Cross-Cultural Conflict and Dispute Resolution (3cr.)
Ireland and Northern Ireland (U.K.), with a history of conflict and ongoing reconciliation, provide the perfect backdrop for the study of conflict and dispute resolution, exploring the theoretical and historical impact cultural differences have on conflict and dispute resolution processes.
Places you will visit during the Ireland program
Learn more about the O’Neill in Ireland program
May 12- June 02 2023
V482/V582 – Cross-Cultural Conflict and Dispute Resolution (3cr.)
Program Director: Gary Branham
This three-credit hour course integrates theories of conflict and dispute resolution with an analysis of differences in dimensions of culture including religion, values, identity, worldviews and language. Applied learning will focus on cross-cultural conflicts between individuals, within organizations, and between nations with emphasis on “The Troubles” of Northern Ireland. You will be exposed to a variety of ways culture impacts communication, negotiation and other dispute resolution processes. Additionally, you will look at the reconciliation process and the key challenges in transforming personal, social and structural relationships that have been damaged or destroyed by conflict.
IU Bloomington Undergrads: See how this course counts towards your major/minor at O'Neill here.
- Dublin City University - Talks on "The Troubles" with former public officials, militants, and scholars
- Glendalough, a sixteenth century monastic settlement in the Wicklow Mountains
- Belfast - Talks with former militants, practitioners in reconciliation, and scholars; excursions to the physical remains of the conflict, including the "peace walls," memorials, murals and other sites of historical significance during "The Troubles"
- Hop on and hop off tour of Dublin
- Experience Gaelic Games Program - opportunity to learn about Irish culture through Gaelic games and Irish folk dancing
- Spend several days exploring Londonderry.
- Cliffs of Moher Tour from Galway
- Giant's Causeway Tour from Belfast
While in Dublin, you will receive room and board at the Glenomena Residence Hall on the campus of University College Dublin (UCD). Located in the heart of the campus within a short walk of the central college facilities, the apartments are formed around a series of interconnected courtyards and provide the ideal combination of secure privacy within a woodland setting. You will be grouped into six en-suite bedroom apartments with shared kitchen/living areas. All bedrooms are comfortably furnished with work station, study lamp, generous storage and wireless internet.
While in Galway you will be staying at University of Galway.
During your time in both Londonderry and Belfast you will stay in a double-occupancy hotel room. Breakfast will be provided each morning at the hotel.
Note: Your IU Bloomington Bursar account will be charged two amounts for participation in this O’Neill International program:
- O’Neill International program fee (two payments)
- IU Bloomington Tuition
For a full breakdown of estimated cost, see the Ireland fee sheet.
2023 O’Neill in Ireland Program Fee: $2,000
The program fee will be charged to your Bursar account in two installments:
- A $550 non-refundable pre-payment shortly after you confirm your participation in the program
- The remaining program fee balance will be charged in March, due in April
The program fee for this program includes:
- Lodging
- Medical insurance
- Some meals
- Group transportation from Dublin to Belfast
- Cultural excursions
Flights are not included in the program fee
IU Bloomington Tuition – 3 credits
The tuition cost for this O’Neill International program is based on IU Bloomington tuition. The cost of tuition you pay will vary based on your student status. For more information on the cost of summer tuition, please contact IU Student Central.
Additional Costs
You will need to pay for your flight to Ireland, transportation to and from the airport, food that is not included in the program, and other incidentals.
Scholarships
The O’Neill International Equal Opportunity Scholarship is available to help O’Neill students from IUB and IUPUI study abroad. Please visit our scholarship page for eligibility requirements and application deadlines.
Other scholarships are available on a competitive basis.
The program will be open to undergraduate students with a GPA of 2.75 or higher and graduate students in good academic standing. Students from across IU will be considered, and the instructor will review student applications and make the final decision on admission to the program.
During the application period (December 1-January 21) an "Apply Now" button will be available at the top of this page. You will need to submit the online application by 5 p.m. on January 21.
Detailed application instructions
If you have any issues throughout the application process, please do not hesitate to contact the O'Neill International Office, 812-855-7568, oio@indiana.edu.
Studying abroad gives students a perspective that they just can't get in the classroom.
—Gary Branham, O’Neill in Ireland Program Director
Hear from students who’ve participated in the O’Neill in Ireland program
Description of the video:
00:07
I wanted to study abroad because I knew
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that the world was a lot larger than
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myself going abroad it was really a
00:15
great personal gain for me because I got
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to do things on my own learn money
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management time management I know
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there's a lot of different perspectives
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out there and I love meeting new people
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so I knew studying abroad was a way to
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hear another perspective and meet these
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diverse communities traveling abroad
00:31
gives the students an opportunity to
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kind of get them out of their element a
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little bit gives them the opportunity to
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be able to have to research things that
00:39
that they normally don't have to like
00:41
how to get around the city they're not
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familiar with so it gives them an
00:43
opportunity to be innovative I was
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amazing
00:49
the president was a very interesting man
00:51
he had a lot to tell us he was so nice
00:53
he gave us this amazing speech came and
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individually met each of us it was great
00:58
knowing that the President of Ireland
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graduated from Indiana University and he
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really loved that we were from IU of
01:05
visiting there to me it was up there
01:07
with meeting the President of the United
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States imagine being in the White House
01:10
of a different country it was an amazing
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experience that who else can say they've
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done one the coolest place that we got
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to go was the truth of the Whitlam
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mountains and the talent with all I've
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ever wanted to do when it comes to
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Ireland was go to the Wicklow Mountains
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so that was just amazing for me the
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Wicklow Mountains allowed me to take a
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step back and just enjoy nature it was
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phenomenal to have that experience
01:36
experiencing the Gaelic games is very
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interesting they've been apart and
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engrained in Irish culture for thousands
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and thousands of years and it was so
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cool to be able to be taught something
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that's really a part of their history
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and experience it with people who have
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studied the game their whole life we
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went from being immersed in all of the
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the joy that is around Dublin and all of
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the beauty of the glance came to you
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know being able to see you know some
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despair and some of the tension that
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still exists that do you get to see the
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green and grassy side of everything
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I also got to see the deep issues that
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are going on over in Ireland of course
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was really special because not only did
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I get to learn the conflict of Ireland
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in the classroom but I also got to go to
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places such as Belfast and see firsthand
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what the conflict was like and how it
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affects the people in those areas
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I would pick Ireland and specifically to
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be as a study abroad program because
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they teach you about the conflict while
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you're completely immersed in the
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conflict one of the experience that was
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really impactful I think for all of us
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was in Northern Ireland and in Belfast
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when we saw the peace walls and we can
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see the actual physical walls and what
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they represent and knowing that that we
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have our own walls back here in the
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United States they may not be physical
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walls but we have our own walls that we
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have to deal with spoke to different
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people from each side of the conflicts
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that have been implicated with doing a
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lot of different crimes and listening to
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them kind of come together and talk to
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one another was unbelievable I've never
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seen two people that truly used to hate
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come together in such a peaceful manner
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just wanting to educate studying abroad
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gives students the perspective that they
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just can't get in the classroom it
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allowed me develop a lot Burson when you
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know taught me that it's okay to step
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out of comfort zone and I try to do that
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a lot more now any opportunity that can
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Ireland is such a great easy Society and
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place to kind of just push yourself into
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and it's a very good stepping stone if
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you want to study abroad what stands out
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the most from my experience is just the
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friendships I made we had a lot of fun
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together with a group of kids I was with
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I wasn't expecting to make these lasting
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friendships my hope is that the students
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will come back and be able to apply the
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concepts that we learned about
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cross-cultural conflict in the
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organizations that they're going to be
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involved in here in the United States