Teaching and Learning Academy - Western Libraries



Teaching and Learning Academy

Highlights from the week of October 18-22, 2004

Study question: What role, if any, does/ should the University play in the development of ethical reasoning or civic engagement?

Focus on key concepts- Round Two

64 people participated across the four study groups.

CONSENSUS POINTS

Wednesday @ 3:00

▪ The idea of universal principles—we hope there are some (instincts?)

▪ Identifying some kind of basic ethical principles is useful—a framework for discussion and understanding.

Thursday @ 2:00

There are no concrete answers to the questions posed last week.

* Not fully agreed upon: There may be some universal ethical principles, but they

are interpreted differently across different cultures.

Thursday @ 3:00

▪ Difference between “civil” and “civic” – protecting the rights of others.

▪ Laws influence ethics.

▪ Ethics involves putting others lives ahead of your own.

▪ There are differences in ethics across time/cultures within the U.S.

▪ Josephson’s Responsible citizenship is a duty in this country, more narrow of a concept than civic engagement – more political – Josephson looks at things in a more conservative way then we are.

▪ Civic engagement is interest and engagement in discourse, arguing, disagreeing, listening to other viewpoints about matters of importance… becoming aware of things, engagement in things, globally – wanting to learn and engage with other people.

▪ “Civic engagement” may not be a cross-cultural idea, but rather a democratic idea – flows from a specific conception of democracy – different cultures with different decision making systems have different conceptions of civic engagement.

Friday @ 12:00

▪ Ethics only exist in context—in a culture and time.

▪ Ethics don’t exist in a vacuum; every community does have rules they accept.

QUESTIONS/CONCERNS

W@3

▪ How are ethical values/principles interpreted cross-culturally?

▪ What constitutes caring? (from various points of view: students? Faculty? Staff?)

▪ Is caring an ethical responsibility at the University?

▪ What effect does a professor expressing an opinion (ethical/political/ideological) have on a class?

▪ What comes first: ethics, morals, or values? Is there a hierarchy to values, morals, and ethics?

R@2

▪ Can you put ethical principles into a ranking system? Are some more important than others at the University?

▪ Are there any universal principles, ethics, morals, or values?

▪ Are all ethics relative?

R@3

▪ To what extent is it important that friends/students/faculty hold common ethics?

▪ What ethical differences exist between different generations?

▪ How does all of this apply to Western?

▪ Are Josephson’s Ethical Principles applicable cross culturally?

▪ How do you act as a responsible citizen of the world? Should the university teach this responsibility?

▪ What is the difference between our ideas of “civic engagement” versus Josephson’s “responsible citizenship”?

F@12

▪ When do ethics transform from the ideals to the action?

▪ To what extent to do communities here have a responsibility to require action?

▪ How do we empower students to feel like they can make a difference?

▪ Is there a place for this in the University? Contrast to the real world, discovering what the role is?

▪ Ethical consciousness—is there an obligation to participate... why are we doing it? For what place in the world? Whose place is it and to what end?

▪ If not the Universities? Whose is it? Who does it then?

▪ Do our own values dictate how much we interfere with others? What about the outcome…better for whom?

▪ A change in spectrum, would discussing issues that were local make people feel more connected? Taking action that is relevant to their world might encourage interest and insight action?

ACTION PROJECT UPDATES

W@3

▪ Critical Moments: discussing stories with freshman, developing questions

▪ Student Panel: evaluating professors, currently working on criteria for evaluations and planning (relationship to TLA: how do the Professor’s opinions (ethics) affect the class? What does respect look like? What is fairness?)

▪ Communication: sharing with the public what the critical moment’s group is doing (newspaper articles, etc.)

▪ Outdoor Learning Spaces: Sehome hill project—relaxing, studying, accommodations for classes, and a covered stage

R@2

▪ Outdoor learning space: They have identified two possible spots. One is by the new Comm. Facility. The trails come together in a triangle shape and they want to build a staircase and a trail. They also want to put in some picnic tables and allow the space to accommodate a minimum of 30 people. The second possible spot is near the Rock Quarry. They would like to make a tiered learning space.

▪ Student Panel: Working on developing criteria from which to evaluate the teachers. They want to concentrate on what teaching methods work particularly well and help share that information.

▪ Communication: They have gotten involved with each of the groups and are working to help advertise and get the word out through the newspapers, radio, posters, etc.

Other groups did not have an opportunity to report out.

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