Psychological research on negotiation and gender has developed considerably in recent years. For example, it has found evidence that women who stand up for themselves in negotiations often experience social backlash (e.g., Kuli & Olekalns, 2012; Kray & Thompson, 2004; Williams & Tiedens, 2016). This backlash likely occurs because women fail to meet stereotypical expectations through this behavior. As a result, they experience social costs such as negative backlash and lower popularity. This could be one reason why women initiate negotiations less often than men (Kugler et al., 2018), are less demanding (Amannatullah & Morris, 2010), more willing to agree on something more quickly (Eckel & Grossman, 2008), and perform less well in negotiation than men in many situations (Mazei et al, 2015).

Also, men perceive negotiating as an activity through which they can signal their masculinity and pursue social status. As a result, men can become enthusiastic but also anxious about negotiations and these emotions lead them to display a number of agentic negotiation behaviors to protect and underscore their masculinity and their social status (Mazei, Zerres, & Huffmeier, 2021).

In this course, we will start by learning about the basics of negotiations and how to use general negotiation tools in practice. This includes anchoring, framing, logrolling and differentiating between positions and interests. You will perform numerous negotiation and self-awareness exercises and exchange peer feedback. You will also be trained to recognize gender aspects in negotiations more often, understand their significance and possible pitfalls, and to shape them in a goal-oriented way.

This is a collaborative and interactive course where active participation is central. Throughout the course you will be expected to conduct background research as instructed and to keep up to date with readings and exercises. You will furthermore be asked to prepare and present a presentation, conduct a group project and to peer-review classmates’ work.