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Mahatma Gandhi and Character Education in Non‐Violence: Its Relevance in Religious Studies Today
Author(s) -
Damm Alex
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
teaching theology and religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.165
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1467-9647
pISSN - 1368-4868
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9647.2010.00667.x
Subject(s) - character (mathematics) , character education , relevance (law) , ideal (ethics) , sociology , psychology , pedagogy , mathematics education , epistemology , political science , philosophy , law , mathematics , geometry
This essay presents educational principles of Mahatma Gandhi, specifically principles of character education, as a model for strengthening non‐violence in students. Its major concern is to show that Gandhi's ideal of non‐violent character education is important for university teaching in disciplines including religious studies, and that Gandhi offers methods for fostering non‐violent character, namely the teaching of world religions, service learning, and setting an example. The effectiveness of Gandhi's views, moreover, finds some support in contemporary teaching practices, including my own experiences in the classroom.