About

Our mission at the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society is to create meaningful opportunities for the university and broader community to engage in public reflection about ethical issues.

Ethical issues are everywhere. Let's talk about it.

Our History

In August 1985, nearly 20 Western Michigan University faculty from across the curriculum met to discuss their common interests in studying and teaching ethics. After three days of sharing ideas, the faculty agreed to form the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society with Michael Pritchard, professor of philosophy, as its founding director.

Originally sponsored by the WMU's Graduate College, the center is now housed in the College of Arts and Sciences. The advisory committee has members from across the curriculum: business, chemistry, communication, education, English, philosophy, race and ethnic relations, nursing, social work, and sociology.

Our Activities

Over the years, the center has worked closely with the medical community sponsoring programs in biomedical ethics. It has also sponsored study groups on topics of general interest and book clubs. Other focus areas include research ethics, communication ethics and engineering ethics.

Each academic year, the center sponsors 15 to 20 public presentations addressing a wide range of ethical issues. For a number of years, a few of these presentations were distributed through an in-house publication series; these publications are available through the ScholarWorks repository. Current talks can be streamed on the center's YouTube channel. The center also hosts conversations about ethics on its podcast, Life Is Better with Ethics.

Although the center has no academic courses of its own, it serves as a resource for faculty and students. From time to time, the center offers workshops and conferences. The center also sponsors Western Michigan University's undergraduate Ethics Bowl team.