While moral formation has historically been one of the university’s central purposes, universities in the modern era have become shy of intentionally shaping the character of their students, even while they do it in practice. Recent scandals and ethical failures in government, politics, banking, business, journalism, and health care invite us to consider whether universities should recover an intentional focus on moral education and, if so, how they should cultivate virtue in a increasingly global, multicultural, and ideologically plural age.
This two-day conference will bring together distinguished scholars and practitioners to explore the role of character development in higher education. These include:
• Nigel Biggar (University of Oxford)
• Jonathan Brant (University of Oxford)
• Joanna Collicutt (University of Oxford)
• Liz Gulliford (University of Birmingham)
• Michael Lamb (Wake Forest University/University of Oxford)
• Christian B. Miller (Wake Forest University)
• Blaire Morgan (University of Birmingham)
• Paula Moya (Stanford University)
• Onora O'Neill (University of Cambridge)
• Julie Reuben (Harvard University)
• Jessica Richard (Wake Forest University)
• Chad Wellmon (University of Virginia)
By integrating perspectives from history, literature, education, philosophy, theology, and the social sciences, we hope to catalyze a broader interdisciplinary conversation that will encourage colleges and universities to develop creative ways to educate students to become good leaders and wise thinkers.
Registration for the conference is now open - please click here to register.
Co-sponsored by The Oxford Character Project, The McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Life, and Wake Forest University
The Oxford Character Project: The Arts of Leading
Contact name: Claire Shuttleworth
Contact email: administrator@oxfordcharacter.org
Audience: Open to all
