Literature and Character Education in Universities: Theory, Method, and Text Analysis

Description

Literature and Character Education in Universities presents the potential of literary and philosophical texts for character education in modern universities. The book engages with theoretical and practical aspects of character development in higher education, combining conceptual discussion of the role of literature in character education with applied case studies from university classrooms. Character education within the academic context of the university presents unique challenges and opportunities. Literature and Character Education in Universities presents perspectives from academics in Europe, the USA and Asia, offering unique insights into the ways that engaged reading and discussion of core texts can promote the development of intellectual and moral virtues. Chapters draw on a wide range of texts from Confucius’ Analects to J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, focusing on themes such as truthfulness, self-knowledge, prudence, tolerance, friendship, and humility. Literature and Character Education in Universities will be of real use to researchers, academics and postgraduates in the fields of higher education, philosophy, and literature. It should be essential reading for university educators interested in character development and advocates of literary education in modern universities. Contents Figures Contributors Introduction Part 1 Character education and core texts: didactics and methodology 1 Reading for pleasure 2 In dialogue with Antigone 3 Having a great author as a companion 4 Character education at any age? 5 Character education and assessment in practice Part II Character education and core texts in literature and philosophy 6 From character to parable and allegory 7 Virtue, vice, and saintliness in The Brothers Karamazov 8 Literature and practical wisdom 9 Interiorizing ethics through science fiction 10 Friendship, self-knowledge, and core texts 11 Teaching humility in Confucius’ Analects Index