Two weeks ago, the article “Challenges of new and pervasive technologies for moral and citizenship education”, authored by Maria Rosa Buxarrais and Levy Farías, was published in the journal Transdigital.

Abstract
The growing gap between the fast development of new, convergent and pervasive technologies (genomics, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnologies, augmented reality, etc.) and the slow legislative processes that should regulate them may be addressed through “soft” or ethical regulations, in which moral principles play a fundamental role. This seems to imply the need of widespread and dynamic efforts in moral and citizen education, but some recent trends in moral psychology have questioned the value of moral principles, moral reasoning and moral education altogether. Meanwhile biotechnological moral enhancement (gene editing, moral molecules, brain implants) is drawing increasing attention. After presenting a schematic overview of the contemporary psychology of moral education, we reaffirm the importance of principled based moral reasoning, and of a democratic moral education able to deal with the highly controversial
nature of emergent technologies.

The article is freely available to download in the Article Section.

The article “Controversies are no excuse: Citizenship education in Spain”, written by Maria Rosa Buxarrais and Eric Ortega, has recently been published in the journal Citizenship Teaching & Learning.

Abstract
Here we discuss the current situation of citizenship education in Spain, briefly reviewing its legal and political context, and taking into account a questionnaire administered to an intentional sample of key informants. We argue that even though the compulsory subject ‘education for citizenship and human rights’ was ruled out from our classrooms, due to the numerous controversies that it raised, there still remain multiple individual and institutional initiatives that aim to form responsible, active and critical citizens. In general terms, however, it is clear there has been a backward step in this respect, especially because as an essential ingredient of democracy, controversial issues should be seen as opportunities or stimuli for learning, not as topics to be avoided or censored. Finally we recommend, among other things, to reinstate citizenship education as a compulsory subject (not as an alternative to religious education); to amend the current scientism, and other flaws, of our current legislation; to improve teachers’ preparation for citizenship and values education, especially for a constructive handling of controversial issues (this requires clarification of the meaning of ‘curricular free speech’ among us); and to foster systematic research and dissemination efforts to optimize the civic qualities of our school cultures.

The article is available to download in the Article Section.

At the beginning of this month of July, the book “Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship” has been published. It is edited by Dr. Wiel Veugelers, professor at the University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht (Países Bajos) and also director of the project Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership EDIC (Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship), of which this book is a result and in which seven European universities have participated: University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht (Netherlands), University of Barcelona (Spain), Tallinn University (Estonia), Bath Spa University (United Kingdom), University of Helsinki (Finland), Charles University Prague (Czech Republic) & Aristotle University Thessaloniki (Greece).

Dr. Buxarrais has contributed with the third chapter, entitled Ethical Competences for Democratic Citizenship at School, University and in Family, written with Dr. Elena Noguera and Dr. Fracisco Esteban, also from the University of Barcelona.

The book can be freely downoaded in pdf format from the website of Brill Sense Publishers.