Opening Up: A Conflict Transformation Podcast

Mediator and Teacher: Julian Portilla

In this episode, we feature a conversation with international mediator Julian Portilla. For the past three years, Julian has been one of the instructors of our successful Winter Term class at the college, "Conflict Trans

From Post-Conflict Reconstruction to Democratic Dialogues

In this episode, we talk international post-conflict reconstruction, foreign aid, and domestic public policy dialogue with Dr. Naazneen Barma, a member of the External Advisory Board of the CT Collaborative. Barma is the

Practicing Negotiation

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 ou

Conflict Past and Present: History, Memory, and the U.S. Civil War

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 co

Fiction as a Pathway to explore History and Conflict

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

Support and Challenge: Higher Ed's role in fostering constructive conflict skills

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

Protest, Conflict, and Lessons from Interfaith Dialogue

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

Structured Dialogue & Higher Education

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 dialog

Embodiment and Improvisation: from Dance to Conflict Transformation

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 Colla

Beth Berila - Building Compassionate Communities with Mindfulnesss

Everyday Peace at Home and Abroad

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

International Education, Learning, and Conflict

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 w

"We live with love for each other" - Hindu and Muslim Women in Middle-Class India

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, Aspirat

Transforming Campus Conflicts

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 Transformati

Campus Conflict: Lessons from a Speaker Shutdown

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. Thi

Addressing Conflicts in Tackling Poverty: A SHECP Conversation

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 j

Democratic Decline and Possible Responses

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, assoc

Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in the Balkans

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

Mediation: Transforming Relationships to Reshape Global Conflicts

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 Unite

Restoring Justice, Cultivating Hope: A Scholar Practitioner Conversation

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 sujath