Institute for Value Studies, University of Winchester

The key objective of the Institute for Value Studies aims to bring students and staff from different departments together to grapple with questions of shared concern. The primary task of scholars dedicated to Value Studies is not to pursue or represent their respective disciplines, but to bring whatever expertise they have to bear on questions of general human significance. In an academic landscape primarily characterised by the segregation of different disciplines, in respect of everything from publications to conferences and professional networks, there is a critical and urgent need to expand cross-disciplinary conversations. The complex and multi-faceted nature of sustainability problems demands that students and academic staff do not limit themselves to one particular way of understanding the world. However, when one moves away from adherence to a single set of guiding principles and theories, there is a risk of becoming lost in overwhelm and failing to make progress towards innovative solutions. A Value Studies perspective provides focus without imposing disciplinary boundaries, thereby encouraging staff and students to focus on what makes us human: intangible qualities such as justice, peace, and the appreciation of beauty and natural diversity. By engaging students and staff in open, frank and unfettered conversation around these values, we seek not only to increase their general salience within the university, but also to create transformative mind-shifts among program participants and encourage them to see beyond the bounds of their particular academic specialism. The initiative has already established four long-term projects, each consisting of a seminar series that welcomes both students and staff. Seminars are conducted in small groups of a maximum of 12 students. The projects that are currently running are: Culture, High and Low - Ideas about 'culture' play a complex role in contemporary discussions about what matters in life. This module is designed to help students get a grip on this difficult concept and to introduce them to some of the fundamental questions that are being addressed when ideas about culture become central to our theoretical inquiries, practical projects and dramatic disagreements. Other Animals: Contemporary Moral Frontiers - The relation between humans and other animals constitutes one of the frontiers of moral life today. Qualms about factory farming and meat-eating are widespread. So are worries about animal experimentation and zoos. In this module, these various moral anxieties provide starting points for a series of inquiries into the current lives of non-human animals and their relation to us humans. How, and to what extent, do we understand other animals? What do we owe other animals, wild and tame? Is it true, as the animal rights movement insists, that we stand in deeply flawed relations to the other animals? And if so, what should we do about it? How, in a (more) ideal world, would humans and other animals relate to one another? What, in other words, are the values that should guide our relations to the other animals in the future? Cosmopolitanism: Political Values in the Age of Globalisation - The term "cosmopolitanism" typically stands for a set of values, beliefs, practices and hopes that point towards a better political order for an ever more densely populated and closely connected globe. Cosmopolitan ideas are controversial, however, and inspire complex debates among political thinkers. The aim of this module is to help students develop a historically informed appreciation of these contemporary debates. Liberal Education: Ends and Means of the Modern University. This module is focused on questions about liberal education in the modern university. What are we hoping to achieve when we embark on an education called 'liberal'? And what does the term 'liberal' mean here? What are the most important forms taken by liberal education in contemporary higher education, and are current institutional realities hospitable to liberal approaches? Students participating in the IVS projects have acquired the ability to think across disciplinary boundaries and critically evaluate different types of knowledge, perspectives and ways of understanding the world – a crucial competency for sustainable lifestyles. In addition, the modules provide an important opportunity for constructive debate and dialogue, creating space for new insights to emerge. The promotion of a Value Studies perspective contributes to ongoing debates within and beyond the University of Winchester about the nature and purpose of higher education, enabling students to become active and reflexive change agents with the potential to design and evaluate future sustainability initiatives in diverse contexts. By focusing on core values and visions, rather than limiting their thinking to established strategies and discipline-based understandings, students completing these modules acquire the ability to envision truly innovative solutions. The program contributes to the development of sustainability competencies as follows: Learning to Know - Students and staff understand sustainability concepts and issues in a nuanced, cross-disciplinary way, rather than being bounded by the traditions and theories of one particular academic discipline. They acquire critical thinking skills and tools for understanding the world. The real-world relevance of Institute for Value Studies projects may contribute to the acquisition of a taste for learning throughout life. Learning to Be - Students and staff reflect on their personal values and acquire a deeper understanding of their own personalities. They attain self-knowledge and a stronger sense of identity by reflecting on values-related questions. Learning to Live Together - Students and staff learn to reflect, embrace and celebrate difference and diversity in people, and to participate and cooperate with others. They acquire the skills of constructive communication, deep listening and genuine dialogue. Their academic work is informed by a deeper understanding of the histories, values, cultures, traditions and beliefs of different people and how these inform their past, present and proposed actions. Learning to Transform Oneself and Society - The modules of the Institute for Value Studies inspire reflection on themes such as social solidarity, democracy, respect for all life, non-discrimination, and the promotion of behaviours and practices that minimise our ecological footprint. The Institute for Value Studies welcomes interested stakeholders to offer public talks and lectures, attend conferences and symposia, and participate in debates. Please contact us for details of our upcoming events, or to propose an event that could contribute to one of our established projects.