In the image above, a menacing dragon faces a small human figure holding open a book, a reminder that education is the first line of defense against humanity's most serious global challenges.Human aggression of various kinds underlies many of these global challenges, as well as many challenges we each face in our daily lives. Building on West Point’s world-class leadership training and the disciplined vision of Civil Rights leaders, the Peace Literacy model of aggression—its causes, anatomy, and alternatives—offers novel perspectives and practical tools that can have profoundly positive and immediate impacts in your relationships, classrooms, workplaces, and communities. The Peace Literacy Institute and faculty in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion at Oregon State University are proud to partner in the delivery of this five-week course, designed to provide professional development for educators and community leaders so we can all work more effectively together to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Visit here for a free preview. Enrollment fee includes digital workbook and certificate of completion.

5 Weeks/Self-Paced *

Certificate: 20 PDUs / 2.0 CEUs

* For more information go here

Instructional Team

Shari Clough, Ph.D., is our instructor of record. She earned a doctorate in the History and Philosophy of Science from Simon Fraser University in B.C., as well as an M.A. in Religious Studies, and an honors B.A. in Social Psychology, both from the University of Calgary in Alberta. She began working at Oregon State University in 2003 and is now a full professor in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion as well as the Director of Phronesis Lab: Experiments in Engaged Ethics. Clough has co-facilitated workshops with Paul Chappell across the US and Canada, in person, online, and increasingly, in virtual reality. She serves as the Peace Literacy Curriculum Coordinator and as President of the Board of Directors at the Peace Literacy Institute. Clough teaches a senior seminar at OSU called Science, Politics, and Peace Literacy and she has also developed a Peace Literacy lesson plan on aggression that she has taught numerous times to high school and college students.

Clay Williams graduated from OSU with his MA in Interdisciplinary Studies focused on Rhetoric, Philosophy, and Anthropology. He is now an instructor of Speech Communication at OSU and serves as your main contact for this course at willclay@oregonstate.edu. Williams began his Peace Literacy training with Clough as an intern in Phronesis Lab in 2019 and is now a Program Associate with the Peace Literacy Institute. He works as an ongoing partner in a number of Peace Literacy projects across OSU and in the broader community.

Paul K. Chappell serves as our advisor. Chappell is an international peace educator, founder of Peace Literacy, and Executive Director of the Peace Literacy Institute. He graduated from West Point in 2002, was deployed to Iraq, and left active duty as a Captain. Realizing that humanity is facing new challenges that require us to become as well-trained in waging peace as soldiers are in waging war, Chappell created Peace Literacy to help students and adults from all backgrounds work toward their full potential and a more peaceful world.