Peace and Justice Studies (KROC)

KROC 500 | FOUNDATIONS: PEACE, JUSTICE & SOCIAL CHANGE

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

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. Foundations sets out to both 1) introduce foundational theories behind peace, justice, and social innovation and to 2) apply these concepts to specific fields of inquiry and practice. 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. 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 see how your passion for positive social change is linked to particular issues and interventions.

KROC 510 | LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONS

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

This course focuses on the interplay between individuals, organizations, and change, providing multiple perspectives of leadership theories and their application to solving complex problems. It prepares students to become influential leaders in organizations pursuing social transformation and peacebuilding, locally and abroad. Students in this course explore their purpose, goals, and leadership style and begin to create their plan to achieve agency and grow as leaders, emphasizing adaptive change. In-class students expand their knowledge to discern and balance competing demands and tensions inherent in organizations and gain skills for addressing challenging situations and capitalizing on opportunities. Building peace and justice in communities worldwide involves leaders capable of articulating a compelling vision, mobilizing resources, and working effectively with diverse groups of people. It includes working in organizational settings with particular structures, strategies, and practices, whether nonprofits, for-profits, government, or hybrids. The course prepares students for peace and justice work in various economic, social, and cultural settings by bringing core concepts and theories about leadership, organizations, and change alive through experiential learning, case analysis, individual assessment, and self-reflection. In team exercises, students experience specific challenges and opportunities that leaders and team members face and obtain techniques for solving problems and getting things done.

KROC 512 | INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE & HUMAN RIGHTS

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

In modern history, the momentum behind the idea of human rights has grown tremendously. What began as a marginal utopian discourse has today become an important moral and political narrative in domestic and global affairs. At the same time, rights remain controversial and contested, and gaps in enforcement of human rights norms are conspicuous. At the current moment, there is a heavy shadow over the future of human rights as a global project, with challenges coming from both the political left and right, to say nothing of the shifting of the global political geotectonic plates. This course examines the actors, organizations, and ideas behind these developments, as well as the vast challenges we face today in attempting to enforce human rights norms globally.

KROC 513 | PROGRAM DESIGN, MONITORING & EVALUATION

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Starting with a solid understanding of the evolution of thinking and practice among key development and peacebuilding actors, this course is designed to prepare students to design, monitor and evaluate peacebuilding programs and project. Students will not only understand best practices in project design and management but also learn the skills and tools necessary to effectively carry out projects.

KROC 514 | INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

In a rapidly globalizing world, problems such as financial crises, poverty, violent conflicts, humanitarian disasters, pandemics and cybercrime are increasingly transnational in nature and cannot be solved solely by sovereign states acting individually or collectively. This course is designed to provide a big picture analysis of global governance and its interlocking elements. This includes an introduction to international organizations and multilateralism in a state-based international system and an examination of the political dynamics and key players of global governance in the post-Cold War era. It aims to enable students to understand the system’s strengths and limitations and how to make it work better at the micro, meso and macrolevels.

KROC 515 | ENVIRONMENTAL PEACE & JUSTICE

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

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?.

KROC 521 | SOCIAL INNOVATION

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

A SOCIAL INNOVATION IS A “novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just than current solutions” (Phills, Deiglmeier, & Miller 2008). The value created accrues primarily to society rather than to private individuals. In this course, you will develop your own definition of social innovation, will develop your own theory of change that social innovation is embedded in, and will learn about a number of strategies for understanding and creating social change for the greater good. You will gain knowledge and experience through engagement with individuals, organizations, and institutions that are implementing a wide range of social innovations. Cases of social impact through different organizational platforms – in the market, in government, within the nonprofit sector, and increasingly in the space between these three sectors – will be analyzed and discussed in this class. This course is additionally optimized to prepare you for clarifying your own SI contribution. You will have the opportunity to understand how social innovations are ideated and developed in different sectors. Through a combination of readings, guest lectures, and case studies, you will gain knowledge on diverse ways organizations are implementing social innovations as well as analyzing successes and failures. Participants will get to see social innovators as they are finding solutions to critical issues in our own backyard, and ask questions like: What defines a social innovator? Who do they involve in the process of achieving transformative social change? How do they learn? Social Innovation requires a unique and transferable set of skills. Through the course’s field-based learning process, and through practical analytical tools, student participants will gain experience in analyzing others approaches and in developing their own approaches to social change.

KROC 522 | IMPACT EVALUATION

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Social innovations are about novel solutions or approaches to solve social problems and they must be translated into actionable initiatives to achieve their intended goals. This course is designed to prepare students to design, monitor and evaluate social innovation initiatives. It provides essential knowledge for program design and management, including needs and impact assessment, as well as logic frameworks. Innovation involves transforming or creating new processes, services, products, policies, community dynamics, among others. But how do we know that a particular social innovation creates the desired impacts or value for individuals, communities, and society? How large are those impacts? How long do they last? This course introduces the basic concepts of ‘program evaluation’ in order to equip students with tools to answer these and similar questions for the purposes of enhancing the quality of initiatives. The course includes case studies, hands-on exercises, and opportunities to interact with guest speakers to develop familiarity with planning tools, evaluation types and designs, metrics and indicators, data collection methods, and human subjects research ethics.

KROC 523 | SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Globalization and rapidly increasing communications make us painfully aware of the intractable problems facing humanity and our planet today. Thankfully, we find that there is a growing number of talented, ambitious, and courageous individuals known as social entrepreneurs, and organizations known as social enterprises, that are creating initiatives that attempt to mitigate some of these problems on a scale - and with far more ambition - than ever seen before. These individuals and organizations are creating models of urgent, systemic change rather than more traditional incremental improvement, which are being advanced globally in what has come to be known as Social Entrepreneurship. In this course, we will get to know who these people are and what their organizations do, how they think and work, and why they represent more than just a ray of hope for our world today. Social entrepreneurship is a rapidly developing and evolving field in which nonprofit and business leaders design, grow, and lead mission-driven enterprises. As the traditional lines blur between nonprofit enterprises, government, and business, it is critical that students understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape. This course considers the full spectrum of social business models, including strictly non-profit organizations, enterprises developing revenue-generating products or services for a social goal, and socially responsible for-profit companies. This course will expose you to theory regarding entrepreneurship, models of social change, definitions of social entrepreneur and social entrepreneurship, management skills and the leadership required for social entrepreneurial organizations, scaling of social impact, the various possible legal structures, forms of financing and impact measurement for social mission organizations. We will also take an in-depth look at the history and evolution of a classic example of social entrepreneurship - microfinance. Social entrepreneurs address problems where the government, private sector, and traditional non-profit sector fail to achieve systemic impact. The course takes a global perspective, including organizations from San Diego, around the US, and abroad. It is designed to be highly participatory and engage students through readings, classroom discussions, videos, case studies, site visits and speakers from leading social enterprises. This course is designed for students who want to explore social enterprise start-ups, as well as those students who are just curious about the field and want to learn more about entrepreneurship and explore career opportunities.

KROC 524 | SOCIAL INNOVATION PRACTICUM

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

This is a course where students integrate theory and practice to address real-world problems faced by organizations and communities seeking to create social change. Acting as consultants, students acquire knowledge of real-world constraints and opportunities faced by organizations leading social change. Students learn ways to work in teams with organization or community partners for effective co-design of solutions, as they practice resourcefulness and creativity in problem-solving.

KROC 525 | REIMAGINING CAPITALISM: BUSINESS AS A FORCE FOR GOOD

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Is the capitalist system the evil of our time or the savior of our future? Are businesses the cause of society’s most pressing problems, or could they be part of the solution instead? How can business and entrepreneurial ingenuity reduce poverty and wealth inequality, protect the environment and natural resources, create community and social values, provide education and health services, and reduce gender inequality and migration? Can the capitalist system, powered by individualism, ambition, and a competitive spirit, evolve to be more humane and conscious of social problems? In a nutshell, what paradigms must change in the business world and society to make the market system a pillar for lasting positive peace? Working with real-life business cases, students in this course will be able to examine and critically analyze the above questions. The course will provide tools to tackle social issues using proven and innovative business techniques and models, from big businesses to small entrepreneurial examples. In short, this course focuses on the recently explored intersection between business and social innovation. Phills et al. define social innovation as “a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable or just than existing solutions and for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals.” Social innovation is about generating transformative ideas and initiatives that meet unmet needs and attempt to create a “new equilibrium” that is socially superior to the status quo. By the end of the course, students work in teams to develop a sustainability project for an existing company or a new entrepreneurial venture. The business initiative must create social value for all relevant stakeholders and society and show how it contributes to positive peace. The projects must be cross-functional so that students use the full spectrum of knowledge and skills acquired during this course.

KROC 526 | DESIGN THINKING

Units: 1-3 Repeatability: No

This workshop provides an opportunity for students to experience the process of Design Thinking. Students in this course gain insight and understanding of 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 530 | CONFLICT ANALYSIS & RESOLUTION

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

In all human societies, conflict is an integral part of daily life at interpersonal, intra-group, inter-group, and inter-national levels. Conflict can be constructive, focusing attention on neglected voices or social injustice and driving cultural and political change. It can also be destructive, damaging relationships, polarizing societies, or escalating into violence and war. In our increasingly interconnected world, it is crucial to develop effective methods to understand the sources and dynamics of conflicts and to deal with conflict productively. This course is designed to familiarize students with the interdisciplinary fields of peace and conflict studies, providing an overview of core concepts of contemporary theory and practice, as well as of the recent critical turn. We examine frameworks for analyzing the origins and processes of social conflict and violence and leading practical approaches to the conduct and evaluation of conflict resolution interventions. The course employs diverse methods and media, including lectures, discussions, interactive exercises, film, written assignments, and a conceptualization of an intervention. The course features experiential learning activities that provide opportunities for practical application of course concepts. Active participation in every class is essential; readings are always necessary but not sufficient for learning the material.

KROC 531 | INTERVENTION DESIGN

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

The Intervention Design course 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. The course is a requirement for the MS in Conflict Management & Resolution (MS-CMR) program and an elective option for the Graduate Certificate in Mediation & Conflict Resolution.

KROC 532 | NEGOTIATIONS

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Negotiation is the most widely used means of conflict management. This course aims to develop your understanding of the principles, strategies, and tactics of effective negotiation in emotionally charged conflict situations. The role of identity – culture, gender, religion, nationality, class – will be mainstreamed throughout the course. Case studies and hands-on simulations will cover a variety of multi-issue, multi-party negotiations involving territorial and ethnic conflict, environmental justice, and post-conflict reconciliation. Each case involves both material concerns and underlying social-psychological interests. This course emphasizes the power of symbols, rules and norms, and regime and relationship building for cooperative ventures, governance, and conflict prevention.

KROC 533 | MEDIATION

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

This course will focus on skills-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 534 | MEDIA, NATIONALISM, AND CONFLICT

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Regarded collectively, media is a means of mass communication. It is also the plural form of a “medium” or the means through which social phenomena such as nations and conflicts within and between them are (re)produced. The agencies and structures that (re)produce nationalism and other forms of social solidarity and conflict do not simply transmit reality as it happens. Even the most impartial and multidimensional transmission is selective and therefore subjective: since it represents a particular ideology, a particular lens, a particular angle, a particular frame, a particular cut, and a particular timeframe. In other words, what we receive through media is inevitably a representation of an event and not the event itself. The course will look into an array of media ranging from museums and architectures to cinema, literature, and social and mass media. We will explore the storytelling process that includes framing, selecting, narrating, plot construction, and other mechanisms which (re)produce and transform ideologies and other conflict discourses. We will learn to critically analyze a wide variety of texts and visual materials, differentiate between narrative structures that (re)produce violence and those that (re)produce peace, and envision discursive interventions.

KROC 570 | WAR, GENDER AND PEACEBUILDING

Units: 2-3 Repeatability: No

Non-Core Attributes: Experiential

This course explores the peacebuilding roles that women play in conflict zones around the world. Like traditional courses, it will include an introduction to gender and peacebuilding and an analysis of women’s leadership in human rights activism and conflict resolution. However, this unique course is built around the involvement of women peacemakers from conflict zones around the world who will play an active role in the classroom and help us explore how power, oppression, and gendered identities contribute to war and peace from the personal to the societal levels. Through a series of expert lectures, case studies, interactive exercises, and mixed media presentations, students will gain an increased understanding of gender and peacebuilding, including the gendered drivers of conflict, and the different roles women and men play supporting, preventing, mitigating, and resolving conflict.

KROC 571 | IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN PRACTICE

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Non-Core Attributes: Community Engagement, Experiential

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, 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 572 | TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Transitional Justice is a somewhat new field of policy, practice, and study that focuses on the moral, legal, and political dilemmas encountered as individuals, communities, and nations attempt to grapple with historical legacies of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and other large-scale human rights violations. In such circumstances: Who must be punished and who may be pardoned? Do vigorous efforts to promote legal accountability jeopardize the emerging and fragile peace? What is the proper role and responsibility of the so-called international community in such circumstances? In this class, we will examine the complementarity and conflict between the often-overlapping demands that nations face in the wake of large-scale human rights abuses, including retribution, reconciliation, restitution, memory, and other forms of accountability. This will include study of the traditional range of transitional justice tools and interventions that have evolved, including international tribunals from Nuremburg to the ICC, truth commissions, reparations programs, public memorials, vetting and lustration initiatives, and broader institutional reform. Along the way, we will probe the blind spots, assumptions, and limitations of varying transitional justice mechanisms, together with the transitional justice project in general.

KROC 574 | HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

An examination of the actors and organizations conducting modern-day human rights advocacy and the techniques central to their work, including fact-finding, monitoring, report writing and media work. The course provides a balance of practical skill development (interviewing, press release writing) and critical-reflective examination of the ethical and strategic dilemmas faced by human rights advocates today.

KROC 576 | PEACE & SPIRITUALITY

Units: 2 Repeatability: No

The purpose of this class is to support students in cultivating a practice of reflection and resilience. Students and the instructor together will explore faith, spirituality, and contemplative practice in the context of their personal experience as peacebuilders, activists, changemakers, and social entrepreneurs. Spiritual concepts will be accompanied by insights drawn from more secular philosophical perspectives, as well as science. The course will begin at the micro level with an examination of the self, the nature of consciousness, and other existential introspective themes, before moving to the more meso and macro levels where we will investigate the relationship between inner peace and outer peace. The latter will include the ways in which spiritual faith and practice can both motivate and sustain peacebuilding work, including by helping to cope with issues of stress and burnout; and the ways in which spiritual practices can be integrated into peacebuilding programs. While students will be encouraged to pursue a wide variety of spiritual practices, as a class we will spend a significant amount of time together learning and practicing mindfulness and other forms of meditation.

KROC 577 | INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCY

Units: 2 Repeatability: No

Based on the extensive research in anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, leadership, and organizational behavior, the course reviews the impact of culture on leaders and their followers at the national, group, and organizational levels. It provides a thorough review of relevant theories. It applies them to helping students develop the cultural mindset essential to effective peace leadership in today’s global and interconnected world. This course will focus on building an awareness of cultural differences, cultural biases, and cultural adaptation. Students will develop cultural sensitivity that encompasses verbal, physical, and emotional differences in cultural expression.

KROC 578 | DATA VISUALIZATION

Units: 3 Repeatability: No

Long considered a “soft” area of practice, more art than science, peacebuilding and its adjacent professional fields increasingly rely on using data to design, garner support for, and evaluate their initiatives. Data visualization comprises a powerful set of tools and techniques used to explore and present information. Combined with program research skills and fluency in statistics, it can help us understand problems we confront, interventions we craft to solve them, and the effects of those interventions. It can help us to communicate, telling visual stories that can convince our target audience, be they colleagues, policymakers, funders, or the general public. This course is designed to cultivate basic data visualization and statistical skills that can provide a solid professional advantage on the job market.

KROC 590 | SPECIAL TOPICS SEMINAR

Units: 2 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

A course focusing on a special topic in peace and justice studies, conflict management and resolution, or social innovation. The course content and structure will differ depending on instructor. See learning objectives for more information about the specific course, and consult your advisor for the full course description.

KROC 592 | WORKSHOPS

Units: 1 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

A workshop focusing on a special topic or unique opportunity in peace and justice, conflict management and resolution, or social innovation. Workshop content and structure will differ depending on the instructor. See the learning objectives for more information about the course, and consult your advisor for the workshop's course description.

KROC 593 | FIELD-BASED PRACTICUM

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

Non-Core Attributes: International

The Kroc School’s field-based courses create a space for students to apply classroom knowledge in the field within creative and structured environments. The field-based course includes three common elements: a) an applied curriculum, b) the opportunity to interact with practitioners from communities affected by violence and injustice, and c) experience in implementing collaborative projects in the field. Students’ work will be guided by USD’s core humanistic principles, emphasizing how to look at individuals and communities in a holistic manner. See learning objectives for more information about the course, and consult your advisor for the course description.

KROC 594 | SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE

Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

A course focusing on a special topic in peace and justice studies, conflict management and resolution, or social innovation. The course content and structure will differ depending on instructor. See learning objectives for more information about the specific course, and consult your advisor for the full course description.

KROC 595 | READING GROUP

Units: 1 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)

A reading group on a special topic in peace and justice, conflict management and resolution, or social innovation. The reading group's content and meeting times will differ depending on the instructor. See learning objectives for more information about the specific course, and consult your advisor for the reading group's description.

KROC 597 | PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

Units: 1 Repeatability: No

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 industry 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 comprised of the items specified by your degree program. The Portfolio contains a Curriculum Vitae highlighting your accomplishments to date, a cover letter, and a reflective essay, which serves as a coherent framework for drawing together lessons learned from your studies, and articulates your professional goals and trajectory. The rest of the Portfolio is comprised of work products from portfolio-eligible projects in your courses such as policy memos, strategy memos, articles, and grant applications. During class meetings we will work to identify and refine these work products, and how to showcase your accomplishments for a professional audience.

KROC 599 | INDEPENDENT STUDY

Units: 1-3 Repeatability: Yes (Repeatable if topic differs)

An independent study for up to three units provides students an opportunity to research a topic of particular interest to them relevant to Peace and Justice Studies. The faculty supervisor, program director and Dean of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies must approve the project proposal prior to the beginning of the relevant semester. This course may be repeated up to a maximum of three units.