Graduate Course Schedule

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

This course requires participation in weekly synchronous skill-building experiences with the instructor and a willing participant with whom to practice compassionate witnessing.

Note: 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.

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

In this course, students will develop an understanding of social construction theory 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.

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.

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 is an approved elective for the Community Engagement Specialization.

This course explores the deeper implications of transgenerational trauma and resilience within our everyday lives and their impact on community striving. Students will use mindfulness and interoceptive practices in individual andgroup processes  to address transgenerational harm 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 resiliency 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.

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.