Lecture Series
The Center for the Study of Ethics in Society at Western Michigan University offers programs each semester. All events are free and open to the public. Check back often for updates.
See current event descriptions.
Download A Life Well Lived flier.
Download lecture series flier.
Current events
January 18 – “An Intergenerational Conversation Between Kalamazoo Leaders,” 2 p.m., Van Deusen Room, third floor, Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S Rose St. Moderator: Matthew Miller, director of the Kalamazoo Lyceum. Panelists: Tom Beech, former CEO of the Fetzer Institute; Jeri Love, award-winning writer, photographer and Photovoice facilitator; Genesis Griffin, youth leadership coordinator for Kalamazoo Youth Development Network; and Michael T. Scott II, 2024 Dr. Charles C Warfield Youth Community Service Award recipient. Light refreshments. Hosted by the Kalamazoo Lyceum. Part of the A Life Well Lived – Kalamazoo event series produced in collaboration with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI@WMU) and the Kalamazoo Lyceum. We will be collecting personal care items for WMU's Office of Essential Needs.
February 26 – The Ethical Imperatives of “Solito,” 6 p.m., Van Deusen Room, third floor, Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S Rose St. Moderator: Kathy Purnell, instructor, Department of Political Science; and director/managing attorney, Human/Civil Rights Law Center. Panelists: Susan Pozo, professor, Department of Economics; Abra Smith, co-executive director, KYDNet; and Pamela Wadsworth, associate professor, WMU Bronson School of Nursing, and WMU Dr. Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Family Practice Team. This program is part of Kalamazoo Public Library’s 2025 Reading Together program on Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora. The author is coming to Kalamazoo on March 15. Co-sponsor: Kalamazoo Public Library. Download flier.
March 15 – “Feeling Formation in the Therapeutic Encounter,” Ami Harbin, associate professor of philosophy and women and gender studies at Oakland University, 12:30 p.m., 1302 Dunbar Hall. Keynote speaker for Philosophy Graduate Student Conference. Hosted by the Department of Philosophy. Download flier.
March 15 – Final event of A Life Well Lived – Kalamazoo series! Honorary speaker Sky Bergman, creator of the documentary Lives Well Lived, 2 p.m., 1303 Dunbar Hall. Following this talk, please join us in the Richmond Center lobby for a Photovoice exhibit featuring work by Osher Lifelong Learning (OLLI@WMU) students curated by award-winning photographer Jeri Love and a screening in Room 1004 of undergraduate student videos supervised by Associate Professor of Communication Lusike Mukhongo on the theme of the series in collaboration with the WMU Office of Service Learning and the Public Media Network. Event series produced in collaboration with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI@WMU) and the Kalamazoo Lyceum. Sponsored by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Light refreshments. We will be collecting personal care items for WMU’s Office of Essential Needs. Download flier.
March 19 - “Toward Excellence: Moral Education in the Virtues,” Michael S. Pritchard, Department of Philosophy, and Elaine E. Englehardt, Utah Valley University, 5:30 p.m., 1028 Brown Hall. Co-sponsor: Department of Philosophy. Light reception in 2026 Brown Hall following the talk in to celebrate the Ethics Center's 40th anniversary! Download flier.
April 3 - "Former Extremists in Preventing and Countering Violence,” Ryan Scrivens, assistant professor, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 6 p.m., 1028 Brown Hall. 2025 Winnie Veenstra Peace Lecture. Co-sponsors: School of Public Affairs and Administration, Department of Sociology, Department of Political Science. Download flier.
April 7 - “Minds, Mirrors and Gods: Decoding Our Humanity in the AI Revolution,” Shannon Vallor, Baillie Gifford Professor in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence and Director of the Edinburgh Futures Institute’s Centre for Technomoral Futures at the University of Edinburgh, 12 p.m. on Webex. Registration link coming soon. Co-sponsors: WMUx Office of Faculty Development, Department of Philosophy. Register for meeting link. Download flier.
All events are free and open to the public.
Past events
2024
October 5 - Lives Well Lived – Screening of documentary Lives Well Lived. 1-4 p.m. in the Van Deusen Room on the 2nd floor of the Kalamazoo Public Library’s Central Location, 315 South Rose Street. Kickoff event for A Life Well Lived - Kalamazoo series co-organized with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at WMU) and the Kalamazoo Lyceum.
October 24 - "Debates, Dilemmas, and Decisions in AI Governance," Daniel Schiff, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Co-Director of the Governance and Responsible AI Lab at Purdue University. 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Webex. Host: Department of Philosophy. Co-Sponsor: WMUx. Part of WMUx’s AI@WMU events series. Watch the recording.
October 25 – "Building an Ethics Ecosystem for AI: What, Why, and How?” John Basl, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Northeastern University. Keynote speaker for the 14th Annual Midwestern Medical Humanities Conference. 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on Microsoft Teams. Host: Western Michigan University (WMU) Medical Humanities Workgroup. Co-Sponsor: WMU Department of Philosophy. To be added to Teams, contact Dominic Aishe (@email).
November 8 – “A New Argument for Pacifism,” Blake Hereth, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Ethics, Humanities, and Law at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. 4-5 p.m. in 3014 Moore Hall. Host: Department of Philosophy.
December 12 - KalaSalon conversation: "A Life Well Lived - Kalamazoo," Sandra Borden, director of the WMU Ethics Center; Matthew Miller, director of the Kalamazoo Lyceum; and Toni Woolfork-Barnes, director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at WMU). 6:30 p.m. at Erbelli's Pizza, 6214 Stadium Drive. Part of A Life Well Lived - Kalamazoo series co-organized with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at WMU) and the Kalamazoo Lyceum. Free tickets.February 2 – “Loving Strangers,” 3:15 p.m. 1021 Adrian Trimpe Building. Meghan Sullivan, Wilsey Family Collegiate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Notre Dame Institute of Advanced Study at the University of Notre Dame. Keynote speaker the 17th Annual Graduate Student Philosophy Conference. Hosted by the Department of Philosophy. Livestream.
Click here for previous lectures and events.