Research overview
Universities play an essential role in societies around the world, hosting a free exchange of views that is essential to the health of democratic public life, advancing the limits of human understanding, and educating students in higher level knowledge and technical skills. However, if universities are to educate students to thrive personally and professionally in the complex and connected world of the twenty-first century they need to develop a range of attributes beyond the narrow bounds of their academic discipline. Such ‘graduate attributes’ or ‘twenty-first century skills’ include qualities of character that will help students to develop as wise thinkers, citizens, and leaders who will further the public good.
In recent years there has been a surge of interest in character education at the school level. What is the role of universities in educating the character of students? Does character education have a place in universities, given students are free individuals beyond the threshold of adulthood? And even if they recognise their responsibility to be intentional in the way they shape the character of students (for all institutions shape character one way or another) how should diverse modern institutions effectively set about this task? Our work seeks to engage these questions and play a part in a movement for character education at the university level globally.
Cultivating virtue in the university
In 2017, we brought together academics and university leaders from around the world to explore what it means to cultivate virtue in contemporary higher education. Drawing on insights from education, history, literature, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology, the collaboration examined both the promise and the practical realities of character education in university settings. These conversations culminated in an edited volume published by Oxford University Press in 2022, which advances a critical global debate on the possibilities and limits of character education while offering rich theoretical and applied perspectives for increasingly diverse and intercultural universities.
Framework for character education in universities
In collaboration with the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, we developed a framework for character education in universities in 2020. The process involved consulting senior university administrators and academic specialists in higher education from universities in the USA, UK, Europe, and Asia, and we produced a framework to bring clarity the concept of flourishing in higher education and the importance of holistic character development. We are currently working to host further consultation events and develop additional resources for university educators.
Literature and character education in universities
Character education within the academic context presents unique challenges and opportunities. The book explores how core literary and philosophical texts can actively foster intellectual and moral virtues in higher education, blending theory with examples to show how engaged reading and discussion shape character in university. Featuring global academic perspectives and texts from Confucius to The Catcher in the Rye, the book offers a pathway for understanding and practising character education in modern universities, making it essential for researchers and educators in literature, philosophy, and higher education.
Featured publications
Brooks, E. & Harrison, T. (2024). Character development in higher education. In M. D. Matthews and R. M. Lerner (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of multidisciplinary perspectives on character development. Routledge.
Brooks, E., Lamb, M. & Brant, J. (2022). Should universities cultivate virtue? A case for character in higher education. In J. Brant, E. Brooks, & M. Lamb (Eds.), Cultivating virtue in the university. Oxford University Press.
Brooks, E., & Villacís, J. (2023). “To educate citizens and citizen-leaders for our society”: Renewing character education in universities. Revisita Española de pedagoía, 81(284).
Lamb, M., Brant, J., & Brooks, E. (2022). Seven strategies for cultivating virtue in the university. In J. Brant, E. Brooks, & M. Lamb (Eds.), Cultivating virtue in the university. Oxford University Press.
Lamb, M., Brant, J. & Brooks, E. (2021). How is virtue cultivated? Seven strategies for postgraduate character development. Journal of Character Education 17(1), 81-108.
Brant, J., Lamb, M., Burdett, E. & Brooks, E. (2019). Cultivating virtue in postgraduates: An empirical study of the Oxford Global Leadership Initiative. Journal of Moral Education 49(4), 415-435.
Brooks, E., Brant, J. & Lamb, M. (2019). How can universities cultivate leaders of character? Insights from a leadership and character development program at the University of Oxford. International Journal of Ethics Education 4(2), 167-182.
Brooks, E., Tse, S., Yue Wright, J., & Burdett, E. (2024). Educating future leaders to engage the challenges of a changing world: A blended-learning approach to character and leadership education at the University of Hong Kong. Tertiary Education and Management.