High School Ethics Workshops

Free lectures and workshops designed to help students appreciate the connections between ethics and the things they care deeply about. Contact us at info@cincyethics.org to schedule a classroom visit.

Diverse group of high school kids in a classroom

Lectures and Workshops will be conducted by Dr. Andrew Cullison. Possible topics include:

The Moral Foundations of Democracy
In this presentation, I will introduce students to three classic arguments in favor of democracy to help them appreciate its importance. I will also introduce students to crucial elements that need to be in place in order for a democracy to thrive. Students will learn about what they can do right now to start being a responsible participant in our democracy.

The Ethics of Racial/Racist Jokes
In this presentation, I will lead a discussion with students about the ethics of comedy. I will also introduce them to an important distinction between racial humor and racist humor. Students will learn about views related to the ethics of comedy that will provide them with a principled way to speak up when they hear someone tell a racist joke.

Social Justice and Ethics
Through a series of activities and interactive exercises students will be introduced to the basic concepts of social Justice and explore the connections between striving for social justice and developing a set of skills called moral reasoning skills. By the end of the workshop students will understand how developing moral reasoning skills is critical if they are interested in social justice, they will also be given the tools to develop those skills.

Ethics and Career Preparedness
In this workshop, I will engage students in a workshop that discusses a case in workplace ethics. Students will be introduced to the concept of moral reasoning as a set of practical skills, and go through exercises to see how developing these skills is critical as they prepare for their future careers. Students will also be given some tools and resources to start developing those skills.

Ethics: The Secret to Effective Leadership?
In this presentation, I will make the case that the secret to effective leadership rests in being good at a set of skills called “moral reasoning skills. Students will learn what those skills are with fun, engaging examples. Students will also learn about how those skills connect with effective leadership traits and behaviors and be given tools that help them get on the path toward developing those skills.

Customized Moral Reasoning Workshops
Dr. Cullison will work with you to design a moral reasoning workshop that is tailored to the topics that you are currently teaching your students that have interesting ethics related issues surrounding them. Using a case study that is relevant to the subject you’re teaching, a team will introduce students to the concept of moral reasoning in a fun and engaging way. We will also introduce students to ideas, vocabulary, and tools to make it easier for them to grapple with complicated moral dilemmas. Students will learn skills that help develop confidence and the ability to have difficult conversations about critical issues. Possible topics include:

  • Ethics in Science
  • Ethics in Technology
  • Ethics and the Environment
  • Business/Workplace Ethics
  • Ethics in Politics
  • Healthcare Ethics
  • And more….

More About Ethics in the HIgh School Classroom
These ethics workshops are designed to cultivate a set of important, transferrable life skills. The main learning goals are to help students

  • develop their abilities to identify moral/ethical issues that they might otherwise miss,
  • identify all the different possible positions (and reasons for those positions) that people might have,
  • develop strategies to make difficult moral decisions that are consistent with their values, and
  • engage in civil, respectful, and reasons-based dialogue about difficult moral ethical issues. 

To learn more about Dr. Cullison’s approach to ethics education for high school students check out this series of videos he made for PBS Learning media designed to help high school teachers incorporate ethics education into their classes. 

Scroll to Top