In this dissertation, I construct and defend a conception of global education as a moral enterprise. I argue that the ethical and political commitments which should be at the heart of programs have not been made explicit or central. Fundamental commitments to democracy are incompatible with global education that focuses mainly on existing world systems and relationships, and promotes national interests. The foundations of global education should be those that underlie projects of communicative ethics, defined here as frameworks for uncoerced communication between particular individuals in actual contexts. On this view, global education is education toward just and respectful exchanges across social, political, and cultural differences. A central feature of this conception is the development of a defensible global perspective. To attain such a perspective is, in part, to develop the sensitivities and dispositions that will help one understand and appreciate another’s point of view. This kind of understanding can only be partial and is often problematic. There is always the possibility of misunderstanding, even incommensurability. Further, understanding does not entail agreement. Dialogue needs to proceed cautiously and with awareness of the potential for coercion. Nevertheless, it is hoped that educational efforts toward communicating with others will lead to the mutual recognition of some commonalities, and may eventuate in the construction of a limited global community of concern. There are a number of communicative virtues necessary for listening and speaking to individuals who are beyond the boundaries of our existing local and national concerns. The three moral dispositions presented here are especially important. Empathy, tolerance, and a sense of justice are discussed in terms of meeting the challenges of communicating across differences and distance. Classrooms are places where these virtues can be carefully cultivated, and where the possibilities for constructing community can be explored through defensible programs of global education. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This Thesis is about the role which social conventions play in shaping our moral choices, and about the possibility of a normative theory that takes such conventions seriously. It also hints at the idea of looking at conventions as a kind of moral technology. If existing conventions serve a useful function, then perhaps we can take what we know about conventions and apply that knowledge in a forward-looking manner. Chapter 1 of this Thesis outlines the shape of the project, and explains its roots in methodological individualism and a relative, subjective theory of value. Chapter 2 surveys the literature on norms and conventions, and explains why it is that despite the prevalence of the former in the literature, moral theorists should focus on the latter. Chapter 3 looks at the ways in which conventions structure strategic interaction. They do so both by providing information that served as an input to rational decision making, and by providing a more direct, non-instrumental form of motivation. In Chapter 4, we look at the relevance of the literature on public goods and the problem of collective action, and argue that beginning and maintaining conventions embodies a collective action problem. In Chapter 5, we move to examine the normative force of conventions, and suggest that conventions constitute a reasonable set of constraints on self-interested behaviour. Chapter 6 addresses the fact that a convention-based approach seems capable of endorsing asymmetrical outcomes, at least some of which seem unjust. In Chapter 7, we look more generally at the adequacy of a conventionalist account, and examine the departures which such an account seems to make from everyday morality. Finally, in Chapter 8, we put theory to practice, and examine the world of professional obligation. We offer there a meta-ethics of professional obligation that suggests that such obligations are best understood as conventions between professionals. That argument serves as a challenge to existing principle-based and virtue-based theories of professional obligation, and illustrates the practical importance of this Thesis. In Chapter 9, we summarize the ground covered, and discuss how we can apply what we know about conventions to ameliorate problematic situations. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

Two studies were carried out to evaluate a model developed by Hogan (1973) which categorizes level of moral maturity by degrees of socialization and empathy. The model appeared to be useful for predictive and prescriptive guidance for education and psychology. The measures used for this purpose were: Gough's (Gough and Peterson, 1952) Socialization scale, Hogan's (1969) Empathy scale, Rest's (1974) Defining Issues Test (DIT), and, in a small subsample of the second study, Hogan's (Hogan and Dickstein, 1972) Measure of Moral Values (MMV). Study one subjects (N = 186, grades 11, and 12) received a revised edition of the socialization and empathy scales. The specific hypotheses of the study were: (1) that empathy is a stronger predictor of moral judgement (DIT P scores) than is socialization, and (2) that there would be a significant increase in moral judgement scores from the low socialization- low empathy category (delinquent), through high socialization-low empathy (moral realist), to low socialization-high empathy (le chic), and high socialization-high empathy (morally mature). The first hypothesis was significantly upheld. The second hypothesis was not upheld to statistical significance, however. It was decided to replicate the study using the complete socialization and empathy scales in order to obtain a higher internal consistency reliability of these measures. A higher reliability of the socialization and empathy scales was found in the second study (N = 66, grades 10, 11, and 12). Again the first hypothesis was upheld while the second was not. A subsample (n = 23, grades 11, and 12) was given the MMV in order to explore (1) whether the DIT P score and the MMV quantify the same factor, moral judgement, and (2) whether Hogan's model fits equally well with the DIT P score and the MMV. It was found that the DIT P scores and the MMV were essentially unrelated. Socialization was a stronger predictor of the DIT P score while empathy was a stronger predictor of the MMV results. While the DIT P score accounted for more variance of the socialization and empathy scales this was because of a negative correlation between socialization and DIT P scores, contrary to theoretical prediction. The utility of Hogan's model for education and psychology was questioned since the breakdown of categories hypothesized by Hogan was not significantly evident in these studies. Suggestions as to possible sources of problems in the studies, methods of correcting these problems, and future directions were made. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

The American public school system's immense influence on culture and politics makes its critical inquiry vital for social awareness and prosperity. There is a wide body of literature that speculates on the presence of moral education in American public high schools. This study addresses the research need for information on the real-life "moral education" situation. The use of the literature term "moral education" was confirmed by research participants. A qualitative study was formed to explore the situation. Two American public high schools with different population sizes and ethnic demographics were used to recruit 18 participants. The study determined that moral education is present in American public high schools, because the topic is "organic" or naturally inseparable from the teaching process. A number of methods were used to teach the topic and subjects ranged from controversial to non-controversial in nature.

The purpose of this study is to record the political attitudes of the major Edwardian novelists as they surveyed their contemporary world, diagnosed its maladies, offered suggestions for reform, and attempted to predict the course political life would take in the future.

Das Forschungsprojekt bündelt unterschiedliche Subprojekte, die gemeinsam das übergeordnete Ziel verfolgen, unter einer entwicklungspsychologischen Perspektive den Zusammenhang von moralischen Kognitionen, Emotionen und moralischen Handlungen theoretisch zu konzipieren.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, 2007. / Moral maturity is understood as the progressive development of more morally adequate forms of moral judgment. Thus one would expect higher levels of moral reasoning from the highly educated. In this study, this assumption is proved to the contrary. When moral judgments of undergraduates and post graduate students of the University of Zululand were compared in relation to their socio-political beliefs, results proved that education does not play a significant role when it comes to such issues. The level of education did not correlate with all political beliefs as one would expect. The results of this study showed that a relatively high level of moral reasoning is related to more progressive political ideas, not to a high level of education. Theories of moral reasoning and those in contrary have supported research findings.

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