Call for Proposals
 

The Asia-Pacific Network for Moral Education

12th Annual Conference
26-30 April 2018
Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan
 

Theme and Description

Moral Education: Conflicting Values and Common Ground


Moral education was greatly emphasized in the ancient Asia-Pacific region. Several significant cultural, philosophical and religious traditions, such as those of Confucianism and Buddhism as well as Christianity and Islam, have long co-existed in this region. Very recently, the Internet and social media appear to be having a strong influence. How have these various beliefs and orientations impacted the theory and practice of moral education in the different cultures of the Asia-Pacific region? Also, what is going to be the effect on moral education of the very recent, apparent rise of nationalism (inward-turning, isolationism) on the part of some countries and communities?

Based upon the aims of the APNME, this conference welcomes participants whose papers or presentations will be concerned with the following issues and questions:

  1. Cultural diversity and traditional ethical issues. The latter may be concerned with definitions not just of “goodness” but also of “happiness” and “wellbeing” from the viewpoints of various cultural and religious systems (at individual as well as societal levels). How have such concepts influenced the cultivation of morality in these different systems? How can we seek a common ground that may facilitate cross-cultural understanding and be used to improve our practice of moral education?
     
  2. The nature of “ethical dilemmas” in both Western and Asia-Pacific cultures, and the degree to which the nature of these dilemmas may differ. This raises the question of the relevance of Western philosophical and psychological theories and approaches to the Asia-Pacific context. Thus, we still need to try to identify the core values that are present in different moral and cultural contexts.
     
  3. To what extent are moral values a product of religion and/or culture? What about the natural world? May not animals have demonstrated “moral” behavior long before there were human beings? Perhaps by observing them we can gain a deeper insight into the meaning of moral behavior?
     
  4. How can we, in a moral education context, understand the conflicting moral and cultural values of diverse cultural systems? These would include the Confucian “Ren,” Buddhist “Buddhahood,” the Daoist “Dao,” the nature of the Supreme Being that is fundamental to Christianity and Islam, and the plural natures of the Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism. What may be the role of moral education in this wider context?
     
  5. What may be the fundamental role of moral education in the context of ethnic minorities and also with regard to the non-human members of our natural environment—our plants and animals? How can the fundamentally important moral component be emphasized in ecological education?
     
  6. To what extent are moral education and citizenship or civic education compatible? Is it possible that sometimes acting morally may mean disobeying the civic norms of a give nation or community?
     
  7. What should be the role of moral education in a highly computerized, digitalized era? How can moral education be most effectively introduced and practiced in a world where information technology is rapidly expanding? Can modern technology be used to enhance moral education?

Whilst priority will be given to presentations addressing these topics, any that are concerned with moral and civic education will be welcomed. We sincerely welcome to our conference all those who care about exploring and enhancing the role of moral education, through theory and practice, in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world.
 

Proposal Submission Topics


We sincerely welcome educators from various academic disciplines and from international and non-governmental organizations, teachers, school administrators and policy makers, school counselors, etc. submit their papers or proposals. This conference is also keen to encourage cross-disciplinary engagement; therefore, papers or proposals from such disciplines as the below are encouraged:

  • Educational: formal and informal moral education in schools, including higher education, and in families and communities; teaching and learning strategies (e.g. use of textbooks, class discussions); moral education theories; putting moral educational policy into practice; moral education curricula and programs; teacher, parent and community education; lifelong learning; moral leadership in schools;
     
  • Psychological: moral motivation, moral judgment; moral behavior, moral identity, moral development; affective learning, counseling; psychological theories of moral learning, behavior and development;
     
  • Philosophical: Eastern and Western philosophies and traditions, including the role of Confucianism in the Eastern value system; analytical, linguistic, Continental philosophy, virtue ethics, education of the emotions; liberalism; socialist materialism; applied ethics, especially environmental ethics and professional ethics;
     
  • Historical and cultural: customs and traditions, past and present; cultural diversity within and between societies and nations; cross-cultural studies;
     
  • Social and anthropological: children; the family, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, community life; cooperation and conflict; globalization;
     
  • Neurobiological and neuro-ethical: moral implications of brain biology; bioethics;
     
  • Ecological and cosmological: environmental; the unity of parts making the whole; 'man's' place in nature; lifestyle; sustainability;
     
  • Spiritual: the transcendent and immanent in relation to religion and culture; harmony as an ethical value;
     
  • Religious: the sacred and divine; the role of religion (e.g. Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam) in morality and moral education;
     
  • Secular: the traditional, modern, post-modern and their interrelationships; materialism and ethics; humanism; influence of the Internet; role of the media;
     
  • Political, civic and legal: the role of democracy; socialist ethics; individual and civic rights and responsibilities; citizenship education; social justice; civic engagement; human rights within the framework of international law.
 
Forms of Presentation


Individual paper (30 to 45 minutes): Individually submitted papers with up to 20 minutes’ presentation time and 10 minutes’ discussion time (30-minute sessions) or 30 minutes presentation time with 15 minutes discussion time (45-minute sessions).

At the discretion of the Programme Committee, two or three presentations may be combined in one 90-minute session, and the Programme Committee's decision as to time allocation will be final. The Committee will invite and assign a Chair for each session.

Symposium (90 minutes): Discussion of a cross-national, cross-disciplinary, or common topic or theme within the overall Conference Theme; organized by the corresponding author, who will typically be the Symposium Chair. Normally, symposia will have 3 or 4 presenters and perhaps a discussant, but must allow for interactive discussion with the audience.

Poster presentations: Related to the Conference theme; focusing on theoretical, empirical and practical work in progress. The APNME will award its Annual Best Poster Prize for the best poster.

Notes on submitting a proposal
The organizers of the 12th Anniversary APNME Conference invite proposals for presentations related to the Conference Theme.

  • Proposals must be submitted on the Proposal Submission Form. 
  • If you could not successfully submit proposals on the Google Form, please download the 2018 proposal form and fill it in, then send it to the conference committee at proposals@apnme.org .
  • Please note that for your proposal to be considered it must comply with the following requirements. Thank you for your cooperation.

Submitting a proposal to present an individual paper, to put a poster up on a designated wall
If you are submitting a proposal, please note that abstracts need to be in an acceptable (standard) form of written English and, for an individual paper or a poster, should be 150-200 words in length.

Please check the English very carefully before sending us your abstract, and please make sure you have kept within the word limit.

Please make sure your abstract is addressing the Conference Theme. On the form you may like to start with the words: "This presentation will address the Conference Theme by …"

This is not intended to constrain creativity or diversity of opinions. Rather, we encourage creativity and diversity while at the same time focusing on the Conference theme: How, individually and jointly, can we best ensure a sustainable future for moral values education in the Asia-Pacific region as well as globally.

In order to make the 2018 APNME a more open and friendly conference, one or two sessions will be conducted in Chinese or in the presenter’s local language for the sake of presenters and also audience members who are very interested in the topics but have limited English skills. However, presenters in these sessions will still need to prepare their PPTs in standard English, and they will have to find translators to translate their presentations into English, and interpreters to translate the audience members’ questions and presenters’ answers.

Submitting a proposal to run a symposium
On the Proposal Submission Form, enter the name of the symposium chairperson as the Corresponding Author, and the names of the co-presenters as Co-authors.

Provide a 300-350 word abstract that describes the purpose and nature of the symposium as a whole, plus abstracts of 150-200 words for each of the papers presented in the symposium.

Please be sure to state clearly how your symposium as a whole and each of the papers presented in it are addressing the Conference Theme.