Literature and Character Education in Universities : Theory, Method, and Text Analysis

Literature and Character Education in Universities presents the potential of literary and philosophical texts for character education in modern universities. The book engages with theoretical and practical aspects of character development in higher education, combining conceptual discussion of the role of literature in character education with applied case studies from university classrooms.

Character education within the academic context of the university presents unique challenges and opportunities. Literature and Character Education in Universities presents perspectives from academics in Europe, the USA and Asia, offering unique insights into the ways that engaged reading and discussion of core texts can promote the development of intellectual and moral virtues. Chapters draw on a wide range of texts from Confucius’ Analects to J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, focusing on themes such as truthfulness, self-knowledge, prudence, tolerance, friendship, and humility.

Literature and Character Education in Universities will be of real use to researchers, academics and postgraduates in the fields of higher education, philosophy, and literature. It should be essential reading for university educators interested in character development and advocates of literary education in modern universities.

Edward Brooks is the Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project at the University of Oxford, UK.

Emma Cohen de Lara is a Senior Lecturer at Amsterdam University College and Research Fellow at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, the Netherlands.

Álvaro Sanchez-Ostíz is an Associate Professor of Latin Philology at the University of Navarra, Spain.

José Maria Torralba is an Associate Professor of Moral Philosophy and Director of the Core Curriculum Institute at the University of Navarra, Spain.