Fairness & Flourishing | Seminar

This module offers a reflective, evidence-informed exploration of the VIA character strength Fairness, with a particular focus on how individuals navigate situations involving unequal power, competing interests, and divergent perspectives. Grounded in positive psychology and ethical reasoning, the module examines fairness as the capacity to apply shared standards consistently, treat people with impartiality, and remain attentive to bias, inequality, and the moral consequences of everyday decisions. The seminar invites participants to move beyond abstract ideals of justice and into the lived practice of fairness within university contexts. Through definition, benefits, affirmations, reflective writing, poetry, multiple-choice questions, behavioural planning, and structured discussion, participants are supported in recognising how fairness operates under conditions of pressure, disagreement, and complexity. The module explicitly addresses the underuse, optimal use, and overuse of fairness, highlighting how well-intentioned commitments to justice can either foster trust and inclusion or, when misapplied, lead to rigidity, burnout, or relational strain. Practical application is supported through guided reflection, a 60-minute seminar structure, daily practices, and a WOOP-based action plan. Designed for higher education and developmental settings, this resource supports students in cultivating fairness as a practiced strength—one that balances principled consistency with empathy, discernment, and care for both others and self. Learning Outcomes By the end of this module, participants will be able to: Explain the VIA character strength of Fairness as an ethical and psychological capacity involving impartiality, consistency, and respect for human dignity Analyse how fairness functions in contexts where interests, power, and perspectives differ, particularly within university life Identify behavioural indicators of underuse, optimal use, and overuse of fairness and their consequences for relationships, wellbeing, and decision-making Apply fairness through concrete practices such as perspective-taking, bias awareness, shared standards, and equitable treatment Develop a personalised action plan, using WOOP, to practise fairness intentionally in a real academic or interpersonal situation