Belief Systems & Ethics

"There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts." – Mahatma Gandhi

Today, through an amazing system of communication made available to us, we are all aware that we live in a world of constant, rapid change and flux. In order for one to learn to navigate through the barrage of media and information being presented to us, it is important to develop a strong sense of self and a solid value system built on thoughtful reflection and personal integrity. We introduce these topics to students in seventh grade.

The purpose of the seventh grade course is to discuss different aspects of world belief systems, focusing primarily on the six great religions through art and providing an introduction to situation ethics, philosophy, and psychology in belief systems. There is a strong focus on learning and understanding vocabulary specific to our studies. There is also a strong focus on respecting people's differences and learning to listen to and accept ideas about belief systems that might not be our own. We hope to help students start to recognize their personal values and be open to differences in others' value systems. This course attempts to give students systematic thinking strategies to help them make decisions for the good of themselves and others when confronted with confusing or difficult ethical dilemmas. It is designed to provide them with basic tools for building a thoughtful and discerning approach to moral and ethical decision making.