This textbook, designed for a foundation course on Human Values and Professional Ethics, is an outcome of the long-drawn search, visualization and extensive experimentation by the authors and their colleagues towards evolving an effective and universally acceptable methodology for introducing value education in the present curricula of technical and other professional institutions. Thus, it is in response to a long-felt and urgent need to integrate value education with professional skills in the present-day education system. A unique methodology focusing on the right understanding of the human reality vis-à-vis rest of existence has been systematically presented. This involves the discovery of the inherent harmony and co-existence in the existence through self-exploration, forming the basis of universal human values and facilitating transformation towards a holistic world-view or the `human consciousness`. The book is presented in three main sections, namely:
1. Introduction to Value Education
2. Understanding the Harmony at various Levels
3. Implications of the Right Understanding in Life and Profession.
Unlike the conventional treatment, the issues in Professional Ethics are analyzed in the context of right understanding with the main focus on the development of Ethical Competence in the individuals. The book concludes by proposing several salient steps to undertake the journey towards holistic and value-based living.
Salient Features
The unique features of this book are:
1. It presents a universal approach to value education by developing the right understanding of reality through the process of self-exploration.
2. The whole course is presented in the form of a dialogue, whereby a set of proposals about various aspects of the reality are presented and the students are encouraged to self-explore and self-verify these on the basis of their natural acceptance and experiential validation.
3.The prime focus throughout the book is towards affecting a qualitative change in the consciousness of the reader, a change in the world-view rather than on mere information transfer.
4. While introducing the alternative holistic world-view and its implications, a critical appraisal of the consequences of the prevailing world-view is also made to enable the students to discern the difference in their own right.
5. The style of presentation is kept simple and student-friendly with ample repetitions to bring home the core concepts. Each chapter ends with a summary and selective review questions to facilitate understanding.
6. A model course syllabus along with exercises and guidelines for practice sessions is given in the appendix and a glossary for key terms is also appended. A Teacher`s Manual for this course is also available.
This innovative book along with the Teacher`s Manual will go a long way in facilitating the introduction of value education inputs in the professional institutions, technical universities and other institutions of higher learning.