PEAC 203: Introduction to Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice explores the theory and practice of restorative justice. Themes include retribution, punishment and deterrence; Indigenous approaches to justice; trauma and healing; shame and empathy; community, belonging, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Students will gain familiarity with the process models of victim-offender mediation, family-group conferencing, and peacemaking circles; and will learn how restorative practices are being used in our schools.
Prerequisites: English Studies 12 or equivalent, with a minimum of 60%.
PEAC 100 and 101 are recommended but not required.
Corequisite: None
Crosslisted: None
Accessibility Services Notice
Students who would like an academic accommodation and who have a documented disability should contact Accessibility Services, if they have not already done so.Course Details| Total number of weeks | 15 |
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| Total Credits | 3.00 |
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| Total Hours | 45 |
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Typical hours per week breakdown| Lecture | 3 |
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Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
- articulate the values and principles that underlie restorative approaches to justice;
- compare and contrast retributive and restorative justice in terms of their approaches to harm and healing, and to those who have done harm and been harmed; as well as their effects;
- articulate a vision of justice-as-healing as expounded by Indigenous peoples, giving concrete examples from the course; and describe three specific initiatives taking place currently to improve justice for Indigenous peoples in Canada;
- expound upon the relational nature of restorative justice and explain why and how the community occupies such a central place in restorative approaches;
- explain what it means to "co-locate responsibility" in wrong-doers, their environment/relationships, and the larger structural or contextual forces and factors that produce both;
- outline and elaborate upon the central role of affect in restorative justice, with special attention to both empathy and the management of shame;
- knowledgeably discuss the role of trauma in restorative justice, and the importance and benefits of employing a trauma-informed lens in restorative justice work;
- compare and contrast three basic restorative process models (victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, and peacemaking circles) in terms of their unique characteristics, how they work and from what contexts they have originated, giving an informed assessment of their strengths and weaknesses;
- reflect on the experience of role-playing a restorative conference, and outline for others the emotional dynamics of this process; and
- describe interventions being used by restorative justice-oriented practitioners in schools to break the infamous "school-to-prison pipeline".
Grading Table
| Percentage |
Letter Grade |
GPA |
| 90-100 |
A+ |
4.33 |
| 85-89 |
A |
4.00 |
| 80-84 |
A- |
3.67 |
| 76-79 |
B+ |
3.33 |
| 72-75 |
B |
3.00 |
| 68-71 |
B- |
2.67 |
| 64-67 |
C+ |
2.33 |
| 60-63 |
C |
2.00 |
| 55-59 |
C- |
1.67 |
| 50-54 |
P |
1.00 |
| 0-49 |
F |
0.00 |
| |
DNW |
0.00 |
See the Academic Calendar for General Information including how to withdraw from course(s) and other regulations.
Disclaimer
Information contained in this course outline is correct at the time of publication. Content of the course is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational, employment and market needs. The instructor will endeavor to provide notice of changes to students as soon as possible. The instructor reserves the right to add or delete material from courses.