Character in the Curriculum

Hank Klibanoff discussing Georgia civil rights with his students.

Questions of character involve personal, professional, and civic dimensions of ethical life. Are we humbly curious or rashly oblivious? Are we patient or hasty, attentive or myopic? These and other dispositions impact what it's like to be us and what it is like to live with us, and they play a significant role in the quality of our lives and the communities we call home. To help faculty and students be intentional about how their character evolves during their time at Emory, the Center for Ethics sponsors a range of programs designed to stimulate reflection on virtues and vices and integrate character cultivation into existing courses and various areas of student life.

Starting in May of 2026, the Center will launch VOCI: the virtues of character initiative. Through participation in a structured workshop, faculty wishing to focus on a particular character trait in an existing course will be able to revise that course to include a set of exercises designed to stimulate phenomena such as curiosity, humility, attentiveness and discernment, compassion, generosity, respect, etc. (Each faculty member can choose a character trait that best complements the goals of their course.) Applications to participate in a VOCI Workshop will go live on March 1st.    

Creative Conscience

One of our "character in the curriculum" initiatives, Creative Conscience partners with the Integrated Visual Arts Program to help students explore a virtue over the course of ARTVIS 103: Intro Drawing & Printmaking. This year, students will explore compassion, considering how it might be expressed, depicted, or enacted in their work. The works generated by the students in three sections of this class will be reviewed by the instructors as well as Laura Asherman and a subset will be selected for a show opening at the Center on January 28, 2026.