Sara Protasi, University of Puget Sound associate professor of philosophy, will expand her research on how courage and fear shape character and moral behavior thanks to a Teacher-Scholar Grant from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University. The grant will support her project, “Cultivating Courage in an Age of Fear,” and will help researchers understand how courage is acquired, especially in the context of intense political division.
Protasi seeks to explore the nature of courage and how it is developed, emphasizing its importance in today’s polarized political climate. Her research explores a central question in virtue ethics. She asks how individuals can find their courage while managing fear in an era of uncertainty and anxiety. Pulling from both philosophy and psychology, her project seeks to deepen our understanding of moral development and character formation.
“I have always felt like a coward and have been worried about my inability to act with courage when circumstances required it,” Protasi said. “As a kid learning about anti-fascist and anti-Nazi resistance and watching movies of tortured partisans, I feared being put in a position where I might betray family, friends, and ideals as soon as my physical safety was at stake.
Later, I realized that it’s not even physical pain that’s the biggest problem, but social ostracism and rejection, the fear of which drives so much cowardly behavior for those of us who are not engaged in military operations.”
The grant will fund several aspects of Protasi’s work, including developing a book proposal, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations on character education, and enhancing her course “The Seven Deadly Sins.” In this popular course, students explore common vices such as anger and greed, examining their historical contexts while learning how to cultivate positive character traits that counteract these negative tendencies.
“My course on the seven deadly sins supports students in self-improvement and cultivating virtues,” she said. “I expect my work on courage to inform that course in particular, as I believe fear is at the root of many vices. But I also hope it will help me be a more courageous educator and encourage students to engage more bravely in the classroom, campus community, and beyond.”
Rohun Barot ’27, a psychology major currently enrolled in The Seven Deadly Sins class, sees clear connections between fear and various vices.
“We often think of pride as the root vice in Christian and Western thinking, however, fear seems to be a more fitting cause for most of the lay views of the vices,” Barot said. “Gluttony can be caused by a fear of hunger, or going hungry, lust can stem from a fear of loneliness or inadequacy, and greed can arise from a fear of scarcity or losing control. These vices can come from a masking of the thing we fear the most.”
Barot also praised the course’s impact on his personal development.
“This course has made me reflect before engaging in some automatic behaviors,” he said. “I see the flaws in my moral character more clearly than ever, and it seems like there’s a solution at every turn, while they may not be easy, this course has allowed me to more easily find them."
Protasi pointed out that while philosophy and psychology are becoming more connected, they often still operate separately. She wants to bring the two fields together by combining philosophical ideas with psychological research to better understand fear and how people can cope with it.
“Ultimately, I hope to provide an account of courage as a moral virtue that can be acquired by imperfect, vulnerable, and fearful beings like us,” she said.
Protasi’s work is an excellent illustration of Puget Sound’s focus on critical thinking, personal growth, and strong leadership. By studying courage and how it shapes character, her research helps students reflect on their fears and values, giving them the tools to face challenges with confidence and integrity.
“Anything I research impacts my students, and vice versa,” she said. “I see teaching as necessarily imbued with concerns about character formation and with care for students as whole people, not just learners.”
The ECI, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., promotes character education in higher education through research, resources, and grants. In 2025, the ECI awarded 12 Teacher-Scholar Grants to scholars dedicated to advancing character education in undergraduate institutions.
To learn more about Protasi and her work, visit pugetsound.edu/directory/sara-protasi.
