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Module development: Ethics and Children's Literature

Photo of Eileen John
Eileen John

Photo of Phil Gaydon
Phil Gaydon

This project aims to develop an innovative and interdisciplinary undergraduate module on Ethics and Children's Literature which seeks to both study works of children's literature as ethically significant texts and to put this literature in a substantial philosophical context.

It will aim to help students explore the literary, philosophical, and artistic ambitions of these texts but will also allow for interdisciplinary development and original, student-led research. Because of the nature of this field of study, input could come from a wealth of sources, including developmental psychology, political theory, education studies, sociology, and so on. Students from all departments will be welcome and participants will be empowered through innovative teaching methods and open-space learning to actively collaborate and bridge, or even dissolve, disciplinary boundaries in order to explore new territories within this fresh and exciting field of study.

The proposal includes funding for a workshop that would allow us to experiment with how to integrate open-space learning into the module curriculum and involve undergraduate students in the research process.

Eileen John is an Associate Professor in the Warwick Philosophy Department. Her research is primarily in aesthetics and philosophy of literature, with special interest in the ethical significance of the arts.

Phil Gaydon is a PhD student at Warwick whose research concerns Victorian children's literature, epistemology and ethics. Phil teaches philosophy in local primary schools, works on IATL's Applied Imagination module, and recently won a WATE-PGR award for teaching excellence.