Program Title
Restorative Justice facilitation & Leadership
Program Type
Major
College/School
Kroc School of Peace Studies
Program Level
Graduate
Degree Designation
Master of Arts
Catalog Program Descriptions
The Master of Arts in Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership (MARJ) will develop a new generation of diverse RJ leaders by providing a comprehensive course of study about restorative justice.
Restorative Justice is a philosophical approach that embraces the reparation of harm and healing of trauma. A central practice of restorative justice is a collaborative decision-making process that includes harmed parties, people who have caused harm, and others who are seeking active accountability. Restorative justice is a global social movement with applications ranging from the way a teacher responds to minor misbehavior in school classrooms to prosecutors’ support of a crime victim’s desire to confront the person responsible to a society’s
healing approach in the aftermath of war or genocide.
The MARJ will build upon USD’s Certificate in Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership, with its three courses forming the core experience of the MARJ first year. The MARJ would be a 30-unit non-residential degree. Students would enroll using a cohort model (taking their coursework together and on the same timeline). Courses will be delivered both online (asynchronous) and in person with short, immersive courses during intersession and summer.
The MARJ is designed to meet the needs of a variety of individuals including professionals in K-12 education, higher education, the nonprofit sector, the criminal legal system, and those from other sectors who plan to start a new career in restorative justice.
| Cohort 2 (Start Fall 2025) | Cohort 3 (Start Fall 2026) | |||||
| Semester | Mode | Date | Semester | Mode | Date | |
| Fall 2025 | Fall 2026 | |||||
| Introduction to Restorative Justice | Online | 9/1-10/13 (4:00-6:00) | Introduction to Restorative Justice | Online | 8/25-10/13 (4:00-6:00) | |
| Applied Research Methods for Leaders | Online | 10/28 -12/15 | Foundations of Peace, Justice and Social Change | Online | 10/27 -12/8 (4:00-6:00) | |
| Intersession 2026 | Intersession 2027 | |||||
| Restorative Justice Facilitation Skill-Building Intensive | In Person | 1/12-1/16 (9:00-4:00) | Restorative Justice Facilitation Skill-Building Intensive | In Person | 1/11-15 (9:00-5:00) | |
| Spring 2026 | Spring 2027 | |||||
| Leading Change in Complex Ecosystems | Online | 2/3-3/23 | Trauma-Informed Restorative Justice | Online | 2/2-3/22 (4:00-6:00) | |
| Restorative Justice in Practice | Online | 3/31-5/12 (4:00-6:00) | Restorative Justice in Practice | Online | 3/30-5/11 (4:00-6:00) | |
| Summer 2026 | Summer 2027 | |||||
| Restorative Justice Travel Seminar | In Person | 6/19-28 | Restorative Justice Teaching Tools | In Person | TBD | |
| Policy and Advocacy | Online | 7/7-8/25 | Policy and Advocacy | Online | 7/6-8/23 (4:00-6:00) | |
| Fall 2026 | Fall 2027 | |||||
| Restorative Project Design and Grant Writing | Online | 9/1-10/13 (4:00-6:00) | Restorative Project Design and Grant Writing | Online | 9/7-10/19 (4:00-6:00) | |
| Trauma-Informed Restorative Justice | Online | 10/27 -12/8 (4:00-6:00) | Leading Change in Complex Ecosystems | Online | 10/26 -12/8 (4:00-6:00) | |
| Intersession 2027 | Intersession 2028 | |||||
| Advanced RJ Facilitation and Training | In Person | 1/11-15 (9:00-5:00) | Advanced RJ Facilitation and Integration | In Person | 1/10-14 (9:00-5:00) | |
|
*Cohort 3 shedule is tentative pending administrative approval
|
Knowledge
- Articulate the philosophy and practice of restorative justice.
- Explain the unintended harmful consequences of contemporary punishment practices in various organizational settings.
- Integrate various applications of restorative justice in a variety of institutions using a cross-cultural perspective.
- Demonstrate appropriate restorative justice research strategies and implement correct criteria for assessments of restorative programs.
Skills
- Demonstrate competence in facilitating a trauma-informed restorative process from pre-dialogue preparation to dialogue facilitation to post-dialogue mentoring and support.
- Skillfully integrate a variety of conflict resolution skills into restorative facilitation, such as conflict analysis, nonviolent communication, conflict coaching, mediation, shuttle negotiation, and design thinking.
Abilities
- Evaluate effectiveness of restorative justice implementation through critical assessment of grassroots (bottom-up) and administrative (top-down) initiatives.
- Create new restorative organizations, policies, programs, or processes across contexts.
- Develop a restorative leadership style that initiates and supports restorative efforts.
- Customize a restorative approach for particular audiences (such as K-12, sexual harm, reintegration after incarceration, etc.)