Course Offerings

RP 500 Basic Restorative Practices

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Blended | Course duration: 4 weeks (23 hrs. online)

* Before taking RP 500, students will need to have attended IIRP professional development experiences within 5 years of starting this course: Introduction to Restorative Practices and Using Circles Effectively or Restorative Practices for Educators, Restorative Practices for Independent School Educators, or Reimagining Campus Community with Restorative Practices AND EITHER Facilitating Restorative Conferences or Restorative Justice Conferencing.

This course explores the fundamental principles, philosophy, theories, practices, models, and skills of restorative practices. Special emphasis will be placed on proactive and responsive circles, restorative conferencing, and the informal application of these processes. Issues critical to the development of restorative practices, such as models of human interaction, theories of behavior, and current research will be considered. Students will assess the role of human emotion, especially shame, in social relationships.

Students may choose either RP 500 or RP 504, but may not take both, to fulfill the program requirements.

RP 504 Foundations of Restorative Practices

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisite: None

Students in this course will learn about the foundations of restorative practices as an evolving field of study. They will explore the emotional, relational, and ecological theories underpinning restorative principles, and the importance of engaging with others in equity-oriented relationships. Students will develop explicit restorative practices skills for application in their own personal and professional lives.

Students may choose either RP 500 or RP 504, but may not take both, to fulfill the program requirements.

RP 506 Restorative Practices: The Promise and the Challenge

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisite: None

This course introduces students to a wide range of possible applications for restorative justice and other restorative practices in varied settings including criminal justice, education and youth services, higher education, social work, and workplaces. Students explore the potential, as well as the limitations, risks and, obstacles to restorative practices through reading, online videos, interactive online discussion, and writing assignments.

*Please note: Spring 2025 will be the final time this course is offered.

RP 517 Restorative Approaches to Leadership

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisite: RP 500 or RP 504

Students in this course will have the opportunity to explore restorative approaches to leadership and create an actionable leadership plan. The course will examine various perspectives on leadership, self-reflection, and engagement. Students will explore how our values, experiences, empathy, and bias inform our beliefs, intentions, actions, and impact. Current literature, theory, and practical applications will be discussed. Students will participate in a guided professional learning community where they will post reflections, responses, and helpful feedback.

Students who have completed RP 515 Restorative Leadership Development: Authority with Grace may not register for RP 517 Restorative Approaches to Leadership.

RP 525 Restorative Practices in Action

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks

Prerequisite for the Master of Science Degree or Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices (any of the following within 5 years of starting this course):

• RP 500 or
• RP 504 or
• Attendance at Introduction to Restorative Practices and Using Circles Effectively or
• Attendance at Restorative Practices for Educators or
• Attendance at Restorative Practices for Independent Schools or
• Attendance at Reimagining Campus Community with Restorative Practices

Prerequisite for the Graduate Certificate in Change Implementation in Organizations and Social Systems (available Spring 2025):

• RP 500 or RP 504 and
• RP 667 and RP 668 (available Spring 2025)

In this experiential course, students will use and assess explicit actions modeling restorative practices in the setting of their choice. They will examine ethical and cultural issues related to implementing restorative practices with individuals and communities. Students will practice reflection as a critical competency of restorative practices. Within a professional learning community, classmates will provide reciprocal feedback to assist each other in assessing their individual progress.

RP 532 Aggression Replacement Training®: Behavioral Interventions that Work

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Blended | Course duration: 7 weeks (30 hrs. online)

* Before taking this course, students will need to have attended the IIRP professional development experience: Aggression Replacement Training® no earlier than five years from the start of this course. 

This course is designed to give students practical strategies for intervention with at-risk youth. The course will explore evidenced-based practices such as Aggression Replacement Training® and Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI). The online experience builds on the guided practice portion of the course by examining social and emotional learning theories as they relate to the philosophical framework of restorative practices. Students will complete 30 hours of coursework online after attending the Aggression Replacement Training® event.

RP 541 IIRP World Conference

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Blended | Course duration: Variable (27 hours online)

* Before taking this course, students will need to have attended the IIRP World Conference immediately preceding this course.

In this course, students earn credits based on participation and engagement at an IIRP World Restorative Practices Conference. They supplement this direct experience with related readings, writing assignments, and online discussions. Students actively evaluate, discuss, and critique presentations using restorative practices principles. Students will complete coursework online after attending the conference.

RP 550 Transforming Relational Harm

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks

Prerequisite for the Master of Science Degree or Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices:

• RP 500 or RP 504

Prerequisite for the Graduate Certificate in Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma:

• None

This course is an approved elective for the Education Specialization and the Community Engagement Specialization, and it is the requisite first course for the Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma Certificate.

Students who have completed RP 535 Restorative Responses to Adversity and Trauma may not register for RP 550 Transforming Relational Harm.

This course explores a deeper application of restorative practices as it relates to emotion and harm. Students will use group process, emotional dynamics, compassionate witnessing, and mindful practice to address a wide continuum of harm. Students will explore neuroscience and how harm impacts the brain. Through the learning process, students will begin to understand how harm, human neuroscience, and emotional experiences affect relationships.

Notes:

• This course requires participation in weekly synchronous skill-building experiences with the instructor and a willing participant with whom to practice compassionate witnessing.
• People have been exposed to various levels of trauma in their lives. This course considers the use of restorative practices in cases of grief, trauma, and adversity. We advise students to consider establishing an emotional support system for themselves while taking this course.
• Students who have completed RP 535 Restorative Responses to Adversity and Trauma may not register for RP 550 Transforming Relational Harm.

RP 556 Restorative Practices for Community Health and Well-Being

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisite: RP 500 or RP 504 or attendance at Introduction to Restorative Practices and Using Circles Effectively, or Restorative Practices for Educators, Restorative Practices for Independent School Educators, or Reimagining Campus Community with Restorative Practices taken within 5 years of starting this course.  

This course is an approved elective for the Community Engagement Specialization.

Students in this course will learn about the synergy between restorative practices and the field of community health. They will explore how restorative practices can help create supportive environments that facilitate well-being by prioritizing and strengthening a sense of community, connectedness, equity, belonging, and collective efficacy. Students will learn how restorative practices can strengthen community-focused efforts by fostering meaningful and sustainable cross-sector collaborations and developing the community’s capacity to advance the well-being of its members. Individual plans will be created to use restorative practices to address the social determinants of health within a community of the student’s choice.

*Please note: Fall 2024 will be the final time this course is available in the fall term. Moving forward, it will only be offered in the spring term.

RP 610 Evaluation of Research

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisites: RP 525, plus RP 500 or RP 504

This course teaches students to be knowledgeable consumers of research so that they can understand and critique what they read. Students will explore approaches, methods, and techniques through online group discussions and readings of research that they choose based on their own areas of interest.

RP 622 History, Evolution, and Critical Issues in Restorative Justice

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisites: RP 525, plus RP 500 or RP 504

Restorative justice views crime from the perspective of those directly and indirectly affected by an incident, empowering them to decide how best to repair harm. This course explores the possibilities of using restorative justice to respond more meaningfully to crime than current approaches used in the criminal justice system. Students examine theory and research to assess restorative justice's potential for reducing crime and, importantly, its impact. Through case study reviews, students apply restorative responses to situations and compare them with current practices. Readings, video presentations with knowledgeable professionals, and guided discussions present additional learning opportunities.

*Please note: Beginning in 2025, this course will be offered every other summer term alternating odd years.

RP 623 Restorative Justice: Global Perspectives

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisites: RP 525, plus RP 500 or RP 504

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of restorative justice themes across global contexts. Students will delve into a variety of restorative justice topics, including gendered violence, serious offenses, recidivism, the institutionalization of restorative justice, and more. By analyzing themes from diverse readings and other materials, students will critically examine how restorative justice has been adapted to fit various cultural and legal systems worldwide. By the end of this course, students will have expanded their understanding of restorative justice, gaining a truly global perspective.

*Please note: After Spring 2025, this course will be offered every other summer term alternating even years.

RP 625 Restorative Practices in Life Space Crisis Intervention

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks

Prerequisites for the Master of Science Degree or Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices:

• RP 525, plus one of the following:
  • RP 500 or RP 504

Prerequisite for the Graduate Certificate in Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma:

• RP 550

This course is an approved elective for the Education Specialization and is a required course for the Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma Certificate.

This course focuses on the basic communication process in problem management and crisis intervention. Life Space Crisis Intervention, which helps individuals identify patterns of self-defeating behavior, is viewed through a restorative lens. Role plays of restorative responses facilitate an understanding of the process. Students will learn to apply Life Space Crisis Intervention with individuals in the moment of crisis.

Note: This course requires participation in weekly synchronous skill-building experiences with the instructor and a willing participant with whom to practice questioning skills.

RP 635 Narrative Inquiry for Empowering Facilitators

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks

Prerequisites for the Master of Science Degree or Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices:

• RP 525, plus one of the following:
  • RP 500 or RP 504

Prerequisite for the Graduate Certificate in Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma:

• RP 550

This course is an approved elective for the Community Engagement Specialization and is a required course for the Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma Certificate.

In this course, students will develop an understanding of social construction and narrative theories that empower the facilitation of decision-making. Students will learn to organize and maintain conversations with others to address their needs and enhance their potential through enriched narrative conversations that acknowledge the individual or group.

Note: This course requires participation in weekly synchronous skill-building experiences with the instructor and a willing individual with whom to practice six different narrative maps.

RP 637 Social Justice and Restorative Practices

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisites: RP 525, plus RP 500 or RP 504

This course is an approved elective for the Community Engagement Specialization.

In this course, students will explore social justice theories and principles and the application of restorative practices in social causes. They will consider patterns of social injustice, analyze assumptions across cultural identity and social issues, and review methods associated with disrupting injustice. Students will complete individual projects to demonstrate an understanding of how restorative practices can be integrated to advance social justice.

This course requires participation in four synchronous learning and reflection experiences with the instructor.  

RP 645 Transgenerational Resilience and Community Striving

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks

Prerequisites for the Master of Science Degree or Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices:

• RP 525, plus one of the following:
  • RP 500 or RP 504

Prerequisite for the Graduate Certificate in Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma:

• RP 550

This course is an approved elective for the Community Engagement Specialization and is a required course for the Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma Certificate.

This course explores the deeper implications of transgenerational trauma and resilience within our everyday lives and their impact on striving. Students will use mindfulness and interoceptive practices in individual and group processes to address transgenerational resilience in personal and cultural contexts. Students will explore the neuroscience of how lateral and transgenerational trauma creates certain resiliency patterns that may limit potential. Students will gain insight into how attention, awareness, and intention can transform traumatic experiences into effective thriving patterns that positively impact relationships and culture.

Note: This course requires participation in weekly synchronous skill-building experiences with the instructor to practice a range of different circle experiences.

RP 652 Social and Emotional Learning in the Restorative Classroom

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisites: RP 525, plus RP 500 or RP 504

This course is an approved elective for the Education Specialization.

Students in this course will examine the theory and practice of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as it aligns with restorative practices. They will explore the potential to improve student, faculty, and staff performance through the purposeful implementation of restorative practices to increase social and emotional well-being in their settings. They will develop an understanding of SEL competencies that can provide a framework to establish equitable learning environments. Students will synthesize research in the fields of SEL and restorative practices to design an action plan integrating what they learn into their classroom or organization.

RP 662 A Restorative Approach to Educating the High-Risk and High-Need Student

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisites: RP 525, plus one of the following: RP 500 or RP 504

This course is an approved elective for the Education Specialization.

Every classroom, whether mainstream or specialized, contains students who experience poverty, trauma, persistent adversity, addiction/substance abuse, neglect, or other risk factors at some point in their lives. This course goes beyond “behavior management” to focus on a restorative framework and techniques for instruction that meet the unique cognitive and emotional needs of these learners.

RP 667 The Challenge of Change: Intrapersonal and Relational Models and Strategies

Available Spring 2025

Prerequisites for the Master of Science Degree or Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices:

• RP 525, plus one of the following:
  • RP 500 or RP 504

Prerequisite for the Graduate Certificate in Change Implementation in Organizations and Social Systems:

• RP 500 or RP 504

This course centers on human relationships and how their complex dynamics influence change implementation processes in organizations and systems. Students will examine and apply theories of intrapersonal and interpersonal change management and implementation science models. This practitioner-oriented course engages students in effective systems thinking and organizational learning concepts. Students will focus on the integration of restorative practices with existing approaches to change implementation and consider how relational approaches can support embedding and sustaining adaptive and transformative changes in organizations and systems.

RP 668 Reframing Change Implementation: Participatory Approaches and Mutual Accountability

Available Summer 2025

Prerequisites for the Master of Science Degree or Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices:

• RP 525, plus one of the following:
  • RP 500 or RP 504

Prerequisite for the Graduate Certificate in Change Implementation in Organizations and Social Systems:

• RP 500 or RP 504

This course examines how participatory decision-making and an ethos of mutual accountability can be vital aspects of successful change implementation in organizations and systems. Students will consider a range of change implementation features, including planning, vision alignment, readiness, engagement, and feedback, and analyze how restorative approaches to communication, conflict resolution, and inclusion generate positive environments for change. Students will explore how restorative practices reframes the role of leadership in change implementation from individual leader-centric models to mutual accountability and collective stewardship. Students will also learn methods for monitoring and measuring change results. 

RP 680 Designing Restorative Practices Research

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisite: RP 525

Students in this course will develop skills and competencies to design scientific inquiry in restorative practices. Students will review research concepts and principles and explore research designs and methods appropriate for answering different types of restorative practices questions. Students will select a topic intended to advance the restorative practices field of study and conceptualize and design a research project. Students also will learn the essentials of writing research proposals.

RP 685 Data Analysis for Restorative Practices Research

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisite: RP 680 or by permission of course faculty

Students in this course will develop skills and competencies to work with data in restorative practices and social sciences research. Students will learn about qualitative and quantitative data analysis, data interpretation, and how to communicate data-driven results. There is an emphasis on qualitative data analysis techniques; however, students also will be introduced to statistical software to perform descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. This course will prepare students to pursue an independent research project.

RP 694 Directed/Independent Study

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Individualized | Course duration: Variable | Prerequisite: RP 500, RP 525 (Requires consent of instructor)

This course provides an opportunity for a matriculated student to develop a learning contract that defines directed study or independent study on a special topic demonstrating a deeper understanding and application of restorative practices.

Note: This course requires the approval of the Provost after a learning contract has been designed between a faculty member and the student.

RP 699 Integrating Seminar (requires completion of all required master’s degree coursework)

Credits: 3 | Delivery mode: Online | Course duration: 10 weeks | Prerequisite: All required master’s degree program coursework

Students create a synthesizing multimedia project that describes how the field of restorative practices has the potential to impact communities and relationships in a setting of their choice. Projects are developed in a highly engaging and interactive professional learning community. Faculty and students discuss research, practice, processes, and implications that support claims made within the capstone projects. This process supports students as they prepare and present their projects.

RP 707 Thesis Seminar

Credits: 0 | Delivery Mode: Online | Prerequisites: RP 680, RP 685, RP 699 and prior approval to pursue the M.S. Thesis option

During this ongoing, noncredit Thesis Seminar, students who have been approved to complete a thesis will be supported by the faculty committee chair, their faculty advisor, and a committee member of the student’s choosing. Students will work to develop an original research question and thesis proposal that includes a literature review. The project will need IIRP Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval prior to conducting any research. Students will complete their research, writing, and defense of their thesis within two years of their enrollment in this Seminar.