Dr. Nel Noddings

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Nel Noddings will be our Keynote Speaker this year. Professor Noddings is the Lee L. Jacks Professor of Education, Emerita, at Stanford University. In addition to thirteen books – among them, Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education, Philosophy of Education, and, in 2003, Happiness and Education—she is the author of some 200 articles and chapters on various topics, ranging from the ethics of care to mathematical problem solving. Professor Noddings is a former teacher, administrator and curriculum developer in public schools, and is the recipient of numerous teaching and excellence in education awards. She is currently the President of the National Academy of Education. We welcome Professor Noddings to Vancouver and to our conference.

Abstract:
"Imagining the Worst"

Moral educators have considered the role of imagination in developing character. For the most part, however, they concentrate on the capacity of stories to inspire people to sympathize with victims and imagine the best in themselves. I will argue that we need to imagine ourselves not only as victim but, more powerfully, as perpetrator. Under what circumstances do the "good guys" become violent and commit acts of cruelty and nastiness? How might educating the "shadow side" contribute to more generous human relations and world peace?

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