During July 2011 PermaLot hosted a Community Course
by Diana Leaf Christian 

The following is a very extensive collection of essential knowledge for anyone interested in starting or joining an intentional community. All of it is courtesy of Diana Leaf Christian, one of the worlds leading scholars of intentional communities, ex-editor of the Community magazine, and as a result of writing books on starting new ecovillages and how to join an ecovillage Diana Leafe Christian has become a speaker and activist about the ecovillage movement internationally, and a consultant to many different kinds of intentional communities, including ecovillages, cohousing communities, and forming-community groups. She publishes and edits "Ecovillages" a free, bimonthly online newsletter offering news and inspiration about ecovillage projects worldwide. The newsletter is a project of the nonprofit CRSP organization in Los Angeles.

Handouts set A (0, 1, 1a)
0: Favorite Ecovillage Videos Online
1: Structural Conflict in Communities and Ten Ways to Reduce It
1a: Community Start-up Expenses
-Probable/Possible Costs to Forming-Community Groups

Handouts set C (5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12)
5: Sociocracy/Dynamic Governance (in Intentional Communities)
6: Sociocracy / Dynamic Governance - Elections
7: Summary of the Consensus Process
8: Three Decision Options
10: Threatening to Block, & the Dreaded “P.P.D.”
11: Solution-Oriented Meetings with 75% Voting Fallback
(The Consensus Method of N St. Cohousing)
12: Resources —Consensus Decision-Making

Handouts_set D (12b, 12c, 13, 20, 21)
12b: Sample Agenda
12c: Agenda Item Order & Pacing
13: A Clear, Thorough Membership Process
20: Life of a Proposal
21: How to Make a Proposal

Handouts set E (16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 24)
16: Internal Community Finances
17: The Great Land-Buying Adventure
18: Selecting Land for an Ecovillage or Intentional Community
19: Do It Yourself Financing— Community Revolving Loan Fund
22: Why Your Forming Community Needs a Legal Entity
24: Helping Less Affluent Members Afford It

Handouts set F (28, 32b, 33, NVC)
28: Sample Communication Agreements for Meetings
32b: The Feeling, Thinking, and Business Meetings of Ecovillage Sieben Linden   
33:  Building Trust & Connection – Mildly Taboo Topic
About Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

Handouts set G (25, 26, 29, 31)
25: Helping Each Other Stay Accountable to the Group
26: A Graduated Series of Consequences
29: Sowing Circle/OAEC’s Conflict Resolution Policy
31: Laird's Four-Step Conflict Resolution Method