Teaching Grants

The field of ethics is not only a traditional subdivision of philosophy and religious studies but also an important part of a broad range of disciplines and professions. Samuel Johnson, Jane Austen, René Dubos, Robert Bellah, James Madison, Eric Sevareid, J. Irwin Miller, E.P. Thompson, and Arthur Miller belong among the moralists, along with Aristotle and his successors.

As a modest first step, the Maguire Center seeks to honor a faculty member who is developing a course, a module, or other curricular unit in ethics. We also encourage faculty to develop and include ethics content throughout an existing course. The Center will honor one or more faculty members per year with an award of $3,000. In addition to the award, the Center provides Maguire Teaching Fellows with opportunities at the beginning and at the end of the venture to discuss the curriculum proposal with interested colleagues. 

For a list of current and former Maguire Teaching Fellows, click here.

How to Apply

Applications can be as brief as a two-page statement (with your name on each page) that describes the proposed area of inquiry, its importance, a brief summary of topics or lead problems to be covered, a short list of authors germane to the proposal, and, where important, some anticipation of classroom format and strategy. Please attach a condensed version of your c.v. (must not be over 2 pages) with your statement. Please combine your course statement and condensed c.v. into one document with your name on the first page. Please e-mail applications to terri@smu.edu.

The deadline for applications is Friday, January 22, 2010.  Selection of the Maguire Teaching Fellow will be made by a panel of faculty peers and will be announced by Monday, February 22, 2010.

Further inquiries can be directed to Center Director Tom Mayo at 8-3767 or tmayo@smu.edu, or to Terri Gwinn at 8-2162 or terri@smu.edu.

Selection Criteria

• Design of the course
• The clarity with which the ethical issues are addressed (including: how the issues are framed)
• Readings (cross-disciplinary, especially ethicists, authors trained in ethics, ethical sophistication)
• The individual applying (teaching capability, scholarship, will they make an enduring contribution to the faculty)
• The central ethical issues to be addressed: their timeliness, their contribution to the curriculum, and whether the issues are already covered by an existing course
• Outcomes
• Methods (will students be required to keep a journal, do a research paper, etc.)
• Public policy addressed by the course
• Full course vs. a module in a course (full is preferred)

If you are selected

We will arrange a preliminary work session with a group of colleagues (identified by you) with whom conversation might be beneficial, before the close of the Spring 2009 semester.

After the class has been completed, there will be a final luncheon presentation and discussion of the fully developed proposal with colleagues, including the in-depth exploration of a key topic and some reflection on teaching strategies.  A written document should be distributed in advance to colleagues as a basis for this final meeting.