How the learning unfolds
Each level of the course moves through a series of lessons that build on one another. Each lesson takes up the structures of punitive justice as they appear in the life of a primary school, then works through the unitive structure that can take their place, along with the language that makes each structure function.
Level I has eleven lessons. It introduces the framework, includes a lesson on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma, and covers Arcs 1 through 7. Level II has ten lessons and covers Arcs 8 through 14. Both levels teach how substance thinking makes the punitive structures work and process thinking makes the unitive structures work. Level I is the prerequisite for Level II.
This is not a lecture course. It is designed for participative and experiential learning, through reflective listening, circles, and practice done together, so that the Arcs become something a participant can recognize and use — in the classroom, on the playground, in the staff room, and in the office — rather than something learned about.
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 it includes the Community Values Circle. 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. Because the people of a school keep different hours — cooks and drivers often begin before the school day, caretakers and security staff often finish after it — groups 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 about 90 minutes is suggested for each lesson, and about two hours for Lesson Five. 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. The difference is whether the learning happens in community or at an individual’s own pace.
The study group course
A study group of 6 to 12 people, 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 school, bringing together teachers, support staff, and families, or from several schools, a teacher-training program, or a parents’ association.
Course leaders do not need prior knowledge of or experience with Unitive Justice. Every 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. Up to eleven contacts with AUJ staff are included 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 interval between Level I and Level II is the group’s to determine.
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. It is designed for 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.
Self-directed participants are not left on their own. Up to eleven contacts with AUJ staff are included in Level I, one for each lesson, so that questions arising along the way can be answered by someone who knows the material well.
As with the study group course, no prior knowledge of or experience with Unitive Justice is required of participants in the self-directed course.
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 | About 90 minutes per lesson suggested (about two hours for Lesson Five) — faster or slower, entirely as the participant chooses |
| Support included | The course leader and the group support one another, plus up to 11 contacts with AUJ staff in Level I so that questions arising along the way can be answered by someone who knows the material well | Up to eleven contacts with AUJ staff in Level I so that questions arising along the way can be answered by someone who knows the material well |
| Best for | Those who learn through discussion and shared practice | Those who prefer to work independently, whose schedules make regular meetings difficult, or who have no group nearby |
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