Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education
EDUC 730: Educating for Character: What Professionals Need to Know
Dr. Bernice Lerner
Spring 2013
June 30 – July 3, 2013
Contact Information:
617-559-8709
blerner@hebrewcollege.edu
Office Hours:
I will be available the week of June 24 for consultation, advice, discussion, etc., in person or via telephone. Please make
an appointment by emailing me.
Course Scheduling:
On-campus: Class will be held on Sunday, June 30, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.; Monday-Wednesday, July 1-3, from 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Tuesday, July 2, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Course Aims:
This course explores the intellectual foundation that educators need in order to integrate character and ethics education
into their work. We will examine philosophical ideas at the core of virtue ethics, and study the relationship among ethics,
character, and religion. Through student-crafted case studies, we will explore various approaches to educating for
character in the synagogue, school, camp, and other Jewish education settings. Students will apply theory to practice,
employing classical and contemporary conceptions of virtue in their analyses of cases.
Learning Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
1.
Identify the professional competencies, intellectual foundation, and dispositions that educators need to integrate
character and ethics education into their work.
2.
Identify various factors that support and hinder students’ ability to exercise sound judgment, make wise choices,
and develop good character.
3.
Interpret both classical and contemporary conceptions of virtue and the good life.
4
Analyze cases particular to Jewish education, and arrive at approaches/solutions based on universal and religious
principles.
5.
Apply lessons from readings to their research interests and professional activities.
6.
Teach material through the lens of character education.
Required Reading:
All of the readings for the course will be available online or will be posted on Schoology.
Assessment:
Assessment for this course will be based on weekly participation and presentations of assigned readings, and two written
assignments:
1.
The crafting of a case study (two-three pages)
2.
Analysis of a case study (five-seven pages)
Guidelines for these assignments will be distributed before the start of the course.
Course Structure:
Sunday, June 30
Session I: 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
What is Character?
Setting the Existential Stage: Toward What End Ethics?
The “Chief Good” and the Virtuous Disposition
Readings:
F. Washington Jarvis, “Beyond Ethics”
The Magic Thread (a French fairytale)
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1
Film clip:
Dead Poets Society
Monday, July 1
Session II: 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon
The Doctrine of the Mean
The Virtue of Courage
Session III: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Laws Concerning Character Traits
Readings:
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 2
Maimonides, “Ethical Writings”
Pirke Avot
Tuesday, July 2
Session IV: 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Virtue: A Disposition of Choice
Session V: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Pain, Pleasure, and Worthy Activity
Session VI: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
The Power of Story: Virtue and Vice in film
Readings:
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 10
“Father Steals Best” (New York Times article)
“The End of Tiger,” by George MacDonald
Painting: Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, by Pieter Bruegel
Film: TBD
Wednesday, July 3
Session VII: 10:00 a.m to 12 noon
The Power of Story: Virtue and Vice in Literature: The Joseph Story
Session VIII: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Presentation of Case Studies
Reading:
Genesis, Chapters 37-50.