Courage Virtue | Seminar

This seminar explores courage as an integrated character capacity composed of bravery, perseverance, honesty, and zest. Drawing on the VIA Character Strengths framework, courage is presented not as a personality trait but as a pattern of behaviour expressed in moments of fear, uncertainty, fatigue, or social pressure. In higher education contexts, courage often precedes academic progress and social belonging: asking for clarification, sustaining effort after setbacks, acknowledging mistakes, and re-engaging when withdrawal feels easier. The session examines how each of the four courage strengths can be underused, optimally used, or overused, and how proportionate application influences learning, wellbeing, and relational trust. Through narrative examples and reflective prompts, participants are invited to identify small, workable next steps that interrupt avoidance and support constructive action under constraint. Learning Outcomes By the end of this seminar, participants will be able to: • Define courage as an integrated virtue within the VIA framework • Identify bravery, perseverance, honesty, and zest as component strengths of courage • Distinguish between underuse, optimal use, and overuse of each strength • Recognise moments in academic life where courage precedes progress • Apply a “small next step” approach to support action under uncertainty • Reflect on how the timing of action influences academic and relational outcomes