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An Emphasis in Ethics and Character

Education at Boston University’s

School of Education
 
From its inception in 1918, the Boston University School of Education has been committed to both the education of teachers and the advancement of research and scholarship. Boston University's School of Education offers both undergraduate and graduate programs leading to professional licensure, as well as advanced studies at the masters and doctoral levels. The connection of theory with practice is a defining characteristic of the School, as evidenced by the presence of the Center for School Improvement along with the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character.

 
The School of Education is one of 15 schools and colleges that constitute Boston University, an independent university located in the city of Boston. The University is deeply involved in primary and secondary education, as well as higher education. It operates a secondary school, the Boston University Academy, and for over a decade has managed the public schools of the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts under a contract with the Chelsea School Committee.
 
Degrees offered: Masters in Curriculum and Teaching with emphasis in Ethics and Character Education; enrolled students interested in pursuing an Ed.D with an emphasis in Ethics and Character Education need approval from their advisor and department chair.
 
Educators can encourage ethical thought and action in students; they can help to shape a virtuous citizenry. They must first, however, be educated with this mission in mind. What teachers and administrators need is a clearer understanding of what good character is and how it is developed through the academic curriculum, the culture, and the expectations held for students in schools. The inherent dignity of teaching stems in part from the profound impact teachers have not only on their students’ performance but also on the kinds of persons they are becoming.
 
The Ethics and Character Education emphasis at Boston University’s School of Education provides teachers, administrators, and prospective teacher educators with an intellectual foundation and professional context for the discussion and practice of humanity’s highest moral ideals. Study emphasizes classical and contemporary moral theory and philosophy, various approaches to moral education, practical strategies for interdisciplinary curricular and school-wide integration, as well as field experience. Graduates will be prepared to take on tasks of leadership and teaching at the school or district level, or for those receiving the doctorate, in teacher education.
 
Courses in Ethics and Character Education
 

To obtain a master’s in Curriculum and Teaching with an emphasis in Ethics and Character Education, students must take four required courses: CT 522 Character and Ethics Education I, CT 541 Applied Ethics, CT 722 Character and Ethics Education II, RS 600 Perspectives on Inquiry, and an internship. Students may elect four other courses in an academic discipline or in topics related to ethics and education, such as
 
  • SED SE 600 Education and Ethics
  • SED CH 555 Character Education Seminars
  • SED CT 524 Institute on Values in Physical Education and Sport
  • SED SE 800/801 Justice and Education (Ed.D only)
  • SED ED 703 Intellectual History of Education: Confronting the Tradition (Ed.D only)
  • GRS PH 605 Aristotle I
  • GRS PH 811 Kant I
  • STH TE 845 Education and Religion
  • STH TS 818 Social Analysis and Ethical Reflection
 
While the call for character education in our nation’s schools has acquired new momentum over the past several years, thoughtful teachers and administrators know that students are developing habits of character within their classrooms and schools daily. Ongoing and comprehensive efforts are needed to enable teachers to help their students aspire to worthy goals. The findings of a recent national survey, conducted by Boston University’s Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character, found that although deans and department chairs of teacher education programs across the nation believe that the development of good character is integral to the mission of teaching and schooling, the majority of these programs are doing little to prepare teachers for this essential work.
 
Boston University’s School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences are distinct in that they boast a cadre of outstanding faculty whose scholarship and teaching embraces a commitment to ethics and character education across disciplines.
Karen E. Bohlin, EdD
Edwin J. Delattre, PhD
Stephan Ellenwood, EdD
Gerald Fain, PhD
Kathleen Fisher, PhD
Charles Glenn, PhD
Bernice Lerner, EdD
Richard Silberman, PhD
David Steiner, PhD
Philip Tate, PhD
Steven S. Tigner, PhD
Linda Wells, PhD
 
For further information about graduate study, please contact the Boston University School of Education Office of Graduate Admissions at 617-353-4237 or email them at sedgrad@bu.edu
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