Effective Ethics StrategiesEthicsInEducation promotes the teaching of ethics as an integral part of school curriculums by publishing the curriculum development work of professional teachers. See: Submissions Send questions to the appropriate author by using the links below.
Under what circumstances is a nation justified in going to war? What is ethically required in the decision making process and who bears responsibility for the death, destruction and suffering that inevitably follows? Using Shakespeare's Henry V to Teach Just-War Principles Professor David L. Perry of the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA uses Shakespeare's Henry V to explore these and other ethical issues of extreme relevance today. Detailed lesson plans and discussion questions are provided for secondary literature and social studies classes.perry@ethicsineducation.com
Thinking Skills and Values: Ancient Greece the Search for Justice The Peloponnesian War, a death struggle between Athens and Sparta, sapped the energy of the entire Hellenic world. Events of the war, as well as the motives of its military and political leaders, were dispassionately chronicled by the Athenian historian, Thucydides, who often exposed the gap between ethical ideals and the realities of human behavior. A tested model for the design of thinking skills ethics curricula inputs is followed by a strategy which asks students to compare the ethics espoused by Pericles in his Funeral Oration with the words and actions of the Athenians in the Melian Debate.
Frame of Reference: A Teaching Strategy Frame of Reference, or point of view, can influence one’s understanding of facts and can radically impact judgment concerning right and wrong. Students need to learn to routinely consider ethical issues from the widest possible perspective. The following exercises will help establish the critical importance of frame of reference.
The genetic ethical imperative to pursue group association as a means of maximizing self-interest is basic to human nature. Expanding the scope of these groups is the goal of ethics education. Ethical issues are most profitably considered in a supportive environment. A tested strategy to create and sustain a cooperative classroom group is posted.
Ancient Greek Hero SE Ancient Greek Hero TAE Excerpts from Plutarch and Homer show an evolution in Greek ethical thinking. By analyzing the character traits of the ancient Greek heroes, Theseus and Odysseus, students explore the basic pillars of human ethics and can relate them to their own experiences and beliefs.
Consideration of common propaganda devices and techniques is a part of most social studies programs. An analysis of the propaganda devices used by Pope Urban II, in his speech at Clermont in 1095, can be part of an introductory unit on propaganda, as reinforcement and review or integrated into the routine study of the crusades.
The Oresteia And The Origins Of The Rule of Law After the study of aspects of Eumenides, students reflect about the essential nature of justice, what it is and how they think it can best be achieved.
Romeo and Juliet SE Romeo and Juliet TAE Romeo and Juliet is commonly taught in American high schools at 9th grade level and often parallels a world history course that includes a study of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. This high level critical thinking social studies strategy provides a multidisciplinary approach to the play.
Huckleberry Finn SE Huckleberry Finn TAE Humanities approaches, combining literature and history, are advocated, but rarely achieved in our high schools today. Huckleberry Finn is a novel that is widely assigned in high school literature classes and it concerns issues and themes basic to American history. This comprehensive strategy uses aspects of the novel to frame discussion of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and other key events and turning points of the 1850s.
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