ABSTRACT
Classical accounts of the cultivation of virtue stress acquiring virtue by engaging in the kinds of action and omission characteristic of virtue. For example, I become honest by telling the truth, and avoiding lying; I become just by giving others their due, and avoiding unjust acts – bilking, for instance, or stealing. One powerful way to bring moral education into the classroom is by designing curriculum about character and strength of character, and giving students practice exercises in moral reasoning without actually manufacturing life circumstances that require complex moral reasoning. It is one thing to ask students to consider how to balance the demands of loyalty to their friends with the demands of justice when their friends are up to no good. It is quite another to locate a student’s friends, get them involved in crime, and then give the student a chance to practice moral reasoning in the field. In this chapter, I will think about a specific cardinal virtue, courage, and about the classroom itself as a field for developing courage. In so doing, I will rely on Aquinas’ account of virtue and action. The pedagogic suggestions will be drawn from my classroom practice. The theory will come from Aquinas.
