COMM M117
Negotiation
Description: (Formerly numbered Communication Studies M117.) (Same as Labor Studies M117.) Lecture, four hours. Art and science of negotiation in securing agreements between independent parties. Theory and practice that underlies successful negotiation. Experiential course in which students learn broad array of negotiation skills, including identifying one's own (and others') communication style, identifying and incorporating components of successful negotiation, and resolving conflict between parties. Letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2021 - TAKE THIS CLASS. Seriously. This class is so applicable simply based on the fact we are all humans and use negotiation skills almost daily subconsciously. The setup of the class is once a week for three hours. Usually, Prof. Johnson will prep the week's case a little, show us assignments with other members of the class we will be negotiating against/with, and then everyone reads their "role assignment." You literally get a piece of paper that says "you are now an Oscar-nominated director entering negotiation for a new feature... you want X actor to play the lead and Y artistic director and Z amount of artistic control," might be nerdy but I found it super cool to get to flex our "acting" skills a little and take on different personas every week (and people take them super seriously it's very entertaining). Then you get put into a breakout room and negotiate with classmates for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Sometimes it's huge groups, mostly it's you in a breakout room with one other person and an hour to get a deal. Both intimidating and engaging. This class is 100% based on your willingness to participate, and the fact that the entire class is putting themselves out there and just trying to learn how to negotiate in a safe, classroom setting really made for a great experience. By the end, I had made a lot of acquaintances/even friends in the class (and you work with different people out of the 50 every week which really gets you to meet people). Grade wise - you have to turn in 5 case summaries (out of 8 total cases, you can pick which ones) basically just describing what you learned and incorporating some textbook concepts (textbook is super helpful, VERY straightforward). I'm pretty sure everyone got 100 on these for just turning them in - just put some effort in and you will be fine (for reference, I only spent 1-2 hours doing hw for this class until the last few weeks when we were doing a project). The final few weeks you're working on a "capstone" negotiation with a larger group. While I found it annoying to coordinate group work outside of class, I actually really enjoyed getting to plan strategy and prep for negotiations and then execute them with a team (and we ended up having some great banter). We had to do a final write-up as a group, super straightforward and simple (and this was the final). There is also an article summary where you basically take some research about negotiation and comment on it. I actually found this assignment awesome (and super easy, 4 pages double spaced, lots of 'what were the methods' and 'do you think the research is valid') - I read an article about how women are perceived as easier to lie to at negotiation tables which leads them to worse deals. Depressing, but super interesting. Prof Johnson is engaging, clearly intelligent and qualified, and a GREAT professor for this course. She skillfully articulated a lot of the negotiation basics and understands how to frame the classroom to be a very safe and useful learning environment. She knows what she is doing! She also mailed me (and our entire 50 person class!) a HAND WRITTEN postcard in the middle of the quarter thanking me for my enthusiasm and participation in our online world. I thought that was really sweet. I know I've rambled here - but the best part about this class is that it will push you. It is not a challenge academically, it is a challenge because for a lot of students (including myself) you are forced to be direct and confrontational and try a new skill you really haven't explored yet. I felt really anxious a few times with some imposter syndrome, worried the entire class was pro-negotiators and I was a blatant amateur, but I was proven so wrong. It was a total community learning experience and really allowed me to progress in negotiation settings, but also just more generally as a person - which is something I really can't say for any other class I've taken.
Winter 2021 - TAKE THIS CLASS. Seriously. This class is so applicable simply based on the fact we are all humans and use negotiation skills almost daily subconsciously. The setup of the class is once a week for three hours. Usually, Prof. Johnson will prep the week's case a little, show us assignments with other members of the class we will be negotiating against/with, and then everyone reads their "role assignment." You literally get a piece of paper that says "you are now an Oscar-nominated director entering negotiation for a new feature... you want X actor to play the lead and Y artistic director and Z amount of artistic control," might be nerdy but I found it super cool to get to flex our "acting" skills a little and take on different personas every week (and people take them super seriously it's very entertaining). Then you get put into a breakout room and negotiate with classmates for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Sometimes it's huge groups, mostly it's you in a breakout room with one other person and an hour to get a deal. Both intimidating and engaging. This class is 100% based on your willingness to participate, and the fact that the entire class is putting themselves out there and just trying to learn how to negotiate in a safe, classroom setting really made for a great experience. By the end, I had made a lot of acquaintances/even friends in the class (and you work with different people out of the 50 every week which really gets you to meet people). Grade wise - you have to turn in 5 case summaries (out of 8 total cases, you can pick which ones) basically just describing what you learned and incorporating some textbook concepts (textbook is super helpful, VERY straightforward). I'm pretty sure everyone got 100 on these for just turning them in - just put some effort in and you will be fine (for reference, I only spent 1-2 hours doing hw for this class until the last few weeks when we were doing a project). The final few weeks you're working on a "capstone" negotiation with a larger group. While I found it annoying to coordinate group work outside of class, I actually really enjoyed getting to plan strategy and prep for negotiations and then execute them with a team (and we ended up having some great banter). We had to do a final write-up as a group, super straightforward and simple (and this was the final). There is also an article summary where you basically take some research about negotiation and comment on it. I actually found this assignment awesome (and super easy, 4 pages double spaced, lots of 'what were the methods' and 'do you think the research is valid') - I read an article about how women are perceived as easier to lie to at negotiation tables which leads them to worse deals. Depressing, but super interesting. Prof Johnson is engaging, clearly intelligent and qualified, and a GREAT professor for this course. She skillfully articulated a lot of the negotiation basics and understands how to frame the classroom to be a very safe and useful learning environment. She knows what she is doing! She also mailed me (and our entire 50 person class!) a HAND WRITTEN postcard in the middle of the quarter thanking me for my enthusiasm and participation in our online world. I thought that was really sweet. I know I've rambled here - but the best part about this class is that it will push you. It is not a challenge academically, it is a challenge because for a lot of students (including myself) you are forced to be direct and confrontational and try a new skill you really haven't explored yet. I felt really anxious a few times with some imposter syndrome, worried the entire class was pro-negotiators and I was a blatant amateur, but I was proven so wrong. It was a total community learning experience and really allowed me to progress in negotiation settings, but also just more generally as a person - which is something I really can't say for any other class I've taken.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2021 - This is a great communication class where you learn how to negotiate with others. Each week you are given a situation and a role in a negotiation. For example, one week you negotiate as a producer of a big Hollywood film against a director. After, you complete a short 1-2 page write-up on what you learned in your negotiation (5 in total). It is a really fun and engaging class and very easy to do well in. There is no midterm or final, just a group project at the end of the quarter. If you're looking for an enjoyable communications class with light coursework take this one!
Spring 2021 - This is a great communication class where you learn how to negotiate with others. Each week you are given a situation and a role in a negotiation. For example, one week you negotiate as a producer of a big Hollywood film against a director. After, you complete a short 1-2 page write-up on what you learned in your negotiation (5 in total). It is a really fun and engaging class and very easy to do well in. There is no midterm or final, just a group project at the end of the quarter. If you're looking for an enjoyable communications class with light coursework take this one!
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