The Necessity Of Morals And Civic Responsibility Within Public Universities

The Necessity of Morals and Civic Responsibility within Public Universities

Many assume that teaching morals and civic responsibility is the soul duty of a family and occurs during the early stages of life. Morals and civic responsibility are apart of our lives from the time we are born until our demise. Even individuals that are brought up in environments that may not be considered the best also develop their own ideas towards moral and civic responsibility. While it is true that individuals develop their own sense of morals and civic responsibility from their families and environments, they can also stand to have these ideas reinforced within them from the public university or college that they attend. By the time many individuals reach the college level many have formed their own beliefs when it comes to morals and civic responsibility. But there are others that come to college without having any form of morals and civic responsibility. These students should have the opportunity to get insight into this. Colleges and universities are meant to educate individuals as well as prepare them for the "real-world." Universities would not be completely fulfilling their responsibilities if they did not give students the opportunity to get insight into what morals and civic responsibilities are. Having morals and civic responsibility as part of the curriculum in public universities will offer students that come into college with their own conceptions and beliefs of what morals are an opportunity to possibly receive different opinions and perspectives of what morals are. Students that enter into college without any conception or belief of morals will have the opportunity to gain knowledge into the issue of morals and civic responsibility. This exposure can ultimately assist in leading individuals to developing their own morals. The community of educators is divided on the topic of whether or not the teaching of morals should be apart of the curriculum in public universities. An article by journalist, Peter Steinfel, discusses a variety of views that educators have on the idea of teaching morals within public universities. Many educators argue that it is not the responsibility of public universities to promote a sense of moral and civic responsibility in their students. Professor John J. Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago supports "teaching students to think critically, broadening their intellectual horizons and promoting their self-awareness." His main objective is to create an institution that is silent on the issue of morality. He contradicts himself on trying to create a university that is silent on the issue of morality when he discusses the condemnation of cheating, academic fraud and plagiarism, all three are moral issues. To some degree all universities, private or public, have a level of moral and civic responsibility that is exuded onto the students. Since, this is the case it would not be a far stretch to incorporate morals and civic responsibility into the curriculum at public universities. Incorporating a curriculum consisting of civics and morals in public universities can benefit students in ways that they can carry throughout their lives. According to Leon Kass, a professor from the University