How can religious leaders tackle injustice and be agents for peaceful, purposeful change at the community and societal level? We will hone perspectives and practices for leading adaptive change and for engaging in nonviolent processes for change in contemporary issues. We will explore the role that religious and community leaders can play in healing collective trauma (e.g., racism, war, community violence, etc.) and in facilitating peacemaking practices. We will learn from the participants’ experiences and from some case examples on building leadership partnerships from the community up, where arts, media, education, “presencing practices” and ritual can serve as catalysts for community engagement and for social healing. This course will be a once-a-month intensive using an experience-based learning methodology. In addition to reading and discussion, students will meet with local religious leaders and organizations working for peaceful change.

Course fulfills the following curricular requirements:
MAIRS – Ministerial Studies: Beliefs and Practices
MAC – Chaplaincy Elective