Peacemaking & the Law

Pepperdine's nationally recognized Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution emphasizes means of resolving disputes without litigation. There is special focus on resolving conflict within religious organizations and on using religious resources to resolve disputes. Professors Peter Robinson, and Larry Sullivan have a special interest in the religious aspects of dispute resolution. Students can earn a certificate, a master's, or an LLM in dispute resolution from the number-one ranked Dispute Resolutiion Program in the Nation. For further information, please visit the Straus website.

Sample elective courses:

Law 1282. Dispute Resolution and Religion
This course explores conflict in the context of religion, with a focus on how religious beliefs can generate and affect conflict as well as provide guidance on its resolution. It examines special considerations important in managing religious disputes and unique factors to be taken into account when facilitating the resolution of conflicts set within the context of religious organizations, including those that do not involve religious issues per se. Techniques to help parties integrate their own religious beliefs into their approaches to conflict are given special emphasis. The course uses the Judeo-Christian perspective as a starting point for examining other religious heritages, to gain an appreciation for how various religious beliefs can influence an individual’s approach to conflict resolution and reconciliation and how

 
Law 2392. Faith-Based Diplomacy and International Peacemaking
This course integrates the dynamics of conflict resolution, religious faith, and intractable identity-based disputes in the international context. The course will address related issues involving international diplomacy, nation-to-nation negotiation, and treaty-making. It will consider whether religion, or shared religious core values, may be a catalyst for peacemaking and reconciliation. It will consider how conflict intervention practices may be combined with international conflict resolutions principles to develop a religious framework for peacemaking that may contribute to the success of official “track one” political negotiations. Field experiences in faith-based diplomacy may be used as case studies. This course is recommended for students interested in identity-based international dispute resolution and/or resolution of religiously-based conflict.