KSU Professor Promotes Resolving Conflict With Sustainable Solutions

Press release from Kennesaw State University:

Mar 18, 2021

KSU professor promotes resolving conflict with sustainable solutions

Volker Franke

KENNESAW, Ga.
(Mar 18, 2021) — Resolving conflict is not a one-size-fits-all approach and is truly effective only
when the process is inclusive and the solution is long-term, according to professor
Volker Franke of Kennesaw State University’s School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development.

Franke applies his research and expertise to address real-world issues, including
his current work with 10 communities in Afghanistan to resolve conflicts they’re having
related to matters such as education, infrastructure and water usage. Utilizing a
sustainable peacebuilding model that he and colleague Eric Wolterstorff developed,
Franke attempts to bring together all the relevant parties to discuss the problems,
reflect on each other’s perspectives and develop solutions.

“We want to see that they have more empathy for one another, build common understanding
and start to discuss ways to solve the conflict that actually could be implemented,”
Franke said. “We’re trying to provide the insight and skills for communities to resolve
their own conflict in the way they can – not in the way that we tell them to, which
is too often where traditional peacebuilding, in my view, falls short.”

Franke’s focus on impactful research extends to his students. He and his fellow faculty
members assist master’s and doctoral conflict management students in pursuing research on topics and issues about which
they are passionate.

KSU’s Ph.D. in International Conflict Management program has a diverse student body, including international students comprising more
than half of it, and Franke said that diversity is reflected in their research pursuits.
For example, one student, a retired colonel, assessed the effectiveness of unconventional
warfare operations by the U.S. military, such as the Bay of Pigs and the intervention
in Syria. Another student traveled to Liberia to study the country’s Palava Hut process
toward reconciliation following its civil war. Another student’s dissertation focused
on why some people can forgive a certain offense while others cannot.

“It is very important for students to find their passion, to connect their interests
with an academic project,” Franke said. “All of them have a reason for entering our
Ph.D. program or master’s program, and we ought to listen to what that reason is.
I learn just as much as the students do in class because I may talk to them about
the different conflict theories or international relations theories, but then they
apply those theories to their own experiences.”

To hear more about Franke’s research and expertise, listen to the “Thought Provoking” podcast hosted by KSU’s Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

This press release was produced by Kennesaw State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.