Morality and Maidens: The Ethics of Women in Literature

by Joanna Johnson

Core Values

Core Values Emphasized in this Learning Module

This module allows room for examination of the following specific core values:

Citizenship Helping to create a society based upon democratic values; e.g., rule of law, equality of opportunity, due process, reasoned argument, representative government, checks and balances, rights and responsibilities, and democratic decision-making.

This module considers aspects of equality of opportunity that women have available to them, and aspects of the criteria that go into deciding who gets into the canon-in other words, democratic decision making.

Fairness Treating people impartially, not playing favorites, being open-minded, and maintaining an objective attitude toward those whose actions and ideas are different from our own.

By considering who is allowed into the canon, and under what criteria, this module allows students to think about issues of fairness.

Respect Showing regard for the worth and dignity of someone or something, being courteous and polite, and judging all people on their merits.  It takes three major forms: respect for oneself, respect for other people, and respect for all forms of life and the environment.

This module allows students to consider how far we judge people on their merits.