DePaul University ethicist to kick off the WMU Ethics Center fall season

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A professor of bioethics and medical humanities at DePaul University will launch the fall 2016 series of events sponsored by the Western Michigan University Center for the Study of Ethics in Society.

Dr. Craig Klugman will speak at 3:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, in the Fetzer Center's Putney Auditorium. His presentation, titled "The Complete Works of Bioethics (Abridged)" is part of the sixth annual WMU Medical Humanities Conference. His talk is free and open to the public.

Craig Klugman

Klugman was formerly the Reuter Professor of Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. He earned his doctoral degree in medical humanities from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, his master's in biomedical ethics and master's in medical anthropology from Case Western Reserve University and his bachelor's in human biology from Stanford University.

Klugman's address will provide a critical perspective on the field of bioethics, beginning with its start in the mid-20th century. He will look at the forces that shaped the field, focusing on its prominent role in the public arena. Critics have suggested that bioethics has taken on too much power and too central a role in public health and medical policy. Klugman will explore these varied perspectives and discuss where bioethicists should go from here.

A long list of other Medical Humanities Conference activities are offered. For more information, or to register for other conference sessions, go to wmich.edu/medicalhumanities/events/conference.

Ethics Center Speaker Series

The Ethics Center fall season will explore other issues facing modern society today. These include voting, the use of drones, and gun violence and mental illness.

The dates, presentations, times and locations of other upcoming Ethics Center events include:

• Sept. 22: Dr. Jason Brennan, professor of philosophy, Georgetown University, 6 p.m. 204 Bernhard Center, "Most People Shouldn't Vote."

• Oct. 13: First of two-part program, panel discussion featuring Jeremy Davidson of Image Stream-Creative Communications, Dr. Autumn Edwards, WMU professor of communication, Capt. Russell Kavalhuna, WMU College of Aviation, with moderator, Dr. Chad Edwards, WMU professor of communication, 4 p.m. 105-106 Bernhard Center, "Drones and the Ethics of a Camera in the Sky."

• Oct 13: Second of two-part program, Dr. Richard Wilson, professor of philosophy, Loyola University, Maryland, 6 p.m., 105-106 Bernhard Center, "Drones, UAVs and the Reconfiguration of Space: A Domestic and Military Anticipatory Ethical Analysis."

• Oct. 19: Dr. Jeffrey Swanson, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 7:30 p.m. Putney Auditorium, Fetzer Auditorium, "Thinking Differently about Gun Violence, Mental Illness and the Law: Balancing Risk and Rights for Effective Policy."

• Nov. 4: Hallie Liberto, professor of philosophy, University of Connecticut, 5 p.m., 157 Bernhard Center, 5 p.m., "A Theory of Bodily Rights," as part of the 10th Annual Graduate Philosophy Conference.

For more information, contact Dr. Sandra Borden at sandra.borden@wmich.edu or visit wmich.edu/ethics/events/lectures.

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