT programs are being expanded at the College in Vermont, the Institute in Monterey, CA, at the Bread Loaf School of English, and in our Schools Abroad. 

Welcome to the Opening Up podcast series, a new effort from the Conflict Transformation (CT) Collaborative at Middlebury!  Many people hear the word conflict and pull away, because they think of the harm that can come from destructive conflict. Yet conflict is part of the human experience, and constructive conflict can enrich our relationships and communities. This lens on conflict informs the field of "conflict transformation," and helps us understand the value of engaging across our differences.  The Conflict Transformation (CT) Collaborative at Middlebury is a major new initiative that seeks to use this lens on conflict to expand our work on intercultural communication, dialogue, restorative justice, and beyond. Middlebury is a global educational institution, and CT programs are being expanded at the College in Vermont, the Institute in Monterey, CA, at the Bread Loaf School of English, and in our Schools Abroad.  Our first two episodes are hosted by Sarah Stroup, director of the CT Collaborative and a political science professor at Middlebury. In Episode 1, we introduce you to the field of conflict transformation through the words of leading practitioners and scholars that have visiting Middlebury in our first year. 

This is the final episode in our four-part series exploring feminism at Middlebury. Join Sarah Fagan as she interviews alumni and professors about key events in Middlebury's recent history that influenced the development of feminism on campus. 

This is the third episode in our four-part series exploring feminism at Middlebury. In this episode, Julia Price interviews four women who experienced second wave feminism at Middlebury in the late 1960s and early 1970s.   Music Attribution:  Thinking Music by Incompetech “Return to the Black Star” by Deep Space Destructors. From the Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Link to music:https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Deep_Space_Destructors/Psychedeology. License:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode. No remix or changes to music.  “Runner” by Six Umbrellas. From the Free Music Archive, CC BY-SA 4.0. Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Six_Umbrellas/The_Psychadelic_And/1_Six_Umbrellas_-_Runner. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode. No remix or major changes made to music.  “Tu Connais Babar” by Mocke. From the Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mocke/Commune_Oreille_explore_La_Souterraine/Mocke_-_SUPER_TERROIRS_et_RUINES_NOUVELLES_-_05_Tu_connais_Babar_- . License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode. No remix or major changes made to music.  Points of no Return (ID 1285) by Lobo Loco. From the Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Link to music: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/around/points-of-no-return-id-1285mp3. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode

This is the second episode of our four-part series examining feminism in our community. Today, reporter Cali Kapp examines the early history of women at Middlebury. Speaking with Matt Jennings, Editorial Director of the Middlebury Magazine, and Professor David Stameshkin, we dive into the roots of why women were first admitted to Middlebury and the struggles they have faced over the years. 

This is the first of our three part series examining feminism in our community. Wanting to capture the student perspective, our team asked students around campus what feminism means to them and what it feels like to be a woman at Middlebury. Feminism plays an important role in uplifting voices at Middlebury, but we still have a long way to go in terms of equality and inclusivity on campus. Over the next two episodes, we will be examining the history of feminism at Middlebury and what it means to our community today.

Middlebury Campus reporter Caroline King speaks her friend Natalie on her recent return to the campus of the University of Miami while under COVID-19 social distancing protocols.

In this week’s episode, Professor Jason Mittell from the Film and Media Department at Middlebury join Sadie and Caroline to talk about television in the age of Covid-19. They discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has changed TV production (from reality TV to sports) and affected the way we consume media (from broadcast to streaming services to TikTok and Quibi!).

In this episode, we hear from two international students about considering the return to study in the United States amidst a global pandemic. In light of ICE's recent policy directive (and subsequent reversal) aimed to prevent F-1 and M-1 visa holders taking online-only classes from staying in the U.S., we wanted to hear how students were feeling.

Sadie Housberg and Caroline King speak with filmmaker and film Professor Natasha Ngaiza on what it means to be critical in watching films during the Black Lives Matter Movement.

This week, Caroline King and Sadie Housberg sit down with Professor J Finley, who teaches in the American Studies, GSFS, and Black Studies departments at Middlebury. A follow-up to Episode 6, this episode takes a contemporary look at white supremacy at Middlebury, and delves into topics such as anti-racist education and student activism at an institution like Middlebury.

 In this episode of the Off-Campus Podcast, Caroline King and Sadie Housberg speak with Middlebury students to find out how they’re grappling with the choice to return to campus in the fall, or not. You can find the link to the document mentioned at the bottom of this episode here:  http://go.middlebury.edu/fall2020.

Caroline King speaks with the Middlebury Campus' newest reporter Sadie Housberg on the history of white supremacy at Middlebury College.

The Middlebury Campus' Caroline King attends a Black Lives Matter protest in Atlanta and shares her thoughts.

Is there a "Middlebury Sound?" Caroline King talks with WRMC Music Director Elle Simmons about hot music on campus.

Middlebury Campus reporter Caroline King curates a collection of ambient audio snapshots sent in my Midd students and faculty, followed by an interview with Middlebury student and musician Tom Gause.

Middlebury Campus reporter Jeremy Navarro, with special guest Sarah King, discusses how Vermont musicians are dealing with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A collaboration between Middlebury College's Engaged Listening Project and the Middlebury Campus student newspaper to publish audio stories about academic life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A controversial speaker came to Middlebury in 2017.  Two years later, the national media story largely excludes student voices.  In this episode, Middlebury College students describe what happened, the lessons they learned, and ideas about how to encourage honest dialogue on college campuses.  Narrated by Sarah Stroup, Middlebury College professor. This episode is part of a podcast series, Opening Up.  Opening Up invites listening and dialogue about different issues in higher education by putting student voices first.  It is supported by the Engaged Listening Project (ELP) at Middlebury College in Vermont.  *** Many people helped make this project possible.  Brett Simison tolerated my poor audio recordings and agreed to produce this episode.  Music by Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com.  The news clips are courtesy of NPR, Charlie Rose, VPR, CSPAN, and PBS.  Production was underwritten by the Engaged Listening Project at Middlebury College, which is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  Finally, though ten students are featured in the episode, thanks to the students and colleagues at Middlebury College who have opened up, argued, and laughed with me over the past several years.  To learn more about our efforts at campus dialogue, visit our website: go.middlebury.edu/elp.  For questions or comments, email listeningmidd@gmail.com. Many thanks to Erin Davis for her careful editorial ear and encouragement and to Nan Guilmette for her feedback and supportive words about teaching. The DLINQ team at Middlebury helped with many technical questions.