In the darkest of days, there have always been moral heroes who stood up to evil and bigotry, often at great personal cost. Our course begins with an overview of research on lives of sustained moral commitment and then considers the moral heroism of President Abraham Lincoln, anti-lynching crusader Ida Wells-Barnett, fictional character Atticus Finch, and WWII rescuers Andre and Magda Trocme. The two class readings—for the second and third sessions, respectively—are Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (or watch the film) and Phillip Hallie’s Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: The Story of the Village of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There. We will end with an invitation to nominate contemporary moral heroes and discuss lessons we want to take away about the responsibility to stand up to injustice.
Elizabeth (“Elly”) Vozzola is professor emerita of psychology and former Honors Program director at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford. Her specialty in moral development has included the study of literature and how it is understood by children, teens and young adults. She has authored two editions of a comprehensive textbook: Moral Development, Theory and Applications. Her children, grands, and great-grands provide plenty of real-time, real-life developmental material.
Mondays, Sept. 15, 29, Oct. 27 | 10:30 a.m.–noon | KF Room/Harrison Libraries | $60
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