Social Conscience and Responsibility

How we teach ethics has been an ambiguous instructional area for many years. In religious schools it is left to the work of the religion teacher, and in public schools it is often incorporated into a civics course. Across the curriculum there are multiple points at which we can incorporate the study of ethics in interdisciplinary ways.In this volume we will focus on how educators in high schools (grades 9-12) can incorporate the teaching of ethics effectively across all disciplines (Sciences, Humanities, Arts, Math and Technology).The introduction of the book will be a foundational description of ethics - what it means to study ethics and to be an ethical person.

This book is a critical resource that helps educators identify the approach and practice of developing engaged citizens who learn with the greater good in mind. The chapters introduce processes for ethical decision making and provide practical examples that demonstrate how to put values, ethics, and religious principles into accessible well-designed units of study including case study and reflection. Each of the chapters are grounded on a deep belief that diversity of perspectives, class, race/ethnicity and faith are a benefit to learning contexts and lead to more equity in society., This book makes an important contribution to evolving discourse on the need, meaning and application of ethics in education. At a time of increased awareness, on the one hand, of persistent social and educational disparities, and on the other hand, of overt acts of divisiveness, the chapters in this book offer educators with timely and tangible ways in which they can integrate into curriculum and instruction, a critical reading of reality, while enabling students to utilize universal values and ethical stances in imagining new and transformative possibilities. The book also highlights ways in which educational institutions with religious affiliations, have an additional responsibility to leverage a values-, ethics-, morals-centered education that taps into students’ intellectual and spiritual capacities in their quest for justice, while at the same time engaging in a productive critique of the various ways in which each of these terms has come to be understood in discourse and practice. An important resource for educators across disciplines and contexts seeking to promote the type of education that leads to social change., This book encourages teachers to acknowledge their own need for reflection even before the actual instructional process begins. As a former teacher of Christian Ethics and now as one who assists in the formation of teachers, I consider self-reflection to be crucial to the teaching and learning process. I appreciate the invitation to engage teachers in self-reflection with their students on ethical topics which are uncomfortable but deserve the attention of both teacher and student. I believe our students learn to express themselves when grappling with challenging topics because their teachers are willing to enter into the struggle with them., This book truly allows teachers and students to reflect upon their own personal values and ethics in a time when federal administration is failing to do so. Learners participate in deep, meaningful and sometimes challenging activities that move their thinking and actions from fairness to equity. Teachers are encouraged to find space for students to interact with such thoughts and ideas from personal biases and privilege to engaging in action for social justice. From a practical point of view, as an educational administrator, I see great value in teachers becoming familiar with this book in order to weave it into their curriculum where true change can happen.

Dr. Jane Bleasdale is an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco School of Education and chair of the Department of Leadership Studies. Dr. Julie Sullivan (Words on Writing) is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Language at the University of San Francisco. Julie graduated from the University of San Francisco’s School of Education with an EdD in International and Multicultural Education.