In the image above, a child is confronted by a looming digital world, a reminder of the tech tsunami that will soon engulf all of us, requiring a new understanding of the human condition. In this course, we will examine our shared humanity by investigating answers to questions about our shared non-physical needs, how to meet those needs in healthy ways, how trauma can get tangled in those needs, and the surprising role that technologies like smart phones, social media, and even video games play in meeting those needs. Finally, we will look at the ways that emerging technologies like AI, AR, and VR will likely impact our answers to all of these questions, as they become some of the most important peace issues of our time. To counterbalance our rapidly escalating technological power, we will need to escalate our Peace Literacy.

The Peace Literacy Institute and Oregon State University faculty in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion and the School of Communication 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. Completion of Peace Literacy 1 is not required for registration. 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 K.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. 

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.