CHARACTER EDUCATION:
Objectives
Participants will develop skills to:

PRELIMINARY REMARKS

Module 1: Setting the Stage - The Case for Character Education:

Module 2: Encouraging Moral Reflection

Module 3: Creating a Moral Community in the Classroom

Module 4: The Teacher's Role in Nurturing Character

Module 5: Cultivating Character through Curriculum

Module 6: Teaching Controversial Issues

Module 7: A Morally Disciplined Individual

Module 8: Developing Character through Conflict

Module 9: Building a Community of Virtue

Objectives:

• Demonstrate consciousness of personal values, emotions, attitudes, beliefs, and personal understanding of others that motivate one to action.
• Examine values, emotions, attitudes, and beliefs through reflection, reading, and dialogue.
• Complete MBTI assessment to develop a better understanding of self and others.
• Examine congruency of one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
• Apply journaling techniques to the service-learning experience in order to reflect on one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
• Identify the learning opportunities related to feelings of incongruity.
• Clarify the requirements and parameters of commitment.
• Examine the components of commitment including duration, level of investment, identification of boundaries, and implications for others.
• Practice strategies for clearly communicating and negotiating the parameters of commitment.
• Identify multiple experiences, talents, and perspectives of the student and community partners in order to collaborate with them.
• Explore reciprocity as an element of service and learning.
• Examine the components of collaboration including identification of personal talents and the talents of the partners in service.
• Identify the desires, obstacles, motivations, and purposes of the student and the community partner.
• Apply tools of analysis to research a community partner.
• Apply tools of assessment to arrive at realistic expectations related to community responsibilities.
• Evaluate strategies for respectful communication with individuals with varying viewpoints and values.
• Recognize that differences in viewpoint are inevitable and valuable.
• Develop abilities to use effective communication skills to include:
• Demonstrating civility when engaging in dialogue related to differences
• Taking risks to share opinions and ideas that may be contrary to others’ opinions and ideas.
• Investigate personal responsibility to a larger community.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence of self, others, and community.
• Articulate the network of institutions and associations through which one can demonstrate community responsibility.
• Identify ways in which social structures influence personal decisions and actions.
• Examine how social structures advantage or disadvantage individuals and groups in their efforts toward success in society.
• Practice communication strategies that support the success of individuals and groups within one’s network of influence.
• Demonstrate personal integration of course experience through the holistic development plan and the portfolio.
• Complete Critical Thinking Inventory and Learning and Study Skills Inventory in order to identify strengths and areas for further development.
• Demonstrate personal integration of the course experience through the development of a holistic development plan and portfolio reflections.

List of economic issues:

List of religious and cultural issues:

• Communal disharmony
• Spiritual warfare
• Reservation policy
• Religion and caste in Indian politics