How the learning unfolds
The lessons in each level build on one another. Level I opens by introducing the framework; from there, each Arc lesson takes up a structure of punitive justice as it appears in US medicine and health care, then works through the unitive structure that can replace it, along with the language that makes each structure function. Both levels address how substance thinking defines the punitive structures and how process thinking defines the unitive structures. Level I is the prerequisite for Level II.
This is not a lecture course. It is designed for participative and experiential learning, so that the Arcs can be recognized and used — at the bedside, on the unit, in the clinic, and in the boardroom.
How much time it takes
For study groups, each lesson is designed to run 90 minutes. The one exception is Lesson Five, which runs two hours because of the extent of its content. Meeting once a week, taking one lesson at each meeting, is what most groups find works best, though a slower pace is entirely workable and the choice belongs to the group. Groups whose members work shifts may find it helpful to settle on a meeting time together before the course begins.
The self-directed course carries no set lesson length, although 90 minutes is the suggested length. Participants move through the material at whatever pace suits them, spending longer on a lesson that asks for more reflection and moving more quickly through one that does not.
Two ways to take the course
Both formats cover the same content and lead to the same understanding. Neither format leaves participants on their own: both include up to eleven contacts with AUJ staff in Level I, one for each lesson, so that questions arising along the way can be answered by someone who knows the material well.
The study group course
A study group, led by at least one volunteer Course Leader, offers an opportunity for deep learning in community. Participants work through the lessons of each level together, drawing on one another’s experience and insight as they go. A group may come from a single practice, unit, hospital, or training program, or may bring together people from different parts of medicine and health care.
Course Leaders do not need prior knowledge of or experience with Unitive Justice. Every Course Leader is guided by a detailed Course Leader Handbook that sets out each lesson in full, so that leading a group requires willingness rather than expertise.
The interval between Level I and Level II is determined by group consensus.
The self-directed course
The self-directed course is taken by individuals, guided by a detailed handbook with reading assignments and reflection exercises for each lesson.
Which format fits
| Study group | Self-directed | |
| Group size | 6 to 12 participants | Individual |
| Guided by | A volunteer Course Leader, supported by the Course Leader Handbook | A detailed participant handbook, self-directed edition |
| Pace | 90 minutes per lesson (two hours for Lesson Five); weekly meetings recommended, slower is fine | No set lesson length — faster or slower, entirely as the participant chooses |
| Support included | The Course Leader and the group support one another, plus up to eleven contacts with AUJ staff in Level I | Up to eleven contacts with AUJ staff in Level I |
| Best for | Those who learn through discussion and shared practice | Those who prefer to set their own pace, whose schedules make regular meetings difficult, or who do not have the option of joining a study group |
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