Justice Virtue | Seminar

Justice and Flourishing introduces the VIA virtue of Justice within higher-education contexts. Justice encompasses the collective strengths of Fairness, Teamwork, and Leadership, which support equitable participation, shared responsibility, and psychologically safe engagement in learning environments. Drawing on character strengths research and higher-education wellbeing literature, the session explores how justice-related capacities influence belonging, trust, collaboration, and sustained academic engagement. Particular attention is given to the concept of optimal use, highlighting how both underuse (avoidance, disengagement, unequal participation) and overuse (rigidity, domination, moralising, or burnout) may undermine group functioning and collective effectiveness. The seminar offers conceptual clarity and structured reflection on how justice strengths operate within classrooms, student leadership spaces, and collaborative academic settings, particularly during periods of pressure, uneven contribution, and institutional complexity. Learning Outcomes By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Define justice as a virtue within the VIA Character Strengths framework. Identify the three justice strengths—Fairness, Teamwork, and Leadership—and summarise their core features. Describe how justice strengths contribute to belonging, collaboration, and psychologically safe learning environments. Distinguish between optimal use, underuse, and overuse of justice strengths. Recognise examples of justice strengths operating in academic and leadership contexts.