Epidemic is an apt adjective for describing the problem of academic dishonesty. When asked if they have cheated in the past year, a "disproportionately large number" (i.e., the majority) of secondary and tertiary students in the United States (and in every other country in which it's been studied) report having done so. The problem of…

Defining "sophomoritis" as a problematic phase in the transition from conventional to principled moral judgment, the author describes an experimental course, Psychology 448, designed around this problem. The course sought to integrate introductory ethics materials with Kolhberg's moral development theory. Effects of the course on…

Standard logic courses are seen as unsuitable for liberal arts curricula because they emphasize the formal logic of calculative thinking. To develop the capacity of students to make moral decisions, logic courses should emphasize thinking skills based on informal logic or rhetoric, a logic of practical reasoning and communication. (Author/MLW)

The study of literature is seen as one of the best ways to bring students through the curriculum to recognize and grapple with the moral dimension of human life. Such a focus for a basic course is especially important when students take only one literature course. (Author/MLW)

Attempts by the faculty at Baker University to introduce American undergraduates to the history of the Western tradition as part of their general education are described. The strengths and weaknesses of the Western civilization course and of the core curriculum formerly offered by the college are analyzed. The rationale for the interdisciplinary…

A general education course for sophomores at Baker University entitled "Shaping of Western Thought" is described. The goals of the university's general education program are enumerated and the ways in which this course serves those purposes are discussed. Focus in the course is on both personal and social values. Three values--love,…

An instructional model to develop academic integrity (honesty) in college students is proposed. Goals are to develop: adherence to the principle of doing one's own work, an understanding for the principle and nature of coauthorship, an understanding and adherence to citation practices, and an understanding of plagiarism. Students should be…

The goals and content of an interdisciplinary course on the history of ideas, which is required at Baker University as part of its general education program, are described in this position paper. The course aims to help students appreciate the complex character of historical reality and to help them clarify their values and make responsible moral…

The foundations upon which Baker University's interdisciplinary course on the history of ideas is built are described in this position paper. The particular situation of the Baker students and faculty members is analyzed by way of identifying the needs, resources, and problems to be resolved. The presuppositions and definitions from which the…

The Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, was established to promote scholarship and the study of values issues in the professions. The article describes present ethics courses on the moral issues in engineering, architecture, business, and law. (MF)

This book is intended to help college professors reexamine their responsibilities toward the moral development of students. Part I deals with the nature of moral development. Essays discuss what is meant by moral development, ways in which contributions from various academic disciplines can be relevant to a study of moral development, Lawrence…

Describes an assignment within a college course on thinking, reasoning, and decision-making skills. Discusses how students observe and describe the reasoning style of a partner on four different tasks. Maintains that the assignment illustrates course objectives on theories and models of reasoning in concrete ways. (CFR)

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) child development within the context of family and social development; (2) the stages of cognitive, social, emotional, moral, and physical development; (3) the range of normal…