Direction and Challenges of University Character Education: Focusing on the Case of the Development and Operation of 『Theory of Character Education』 as a Liberal Arts Curriculum at S University

The purpose of this study is to examine the concept and meaning of character education, and then to find the possibilities and limitations revealed during the development and operation of 『Theory of Character Education』 as a liberal arts course at S University, and to suggest its own outlook on the direction of development of character education in universities. To this end, the contents of 『Theory of Character Education』 and the development process of teaching materials were examined in detail, and then the actual conduct of character education classes, teaching methods, and evaluation processes were critically reflected. In this study, character education was reconceptualized as “humanity education” in the sense of “education that cultivates human beings as human beings”. This conceptualization suggests that character education embraces the individual and the community, embodying the spirit of autonomy, caring, and solidarity that education strives for, and ultimately contributing to the development of humanity. As the case studies clearly demonstrate, university character education should also contribute to individual self-realization and community development. From an individual perspective, university character education needs to include “Mom” education, which includes the preservation and development of a healthy body and sex education; mind education, which aims to foster healthy emotions and morality; and intellectual education, which focuses on fostering wisdom and creativity. From a community perspective, university character education should be expanded to include basic order education, civil and civic education to foster dialog and communication skills, and global citizenship education to foster interculturalism or global citizenship. In line with the content of character education, the methodological principles of character education need to be established based on the two pillars of fostering subjectivity and citizenship. In a democratic society, each individual should develop their own subjective capabilities and strengthen their civic capabilities as a member of the community. As the healthy social development of students is emerging as an important element of college character education, it is necessary to actively consider social-emotional learning (SEL) in the future.