KROC 500 Foundations: Peace, Justice & Social Change (3 units)(McDougal & Choi-Fitzpatrick; Fall 2023)
The course introduces students to a series of big ideas for making the world more peaceful and just, and how to apply them in shaping their own lives and careers of purpose. The first half of the course features lectures and discussion sections that explore foundational theories behind peace, justice, and social innovation, where they overlap, and where they are in tension. The second half of the course explores specific fields of inquiry and practice in a more intimate setting, with an emphasis on comparing diverse approaches to common problems. Throughout the course, students will be challenged not simply to learn a spectrum of ideas and practices, but to understand how they fit together, where and how to learn more, and how to craft their own educational and professional trajectories so that they can part of the change they want to see in the world. This process has four essential elements: 1) building an inclusive, resilient, and productive culture; 2) getting everyone up to speed on the defining aspects of our field; 3) introducing the unique expertise and experience of Kroc School faculty and staff; and 4) helping you to turn your passion for positive social change into a career.
Dr. Choi-Fitzpatrick’s section on Wednesdays is synchronous online.
KROC 510 Leadership and Organizations (3 units)(Roche; Fall 2023)
Students in this course gain understanding about their personal purpose, goals and leadership style and begin to create their own plan to gain agency and grow as adaptive leaders. The course prepares students to become effective leaders in the peace and justice field by bringing core concepts and theories about leadership, organizations and change alive through experiential learning, case analysis, individual assessment, and self-reflection.
KROC 512 International Justice & Human Rights (3 units)(Sharp, Fall 2023)
This course is an introduction to human rights at the level of intellectual theory and discourse and at the level of “real world” action, controversy and struggle. It examines the moral, philosophical, legal and political bases for international human rights, as well as the complex cocktail of actors and organizations involved in human rights advocacy and enforcement. Other specific topics—including transitional justice, R2P, torture, the law of war, and gender-based repression—will vary from semester to semester and instructor to instructor.
KROC 515 Environmental Peace & Justice (3 units)(McDougal; Fall 2023)
Evidence is mounting that unprecedented economic growth experienced by human societies has induced a state of crisis for the Earth’s ecological systems. Many of the public goods provided by them – fresh water, clean air, abundant fisheries, nutritious soils, low sea levels, and moderate weather, to name a few – are increasingly at risk. Their failure poses existential threats to the societies humans have collectively built over millennia, and heightens the risk of violent conflict. This course will critically examine connections between the three legs of the proverbial sustainable development stool: environment, economy, and peace. We will explore specific issues in an applied, place-based framework, focusing on ways of understanding larger challenges as they manifest themselves in the San Diego region. We will also ask fundamental questions about environmental sustainability: How do current development paradigms create environmental conflicts? What role can we expect technology to play in offsetting our ecological impact or solving our conflicts over scarce resources? What does environmental justice look like? And ultimately, what are our prospects for peace and progress in the face of environmental peril? Class time will be spent on a combination of exploratory field trips, discussions, debates, and participatory community engagement. Deliverables will include reflective journal-keeping, an issue brief, a policy memo, and a final project.
KROC 521 Social Innovation (3 units)(Choi-Fitzpatrick; Fall 2023)
In this introductory course to social innovation, students are introduced to the strategies and processes for creating social change through innovation. Students learn by interacting with social and political entrepreneurs, activists, organizations, and social movements in San Diego/Tijuana. Students analyze cases of individuals and groups who have catalyzed important positive social change through different organizational platforms – in the market, in government, within the nonprofit sector, and increasingly in the space between these three sectors. Throughout the course, students examine social innovation connecting field experiences with readings and in-class discussions. They are introduced in action to the tools and methodologies of participatory innovation, design thinking and measurement and evaluation.
KROC 523 Social Entrepreneurship (3 units)(Cordeiro; Fall 2023)
How can we translate ideas into sustainable initiatives with social impact? In this course students develop the mindset and capabilities of entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs for social change. Through the design of real world projects, students learn key elements for designing sustainable initiatives that create a new social equilibrium better than what existed before: value proposition, financial modeling, measurement and evaluation, among others.
KROC 530 Conflict Analysis & Resolution (3 units)(Federman, Gamaghelyan; Fall 2023)
This course will examine how conflicts are identified and analyzed, from low-level political violence to major armed conflict and what theories and tools exist to resolve these conflicts. Students will read classic works in this interdisciplinary field, gaining an understanding of the different scholarly approaches taken to prevent and resolve armed conflict. Students will work in teams on particular case studies, applying theories learned.
KROC 531 Intervention Design (3 units)(Farid, Federman; Fall 2023)
The Intervention Design course is a required course for the MS-CMR program. It provides a framework for students to synthesize and apply knowledge and practical skills gained during the program to create a specific conflict management/resolution project. The course is also a chance to create a key Kroc School Portfolio item that students can showcase to prospective employers, donors, or partners.
Throughout the course students will learn how to do the following:
- Conduct conflict analysis
- Identify and frame a critical need or problem within that conflict context and translate that need or problem into an actionable goal.
- Develop a robust literature review and theory of change, demonstrating an ability to apply the learning from the program to develop a theoretically-grounded approach to the problem.
- Recognize various intervention design strategies ranging from program design and action research to applied research and advocacy in order to choose an appropriate one for the particular context.
- Integrate a number of conflict management and resolution approaches to develop a course of action and recommendations that result in outcomes that culminate in the conceived goal.
- Create a robust and persuasive written, visual and oral presentation of the intervention.
KROC 533 Mediation (3 units) (Gamaghelyan, Thomas; Fall 2023)
This course will focus on skill-building in mediation. Students will learn and practice a variety of tools and methods of mediating conflicts and disputes. Our experiential class will be divided between learning the traditional mediation skills, practice, and theory, including the benefits and limitations of mediation as a dispute resolution method on the one hand, and alternative approaches to mediation on the other. The alternative models will include the needs analysis-based Problem-Solving Workshop, the narrative analysis-based Mediation of History, and the Evolving Designs model aimed at work in multi-party environments.
After taking this course, students will be able to: differentiate among various mediation processes; distinguish between interest-based and needs-based approaches; differentiate between the traditional and alternative mediation practices; demonstrate awareness in regard to ethical dilemmas of mediation practices; possess the skills to serve as a mediator; design and lead context-appropriate mediation processes.
KROC 571 Immigration and Asylum in Practice (3 units)(Deaton; Fall 2023)
The course begins with an overview of U.S. immigration and asylum policy and how it interfaces with global migration, war, revolution, and climate change. We examine the critical role that race, class, ethnicity and country of origin, and gender played in the development of U.S. immigration law and policy, and how they impact policies today. We look at U.S. asylum policy and examine the role of international law in its implementation. Does the United States comply with the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol?
Turning to immigration issues confronting us today, we examine immigration policies of current and prior administrations, including DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), family separation, the criminalization of immigration, asylum and other topics. We look at issues specific to our Mexican-American border at San Ysidro, CA.
KROC 590-01 Social Marketing: Behavior Change for Good (2 units)(Roche; Fall 2023)
Solving the most pressing issues of our times requires understanding the needs, motives, and attitudes of the main stakeholders we aim to influence. For the desired change to occur, messages and interventions must resonate to produce positive and lasting public behavior. The discipline of applying traditional marketing principles and techniques to help in solving these “wicked social problems” is known as social marketing. For instance, successful social marketing campaigns have helped reduce and prevent smoking, decrease infant mortality, stop the spread of HIV/AIDs, decrease littering, increase recycling, and drive various other societal shifts in the U.S. and across the globe (Andreasen).
KROC 590-02 Justice in the American Criminal Legal System (2 units)(Deaton; Fall 2023)
This fast-paced course will familiarize students with the American criminal justice system, providing an overview from police practices and the rights of the accused, through post-conviction and collateral consequences of convictions. The students will study the respective roles and ethical responsibilities of prosecutors and defense attorneys, and will examine the roles of judges, juries, and other justice system operators.
Part I. Foundation and history of American criminal justice system. The course will begin with a study of the history of the American criminal legal system. The students will explore the origins of policing institutions and prison systems, as well as the development of core rights of the defendant.
Part II. Criminal Justice in Practice. We will study the roles of the police and prosecutor as well as the role of the defense investigator and defense attorney in criminal prosecutions. The students will explore the impact of public opinion and the role of the media. What is the role of the media in forming public opinion about a case? Should cameras be permitted in the courtroom? We will explore common sentencing issues and patterns as well as post-conviction prison programs. We will conclude Part II of the course with a look at the collateral consequences of convictions.
Part III. Reform in the Criminal Justice System. In the last part of the course, the students will study past and present criminal reform movements as well as gang and other crime-prevention methodologies. The students will study relevant social movements focusing on police practices and will conclude the course with a look at sentencing reform efforts including the abolition of minimum-mandatory sentences, three strikes laws and other sentencing laws.
Please note that this class is the prerequisite to a 2-unit criminal justice practicum that will be offered in the Spring. While the practicum is optional, students are encouraged to consider taking the entire sequence to better connect theory with practice.
KROC-590-03 Finance for Leading Change (2 units)(Roche; Fall 2023)
This proposal expands the current one-credit Finance for Leading Change workshop to a two-credit semester-long course. Over the past three years, students’ feedback shows an increased interest in the subject and the need to learn more and deepen financial concepts. Core financial management practices are common to all organizations independent of profit or social purpose. This need implies that an understanding of fundamental financial, accounting, and budgeting practices, tools, and techniques is essential for creating sustainable business models for social impact. This course will give the students a more profound ability to read and interpret financial statements and ratios, analyze working capital and cash flow needs, interpret return on investment models, and create economic forecasts and budgets.
KROC 592-01 WKSH: Design Thinking (1 unit)(Rivas Espinosa; Fall 2023)
This workshop provides an opportunity for students to experience the process of Design Thinking. Students in this course gain insight and understanding on the mindsets needed to engage in the design process. It prepares students to use Design Thinking strategies to engage in social change and social innovation projects.
KROC 592-02 WKSH: The Peacebuilder (1 unit)(Fryer; Fall 2023)
The slow process of building peace is multi-layered, deeply challenging and absent of quick fixes. The work of making the world a more peaceful place hinges in no small part on the person of the peacebuilder. In addition to learning theory, methods of analysis, and the complex and rigorous work of managing, resolving and transforming conflict, the work of peace requires deep personal and communal resources rooted in an ability to reflect and engage with our surroundings and ourselves. The art of noticing is at the heart of effective peace work. This workshop will reflect on what Joseph Campbell describes as the labyrinth that we will use as an analogy for peace work. As we stand looking at two potential paths, someone somewhere, has been in this position before. Practical advice exists about which way to turn, what to expect along that path and the reasons why it might be wise to turn left and not right. Much can be gained from acknowledged mistakes but a map giving some tips and advice would at times be very helpful. This guidance and accompaniment can be found in the stories of peace practitioners around the world as well as through reflecting on our own experiences.
Across the world, grassroots peace leaders have developed the disciplines that enable them to overcome constant setbacks while still holding on to their vision. While the world faces increasingly complex problems and significant costs of violence, those working to address these problems need clarity of purpose, creativity, and capacity to sustain their well-being for the long haul. The workshop will lead students to (re)connect with the core values and motivations needed to sustain people who try to make the world a more peaceful place. We will explore concepts and associations around the term peacebuilder, encourage students to understand their own motivations and how they describe their work. Time will be spent in the classroom and also outside. The outside learning will involve walking. Please let the instructor know if you have mobility issues and please wear comfortable footwear.
KROC 594-01 Foundations in Trauma Awareness and Resilience (3 units) (Hanessian; Fall 2023)
This interdisciplinary Foundations Course, central to the “Certificate of Trauma Awareness, Resilience and Restorative Approaches Across the Professions,” is designed to provide an integrative lens on stress and trauma, restorative practice and approaches, and individual and community resilience.
The course combines an academic understanding of the science of trauma with an experiential learning of skill-building practices which emphasize self-reflection, social and emotional awareness, resilience-centered trauma literacy for application in non-clinical settings, and a practical knowledge of restorative approaches across various disciplines.
This Foundations Course is designed for professionals as well as USD graduate students interested in developing their understanding of stress, trauma, development, and adaptive capacity; expanding trauma awareness and cultural sensitivity in context; learning core principles of restorative practice working with communities; and exploring how the integration of trauma awareness, resilience, and restorative approaches can be implemented across professions.
This course is synchronous online.
KROC-594-02 Introduction to Restorative Justice: A Global Social Movement (3 units) (Karp; Fall 2023)
This course introduces the philosophy and practices of 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 by: • Accepting and acknowledging responsibility for causing harm; • Repairing the harm caused to harmed parties and the community; • Rebuilding trust by showing understanding of the harm, addressing personal issues, and building positive social connections; • Addressing root causes, systemic inequalities, and social injustices that creates the conditions in which harm occurs. Restorative justice is a global social movement with applications ranging from the way a teacher responds to minor misbehavior in school classroom to prosecutors support of a crime victim’s desire to confront the offender to a society’s healing approach in the aftermath of war or genocide. Restorative approaches draw upon a variety of justice traditions that, in many ways, challenges the Western legal tradition of adversarial adjudication and punishment. Students will be introduced to the ethical framework that guides restorative approaches and a variety of applications. One leading assumption of this course is that a student interested in applying restorative justice in one particular setting, such as a school, will be most successful when they understand the full range of perspectives and practices.
This course is asynchronous online but has some synchronous Zoom sessions.
KROC 595 Applying a Gender Lens to Peace and Justice Reading Group (1 unit)(Farid; Fall 2023)
Applying a gender lens to peace and justice exposes social and political forces that can hinder progress, and bring to light potentialities and resources that remain untapped. The study of peace and justice is incomplete without such a lens, as understanding gender and its relation to conflict and peace is critical to dismantling systems of oppression and building more sustainable peace in societies. In this reading group, students will embark on a collective and interactive learning journey that examines development, security, capitalism, and art activism through a gendered lens. Students will be encouraged to apply a gendered lens to the topics and work they are most interested in. The reading group will adhere to feminist theory principles that prioritize lived experiences, embrace the critique of long-held systems and structures, and are concerned with the intersections of sex, gender, race, discrimination, equity, and choice. Discussions will be open, informal, and a chance to learn from the experiences of students, faculty, and guest speakers. Above all, this course will enable students to uncover truths and interrogate the gendered dimensions of conflict, activism, and social change for a more complete understanding of contemporary peace and justice challenges.
KROC 597 Professional Portfolio (1 unit) (Cordeiro; Fall 2023)
The Kroc School equips changemakers. This course will help you to link the concepts, skills, and work-products developed in your time here with the professional requirements of the sector you wish to enter or return to upon graduation. In particular, this course will provide the time and support required to compile a professional portfolio composed of the items specified by your degree program.
Central to the Portfolio is a Curriculum Vitae highlighting your accomplishments to date. The Portfolio will also include a Reflective Essay, which serves as a coherent framework for drawing together lessons learned from your graduate studies at the Kroc School, and articulate your professional goals and trajectory. It should build upon your CV and draw upon a body of coursework and critical reflection. The essay should explain why the projects and documents completed in core courses and electives and/or practicum were selected for inclusion in the portfolio and how they are illustrative of the student’s learning.
The rest of the Portfolio consists of work products specified as eligible to include in guidelines for the MA in Peace and Justice, MA in Social Innovation, and MS in Conflict Management and Resolution. These can include policy memos, strategy memos, blogs, newspaper or magazine articles, grant applications, or book reviews.
Over the course of the class meetings, we will work to identify and refine these work products, such that they showcase your best work for a professional audience. Upon completion, students will be able to:
- Articulate a clear narrative about their time at USD, and its connection to their professional objectives.
- Highlight their accomplishments through a polished resume.
- Showcase professionally valuable skills and abilities