What is Moral Courage? An Interactive, Cross-disciplinary Exploration

We think of moral courage as involving high-risk, altruistic - even heroic - actions that demand exceptional personal qualities.  But studies show that it is more complicated, more diverse, and generally more diffuse than that.  How should we think about this elusive concept?  How might we foster it?  Through a series of interactive sessions, we will engage deeply with conceptions of moral courage and explore its parameters.   This event is designed for students, educators, ethicists, and social scientists interested in morality, civics, and political activism. Please register for the Friday and Saturday sessions separately. Registration for the Saturday workshop is limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.   Schedule of Events   Friday, October 6   6:30-8:30pm             Film screening (50 mins) and discussion   of Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War, with Artemis Joukowsky, Ken Burns' co-director; moderated by Helen Haste     Saturday, October 7   9:00am                     Breakfast and welcome   9:30am-12pm          Moral Courage simulation and debrief, led by Chris Robichaud   12-12:45pm             Lunch   12:45-1:45pm          Brief presentations from panelists Kristen Monroe, Molly Andrews, Larry Rothstein, and Helen Haste   1:45-2:45pm            Cross-disciplinary roundtable, facilitated by Jacob Fay, and open discussion with panelists: What does real-world moral courage look like? What are the challenges  and contradictions of the term? Why do we admire those who  show it, who themselves say they did nothing unusual or  special?   2:45pm                     Break   3:15-4:15pm             Reflection and consolidation: What have I learned today?  How might we move forward in thinking about and promoting moral courage?   4:15pm                      Reception   Presenters   Molly Andrews, Professor of Political Psychology, and Co-director of the Centre for Narrative Research, University of East London   Jacob Fay, PhD Candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ethics Pedagogy Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, and Co-editor of Dilemmas of Educational Ethics: Cases and Commentaries   Helen Haste, Visiting Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Director of the New Civics Early Career Scholars' Program   Artemis Joukowsky, Filmmaker, Non-profit Activist, Co-founder of No Limits Media, and Executive Producer of the HBO film, Cries From Syria   Kristen Monroe, Chancellor's Professor of Political Science, University of California at Irvine, and Director and Founder of the UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality Larry Rothstein, Co-founder and Executive Director of No Limits Media, a non-profit whose mission is to show the value and abilities of people with disabilities Chris Robichaud, Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Director of Pedagogical Innovation, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University   Register Now! I can't make it   Co-sponsored by the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Civic and Moral Education Initiative, and New Civics Early Career Scholars' Program