Bruce Maxwell

Designed as a guide for pre-service education students and in-service teachers, Professional Ethics and Law in Education: A Canadian Guidebook provides an accessible and accurate source of information on the ethical and legal frameworks of the teaching profession while encouraging the examination of fundamental issues that underpin key debates in Canadian schooling and education. Divided into four sections, this guidebook is grounded in the idea that teacher professionalism requires a solid understanding of the ethical and legal expectations that society has of teachers. Written for both the student and the professional, this text is an essential companion to both aspiring and active teachers. It provides clear guidance on how to navigate the complex regulatory framework of contemporary teaching while highlighting the indispensable contribution that individual judgment and shared values make to thoughtful, informed, and well-reasoned decision making in teaching, making it necessary reading for educators in Canada.

1. 1 Practical Ethics Education at an Impasse Why is some practical ethics training a requirement of nearly all programmes in higher education? The short answer is that it is thought to be conducive to ethical decision-making and ethical behaviour. In recent years, the received idea that competency in moral reasoning implies moral responsibility “on the ground” has been the subject of critical attention. Today, researchers in moral education widely regard moral reasoning as but one among at least four dimensions of moral dev- opment alongside moral motivation, moral character, and moral sensitivity (Rest, 1986). Reflecting these changes, educationalists in the diverse fields of medicine, education, business, and applied ethics can now be found openly questioning how to take practical ethics education beyond the development of skills in moral r- soning. Frequently topping the list of suggested improvements is to provide s- port for empathic capacities of response. This work gives this proposal the systematic attention that it deserves. Contemporary applied ethics, and by extension practical and professional ethics education, can be considered an offshoot of the broad philosophical doctrine of moral realism. Moral realism takes many forms but in broad outline it is an est- lished meta-ethical position that emerged as a seemingly attractive alternative to another family of established philosophical positions that sometimes goes under the name of “expressivism”.

1. 1 Practical Ethics Education at an Impasse Why is some practical ethics training a requirement of nearly all programmes in higher education? The short answer is that it is thought to be conducive to ethical decision-making and ethical behaviour. In recent years, the received idea that competency in moral reasoning implies moral responsibility “on the ground” has been the subject of critical attention. Today, researchers in moral education widely regard moral reasoning as but one among at least four dimensions of moral dev- opment alongside moral motivation, moral character, and moral sensitivity (Rest, 1986). Reflecting these changes, educationalists in the diverse fields of medicine, education, business, and applied ethics can now be found openly questioning how to take practical ethics education beyond the development of skills in moral r- soning. Frequently topping the list of suggested improvements is to provide s- port for empathic capacities of response. This work gives this proposal the systematic attention that it deserves. Contemporary applied ethics, and by extension practical and professional ethics education, can be considered an offshoot of the broad philosophical doctrine of moral realism. Moral realism takes many forms but in broad outline it is an est- lished meta-ethical position that emerged as a seemingly attractive alternative to another family of established philosophical positions that sometimes goes under the name of “expressivism”.

Homeland Security: A Documentary History provides a rich and relevant exploration of the concept of "homeland security" throughout the nation's history, leading up to an examination of the new Homeland Security Department and its mission and impact. This essential reference was recently selected as one of the Best Reference Works of 2005 by the New York Public Library System. The Homeland Security Department was created in 2002 and involved the largest restructuring of the federal government in over forty years. Yet American institutions and officials have responded to homeland security issues throughout the life of the nation, for example, with the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. Homeland Security explores the concept and challenges of homeland security through government reports, budget proposals, public affairs campaigns and press releases, speeches, testimony, and other primary sources. Themes covered include: Historical homeland security issues and responses Process for creating a new executive department and changing institutions and bureaucracies Steps, major debates, and events leading up to the creation of the Department Impact on governmental institutions and employees, such as Congress and its committees and structure, federal and state bureaucracies, and civil servants Budgetary implications at the federal and state levels Challenges and ramifications for citizens and civil liberties Missions and goals, such as aviation and border security, crisis planning, and citizen preparedness. Supplemented with a chronology, print and web resource list, and an index, Homeland Security is unique in exploring historical antecedents as well as the Department's impact on political institutions and the ways Americans live and govern. Perfect for undergraduates in political science and journalism programs, AP Social Studies students, and public library patrons.

Terrorism: A Documentary History is a ready-reference that provides definitive documents which demonstrate what terrorism is, how it has been used, why groups engage in it, and the methods used to defeat it. This important volume includes 100 entries on the topic of terrorism from 1972 through 2002. Each document begins with a unique headnote that: Explains the historical events leading to the documentAnalyzes the documentProvides context and relevance of the document to terrorism. Terrorism: A Documentary History is an ideal resource for all high schools and public libraries. In addition, you will find an extensive bibliography and Web addresses to use for further research.