Ethics Educators Workshop

16 (Mon) – 20 (Fri) September 2024 / Rochefort-du-Gard, France

Introduction

The Ethics Education Program of UNESCO is mapping existing teaching programs in the area of ethics in the Member States of UNESCO. The various programs are described, discussed in expert meetings, and made available in the Global Ethics Observatory (www.unesco.org/shs/ethics/geo). Experiences concerning the contents, intensity, methods and materials of existing programs are therefore publicly accessible and can be exchanged among experts. Teachers who want to initiate ethics teaching can find suggestions and ideas in the database. The quality of ethics teaching programs, however, also substantially depends on the quality of the teachers. Ethics teaching can be made much more influential and attractive for students if they are involved by a highly qualified, stimulating and inspiring teacher.
This course is set up to provide training to ethics teachers with the purpose to enhance their skills and abilities. It aims particularly at training a younger generation of teachers so that ethics teaching programs can continue to expand and improve in all countries.

Seminar objectives

  1. To introduce the students to the means and resources of teaching ethics
  2. To teach the students the methodologies and methods of teaching ethics
  3. To assess and provide feedback on the students’ demonstrations of teaching skills under the guidance of experienced teachers

Methods of instruction

Whereas internationally renowned experts in ethics will introduce various themes, the core of this seminar will be a sustained conversation and critical debate among all participants, with ample time for personal reflection and cultural enrichment.

Submissions by participants

Each participant is invited and indeed encouraged to prepare a short presentation, to be given during the seminar. While this presentation may cover a completed ethics education project, the primary purpose of these breakout sessions is to discuss upcoming teaching assignments, ongoing innovations, or any other ethics education related endeavor that will spark discussion. For each presentation, at least 45 minutes will be set aside for an in-depth discussion.

Educational Team

  • Bert Gordijn, PhD. Professor and Director of the Institute of Ethics at Dublin City University (Ireland
  • Linda Scheirton, RDH, MA, PhD. Professor Emerita of Health Care Ethics at Creighton University (Omaha, USA)
  • Jos Welie, MMedS, JD, PhD. President of the St André International Center for Ethics and Integrity (France) and Professor of Interdisciplinary Normative Science at Maastricht University (Netherlands)
  • Urban Wiesing, MD, PhD, Professor and Director of the Institute for Ethics and History of Medicine, Tübingen University (Germany)


Program

EARLY ARRIVALS DAY

Afternoon

Early arrival (optional)

DAY 1  

Morning

Optional visit to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon for those having arrived early

Afternoon

Regular arrival, registration

15:30 – 16:00

Welcome and introductions

16:00 – 16:30

Opening address

16:30 – 17:30

General introduction to the ethics educators workshop / Dimensions of ethics education

17:30 – 18:30

Break

18:30 – 20:00

Dinner

20:00 – 21:30

Workshop – exchanging teaching experiences (All participants will report on problems encountered in teaching and discuss solutions for resolving these problems)

DAY 2

9:00 – 10:30

Teaching in different disciplinary contexts – Clinical ethics, business ethics and technology ethics.

10:30 – 11:00

Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30

Participant presentations

12:30 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 15:30

Discussion in small groups: what is needed to improve my teaching skills?

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee break

16:00 – 17:30

Plenary reporting of breakout groups

17:30 – 18:30

Visit of the on-site museum

18:30 – 20:00

Dinner

20:00 – 21:30

Optional visit of the Pont-du-Gard

DAY 3

9:00 – 10:30

How to prepare your teaching and how to teach

10:30 – 11:00

Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30

Ethics course design: From objectives to assessment

12:30 – 14:00

Lunch

14:30 – 18:30

Excursion to Avignon

Evening

Dinner on your own

DAY 4

9:00 – 10:00

Participant presentations

11:00 – 11:30

Coffee break

10:00 – 11:30

Participant presentations

12:30 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 15:30

Managing in-class challenges

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee break

16:00 – 17:30

Participant presentations

17:30 – 18:30

Walk down to Rochefort-du-Gard

18:30 – 19:30

Wine tasting (tentative)

19:30 – 21:30

Dinner in Rochefort-du-Gard

DAY 5

9:00 – 10:40

Teaching ethics online

10:40 – 11:10

Coffee break

11:10 – 12:30

Participant presentations

12:30 – 14:00

Festive final lunch

Afternoon

Optional visit of the Pont-du-Gard

Departures

Language

The seminar is held in English. There will not be simultaneous language in other languages. However, non-native speakers should not hesitate to enroll, as long as they have solid conversational competency in English. The members of the instructional team are either non-native speakers themselves, or have extensive experience working in other countries and conversing across language barriers. What matters is a willingness to engage in the discussions and not be worried about linguistic imperfections.

Certificate

Each educational program of the St. André International Center for Ethics and Integrity is assessed by its Curriculum Committee, consisting of highly experienced educators from various of universities around the world. Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion, detailing the course description, contact hours completed, learning objectives, instructional modalities and other pertinent information.

Registration process

Registration is limited to 20 participants. Registration for the seminar can be done via the online registration form. Since this seminar involves a selection process, we will inform you of the outcome of the review within one week.

Students for the course will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

  • Master’s degree (in areas such as law, medicine, nursing, philosophy, ethics, social sciences)
  • University position or other function involving educational responsibilities
  • Early-to-mid-career educators
  • Good command of English language
  • Motivation letter

Seminar fee

The seminar fee schedule is as follows:

Regular (applicable as long as spots remain): US$ 1160 (or Euro 1085)

— Early payment in full (i.e., before September 1): US$ 1085 (or Euro 1015)

Graduate students (upon proof of student status): US$ 925 (or Euro 865)

— Early student payment in full (i.e., before September 1): US$ 850 (or Euro 795)

Members of the International Association for Education in Ethics receive a discount of US$ 50 (Euro 47).

The fee includes:

  • Attendance of all educational sessions
  • All course materials
  • 5 days/4 nights in a single guestroom (with private bathroom)*
  • All breakfasts, coffee breaks, and lunches as well as most dinners
  • Programmed excursion to Avignon & optional visit to Point-du-Gard
  • Pick-up (at arrival) and drop-off (at departure) at the Avignon-TGV train station

* If available, an extra night can be booked before the start of the seminar , A simple supper will be available the evening of arrival, The next morning, following breakfast, transportation to-and-from the charming town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon will be offered prior to the seminar start for those interested in visiting its beautiful historic sites.

The conference center also has double rooms. Please contact the conference organization if you wish to share a bedroom with another course participant, or if you wish to bring a partner who will not attend the seminar. A limited social program for non-participants will be available at an extra fee.

Additional information

For all questions about this seminar, please use the contact button below.