Restorative Justice

Catalog description

This course begins with an intensive in-person weekend retreat where students will build relationships with each other and, through experiential exercises and lively discussion, internalize core principles. Throughout the retreat and course, students compare and contrast restorative and retributive justice models, practice proactive and responsive restorative techniques, and identify personal and professional shifts to exemplify a restorative mindset. Specific restorative techniques which students will learn include restorative language, facilitation of a variety of types of circles, restorative dialogue processes, and systems and structures to accommodate restorative practice within school life. Through additional seminars, students will strengthen their knowledge of the history, theory, research, and practice of restorative justice. The culminating focus of the course invites students to apply restorative principles and practices in their own school or district setting.