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Ed School Hosts International Conference on Moral Education

Scholars and practitioners from around the world attend the Association of Moral Education’s annual conference, held this year at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in conjunction with Tufts University.

From December 8 to 11, the Harvard Graduate School of Education will be hosting the 42nd annual Association for Moral Education (AME) conference, “Civic Engagements: A Cultural Revolution?,” in collaboration with Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life and Taylor & Francis. The conference will explore what future holds for moral education, how to promote good citizenship in a divisive society and a climate of distrust, and how do we deal with controversial issues in the classroom.

“Now, more than ever, it is important for us to be proactive about the development of morally aware and civically responsible citizens,” said Visiting Professor Helen Haste, conference co-chair. “This conference is an opportunity to merge civic and moral education in a new way and to address questions about the impact cultural change has on our moral development and education.”

Professors Howard Gardner and Meira Levinson, and Tufts Professor Peter Levine headline a gathering of over 600 educators and scholars from 36 countries, many of whom are international leaders in the field of moral and civic education.

Professor Danielle Allen, who also serves as director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and Professor of Government, will deliver the keynote Kohlberg Memorial Lecture. Allen, recently named University Professor, the Harvard University’s highest honor, is a renowned political philosopher known for her work on justice and citizenship, and civic and social media.

This conference, the largest held on HGSE’s campus this year, is also one of the largest ever held in the field of moral and civic education.

“We are excited to reflect on what kind of society fosters civically and morally aware citizens,” said Professor Robert Selman, conference co-chair. “Increasingly, we are seeing that the dichotomy between the 'public,' civic education, and the 'private,' moral education is breaking down. And recent events globally are illustrating a shake-up in what the public in general believes and wants. What kind of research, leading to what kind of practice, do we need to do to better address these issues?”

Largely managed by scholars from the Spencer Foundation-funded Early Career Scholars Program (ECSP) under the student direction of ECSP scholar Brent Maher, other ECSP scholars scheduled to present are: Alen Agaranov, Chen Chen, Amy Cheung, Jacob Fay, Silvia Diazgranados Ferráns, Jessica Fei, Krista Goldstine-Cole, Janet Liu Jiang, Kwok, Ashley Lee, Abena Mackall, Bryan McAllister-Grande, Maung Nyeu, Amelia Peterson, Matthew Shaw, Xin Xiang, and Siwen Zhang, as well as recent HGSE alums Angela Bermudez, Liz Dawes Duraisingh, Luba Feigenberg, Houman Harouni, Seana Moran, Scott Seider, Sharlene Swartz, and Xu Zhao.

Key sessions include:

Thursday, December 8, 2016 | 8:30 - 10 a.m.
Authors Meet Critics: “Dilemmas of Educational Ethics” with authors Professor Meira Levinson and Ed.D. Candidate Jacob Fay; Peter Levine, Tufts University; and colleagues (Gutman G05)
Panel: Theory and Critique featuring Lawrence Blum, University of Massachusetts Boston, Richelle Joe, University of Central Florida, and colleagues (Longfellow 228)

Thursday, December 8, 2016 | 10:30 a.m. - noon
Panel: China, Civic and Moral Education moderated by Ed.D. Candidate Chen Chen (Gutman 440)
Panel: Cultivating Moral Eyes: Bridging the Knowledge-Action Gap of Privilege and Injustice moderated by Sharlene Swartz, University of Cape Town and featuring Mary Haggerty and Gentry Menzel of the WGBH Educational Foundation with Lacey Hilliard of Tufts and colleagues (Larsen 214)

Thursday, December 8, 2016 | 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Plenary Session: Youth Politics in the Digital Age moderated by Professor Howard Gardner (Askwith Lecture Hall with overflow seating in Larsen G08, 106, 203; and Longfellow 319 and 320)

Thursday, December 8, 2016 | 5 - 6:30 p.m.
Joint AME Plenary session and HGSE Askwith Forum: What Is a Good Citizen and How Do We Create Them?. Participants will discuss the historic outcome of the 2016 election and the key challenges for civic education going forward (Askwith Lecture Hall with overflow seating in Larsen G08, 106, 203; and Longfellow 319 and 320)

Friday, December 9, 2016 | 10:30 a.m. - noon
Panel: The Social Construction of Citizenship: Reflections on Educational Programs and Practices featuring Silvia Diazgranados Ferráns, Ed.D.’16, and colleagues from the University of Bath, Universidad Diego Portales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Aguascalientes, and the Universidad Autónoma de México (Gutman Conference Center Area 1)
Panel: Youth Participation as identity and narrative moderated by Visiting Professor Helen Haste and featuring Ed.D. candidate Maung Nyeu and colleagues (Longfellow 319)
Panel: Social Media, Activism and Marginality moderated by Matthew Shaw, Ed.D.’16 (Longfellow 228)

Saturday, December 10, 2016 | 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Keynote, Kohlberg Memorial Lecture: Educating for Equitable Civic Agency in a Digital Age delivered by Professor Danielle Allen, director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and Professor of Government and Education, will deliver the keynote, the Kohlberg Memorial Lecture. (Askwith Lecture Hall with overflow seating in Larsen G08, 106, 203; and Longfellow 319 and 320)

Sunday, December 11, 2016 | 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Panel: Is Participation a Magic Bullet for Civic Responsibility moderated by Professor Robert Selman and featuring Ann Higgins-D’Alessandro, Fordham University; Larry Nucci, University of California, Berkeley; F. Clark Power, University of Notre Dame; and colleagues (Longfellow 228)

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