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Program Overview

The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School offers a semester-length online course in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. This highly interactive course explores the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution through in-depth discussions, lectures, and simulated negotiations.

Course Details

• Course Dates: Wednesdays, beginning February 25, 2026, and ending on May 20, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. ET (There is no class on 4/22)
• Faculty: Toby Berkman and Betsy Fierman
• Learning Objectives: Designed to improve understanding of negotiation theory and hone practical negotiation skills, integrating negotiation research from several academic fields with experiential learning exercises.

Learning Objectives

In this course, participants will explore the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution. The curriculum integrates negotiation research from several academic fields with experiential learning exercises, allowing participants to apply their learnings in real time.

Participate in Role-Plays

Participants will engage in a series of hands-on negotiation simulations aimed at helping them grasp key concepts and experiment with a range of negotiation techniques. These exercises emphasize a wide variety of timely topics in both domestic and international contexts.

Certificate

Upon successful completion of the course requirements, participants will receive a certificate of completion from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School signed by Program on Negotiation Executive Committee Chair, Professor Guhan Subramanian.

Schedule of Classes

• Class #1: Introduction to Negotiation – Examine the fundamental themes in negotiation and consider common assumptions about negotiation and barriers to negotiating effectively.
• Class #2: The Mutual Gains Approach to Negotiation – This approach to negotiation emphasizes exploring and understanding the other party’s concerns and how to jointly solve problems.
• Class #3: Value Creation and Distribution, Part I – Examine how to be an effective interest-based negotiator, with an emphasis on how to create value or “expand the pie,” as well as strategies for “dividing the pie.”
• Class #4: Value Creation and Distribution, Part II – Analyze negotiations where “dividing the pie” is a critical feature, the structure of these negotiations, and strategies for handling them.
• Class #5: Active listening – This session will discuss active listening, a key skill for managing negotiations and difficult conversations.
• Class #6: Dealing with Difficult Tactics – Learn approaches for dealing with a negotiator who employs “hard bargaining” tactics.
• Class #7: Identity and Culture in Negotiation – Consider strategies for managing individual conflict tendencies as well as navigating culture and gender-related challenges when negotiating.
• Class #8: Difficult Conversations, Part I – Managing difficult conversations effectively requires preparation, emotional intelligence, and clear communication.
• Class #9: Difficult Conversations, Part II – This session focuses on how to deal with emotions and issues related to one’s identity.
• Class #10: Final Negotiation and Introduction to Multiparty Negotiation – Participate in a final “capstone” negotiation in class, providing an opportunity to apply lessons from previous classes and begin to examine how adding parties to the table dramatically increases the complexity of substance, relationship, and process.
• Class #11: Future Learning and Review – Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be equipped with the theoretical knowledge and actionable, research-based strategies needed to become a more effective and reflective negotiator.

Eligibility Requirements

• PON semester-length courses are open to participants from all disciplines and professional fields.
• Fluency in English is required, with a minimum TOEFL score of 570.

Course Materials

• Canvas will be used as the learning management platform.
• Digital materials and supplementary readings will be provided to students.
• Students will also be required to purchase the following books for the course:
  • Getting to Yes (3rd Ed.); (Fisher, Ury, and Patton; New York: Penguin, 2011).
  • Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations ; (Ury; New York: Bantam, 1993).
  • Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most ; (Stone, Heen, and Patton; New York: Penguin, 2000).

Location and Online Requirements

• Location: Live sessions on Zoom.
• Online Requirement: Students are required to attend live sessions on Zoom and regularly engage with instructors and classmates in the virtual classroom. In order to attend class, students must have reliable internet access, a camera, microphone, and speakers. This course cannot be taken on a phone or tablet.

Tuition

• General tuition: $2,749
• Graduate Student tuition: $1,997 (Currently enrolled, full-time graduate students are eligible for a discounted rate.)

Faculty

Toby Berkman

Toby Berkman is a facilitator, mediator, teacher, trainer, and author on public dispute resolution and multi-stakeholder collaboration. As a Senior Mediator at the Consensus Building Institute, he uses innovative and inclusive process design and facilitation to help groups collaborate across differences, identify creative solutions to (seemingly) intractable problems, advance equity and social justice, and reimagine relationships of power and shared responsibility.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Fierman

Elizabeth (Betsy) Fierman is a mediator, facilitator, trainer, and researcher with 10 years of experience in the field of conflict management and collaborative problem-solving. She has worked with government agencies, NGOs, multilateral organizations, private companies, and communities to address socio-environmental conflicts, design and implement multi-stakeholder engagement processes, and improve dialogue and negotiation skills. Based in Chile, Betsy is the director of CBI’s Chile office. She has also worked with a variety of Chilean institutions, such as Casa de la Paz Foundation and the Agency for Sustainability and Climate Change. She has taught courses on alternative dispute resolution at the Universidad de Chile and the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Valparaíso to both undergraduates and executive education students. Betsy holds a Master’s Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Haverford College. She is a certified mediator by the State of Massachusetts and is a certified facilitator for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. A native of Boston, USA, she is bilingual in both English and Spanish.