The Conscience of the Campus: Case Studies in Moral Reasoning Among Today's College Students

by Joseph Dillon Davey, Linda DuBois Davey

Overview

The conscience of today's college students is guided by the personal moral values that underlie its concept of justice. College professors frequently avoid discussions of moral values, fearful of either the deconstructionist's criticism or the alleged wall of separation between church and state. Regardless of their reasons, they tend to argue that today's students have no interest in discussing abstract concepts of morality. The Daveys argue that given the right case studies of moral dilemmas, today's college students will enthusiastically share and discuss their own moral values, learn to critically examine pressing social issues, and grow to new levels of understanding.

More than two dozen scenarios involving moral questions concerning race, poverty, crime, drugs, sex, religion, educational funding, and constitutional rights are presented. These issues are faced by a generation raised during the information revolution. College students live in a world of such rapid change that nothing is certain about their future. It may well be that there has never been a time when college students were more eager to discuss fundamental questions about right and wrong, to examine their own moral values. This timely work is of value in any course touching upon moral values, including courses in sociology, education, political science and law, child development, criminal justice, and philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275972080
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/30/2001
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1220L (what's this?)

About the Author

JOSEPH DILLON DAVEY is a lawyer, political scientist, and author of numerous articles and books on public policy. Currently he is Associate Professor of Law and Justice at Rowan University of New Jersey.

LINDA DuBOIS DAVEY is Assistant Professor of Education at Hofstra University. She has published numerous articles on education issues.

Table of Contents

Introduction—The Moral Reasoning of College Student When Asked: "What is Justice?"
An Introduction to Law
Law as a Guide to Justice
The Logic of the Law
Change in the Law
The Constitution
The Bill of Rights
Social Justice and the Law
Crime
Poverty
Race
Drugs
Epilogue—Has Moral Reasoning of College Students Changed?

Editorial Reviews

For those for whom the polemics ring true, this work may deserve a welcomed place on their bookshelf. From everyone else, it provides a framework for exploring and introducing moral reasoning in the classroom.” —The Jourbanal of Academic Librarianship

“Conscience of the Campus succeeds admirably in thoroughly and concisely laying out a host of moral-legal issues that we on college campuses should discuss with our students….very useful.” —AAHE Bulletin

“…likely to generate serious discussion in almost any academic discipline….a helpful tool toward addressing one of the pressing concerns of academic life—the conscience of the campus community.” —Jourbanal of College Student Development

“The authors have written an engaging little book peppered with numerous and varied ethical case studies and examples of moral reasoning in action—all with the intention of sparking a meaningful dialectic in the academic classroom and beyond. … To my delight, the interlocutor method employed by the authors renders this book very relevant to today's college student. … this text is a very welcomed addition (albeit late) to the scholarship of teaching ethics and moral reasoning in college, and I recommend it with enthusiasm.” —Philosophical Practice

From the Publisher

Examines conscience development in the college community, using examples from actual classroom experiences to describe how today's college students think about moral and legal issues, and shows how to use these examples to promote critical thinking and dialogue skills in the classroom so that students will learn to explain, define, and defend moral and ethical points. Classroom scenarios encompass issues such as gender roles, race relations, religious freedom, drugs, and sexual behavior. The underlying theme in these scenarios is how to distinguish right from wrong in shaping the law. Joseph Davey teaches law and justice at Rowan University; Linda Davey teaches education at Hofstra University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews