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Overview
This was probably the most useful 3 days of my life. I would highly recommend it to others. I have had a lot of "soft skill" workshops before, but it's astonishing how much better and different it is to have a class taught by an expert. (anonymous student review of 2016 class)
Professor Curhan has some of the most engaging teaching that I have experienced in my entire educational career. He is knowledgeable about the material, encourages class participation, utilizes slides effectively, and brings in multiple learning techniques. (anonymous student review of 2018 class)
Previous year's course evaluations:
- Course evaluation from 2022
- Course evaluation from 2021
- Course evaluation from 2020
- Course evaluation from 2019
- Course evaluation from 2018
Become familiar with the science and practice of negotiations in a three-day crash course (the last week of IAP) from an award-winning professor of negotiations at MIT's Sloan School of Management!
No matter how excellent your ideas, most significant achievements require the ability to communicate with and influence others. This course examines the theory, research, and practice of negotiation across a variety of settings. It provides multiple opportunities for students to develop negotiation skills through role-plays, exercises, and useful analytical frameworks. Topics include: distributive and integrative bargaining, psychological biases, lessons from game theory, principles of influence, multiparty negotiation, and the value of relationships and trust.
Prerequisites
None! This course is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students from all majors.
Credit cannot also be received for 15.665, 15.675, or 15.712.
Course Details
Provided schedule and details are subject to change. Syllabus will contain more information.
Versions
There is a basic 3-unit version and more intensive 6-unit version of the course and there are different course numbers for undergraduates versus graduate students. The 3-unit version is appropriate for students who want a comprehensive yet condensed introduction to negotiation whereas the 6-unit version is for students who want to delve deeper and gain additional experience. Specifically, the 6-unit version requires the completion of a personal reflection paper and a team presentation.
| Version | Meets | Undergraduate | Graduate |
| 3-units | 3 days (M, T, W) | 15.6721 | 15.672 |
| 6-units | 4 days (M, T, W, F) | 15.6731 | 15.673 |
IAP 2024 Schedule (tentative)
Day 1: Monday, January 29, 2024 (8:30a - 4:30p): Negotiation Theory
Day 2: Tuesday, January 30, 2024 (8:30a - 4:30p): Synthesis and Practice
Day 3: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 (8:30a - 4:30p): Overcoming Barriers
*Friday, February 2, 2024 (8:30a - 4:30p): In-depth Application (Student Presentations)
*Only for students registered for the 6-unit version of the course.
IAP 2024 Homework (tentative)
Friday, January 19, 2024 by 11:59 PM ET: Personal Evaluation Assignment (PEA) Questionnaire due
Saturday, January 27, 2024 by 11:59 PM ET: Pre-Negotiation Questionnaire due
Monday, January 29, 2024 by 11:59 PM ET: Pre-Negotiation Questionnaire due
Tuesday, January 30, 2024 by 11:59 PM ET: Pre-Negotiation Questionnaire due
*Thursday, February 1, 2024 by 11:59 PM ET: Student Presentation Slides due
*Sunday, February 4, 2024 by 11:59 PM ET: Personal Reflection Paper due
*Only for students registered for the 6-unit version of the course.
Requirements
Reading Assignments
You are expected to read and prepare for cases and exercises before showing up for class.
Simulations and Exercises
One of the goals for this class is that you gain a deeper understanding of negotiation, not just by reading, writing, and thinking about it, but also by experiencing it first-hand. Therefore, we have planned a number of in-class simulations and exercises related to negotiation. As many of these activities require some understanding of background materials and/or confidential instructions, we will expect you in most cases to prepare for these activities before class.
Attendance and Participation
Due to the highly experiential nature of this course, attendance at all classes and participation in all cases and exercises (as evidenced by on-time submission of results) is mandatory. Active in-class participation in activities and discussions is expected of all students. Please arrive promptly so that introductions to activities do not need to be repeated or delayed. If you believe that you have extenuating circumstances that require you to miss a class, please contact the TA; advance notice is essential, preferably by the previous class meeting.
*Personal Reflection Paper
*Only for students registered for the 6-unit version of the course.
You will be required to submit a reflection paper analyzing an ongoing or recently concluded negotiation experience from your own life while demonstrating your understanding of the concepts covered in class. The paper will be due the first Sunday after class at 11:59 PM ET. More details will be shared in class.
*Team Presentation
*Only for students registered for the 6-unit version of the course.
You will be required to work with a team and give a presentation of a present day conflict or negotiation that has been the subject of media coverage and/or scholarly analysis while demonstrating your understanding of the concepts covered in class. The presentation will be due during the Friday session. More details will be shared in class.
Grading
The course will be graded "Pass/Fail" (P/D/F) based on satisfactory completion of the requirements above.
About the Professor
Jared Curhan is the Sloan Distinguished Associate Professor of Organization Studies at MIT's Sloan School of Management. An award-winning teacher, Professor Curhan will offer this special course on negotiation intended for students with a broad spectrum of backgrounds and experience. A summary of past course evaluations is below:
| Ratings | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Recommend the Professor (out of 5) | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 |
| Overall Rating of Teaching (out of 7) | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 7.0 |
| Overall Rating of Subject (out of 7) | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Curhan specializes in the psychology of negotiation and conflict resolution. A recipient of support from the National Science Foundation, he has pioneered a social psychological approach to the study of “subjective value” in negotiation—that is, the feelings and judgments concerning the instrumental outcome, the process, the self, and the relationship. His current research uses the Subjective Value Inventory (SVI; Curhan et al., 2006) to examine the precursors, processes, and long-term consequences of subjective value in negotiation.
Curhan is founder and president of the Program for Young Negotiators, Inc., an organization dedicated to the promotion of negotiation training in primary and secondary schools. His book, Young Negotiators (Houghton Mifflin, 1998) is acclaimed in the fields of negotiation and education, and has been translated into Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic. It has been used to train more than 35,000 children across the United States and abroad to achieve their goals without the use of violence. Deeply committed to education at all levels, Curhan has received the Stanford University Lieberman Fellowship for excellence in teaching and university service, the MIT Institute-wide teaching award, the MIT Teaching with Digital Technology Award, and the MIT Sloan Jamieson Prize for excellence in teaching.
Curhan holds an AB in psychology from Harvard University and an MS and a PhD in psychology from Stanford University.