Lectures address poverty and professional ethicsSept. 30, 2008 KALAMAZOO--The ethical issues pertaining to poverty and contemporary professional ethics will be explored this week as Western Michigan University's Center for the Study of Ethics in Society kicks off its fall series with talks on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 2 and 3. Thursday's talk will feature Daniel Pellegrom, president of Pathfinder International, who will address "Population, Poverty and the Decisions We Make Right Now" starting at 7 p.m. in Room 3508 Knauss Hall. Pellegrom earned his bachelor's degree from WMU in 1966 and is back to take part in the University's recognition of Distinguished Alumni. Since graduation, Pellegrom has been ordained in the United Presbyterian Church, served in management positions for Planned Parenthood and co-authored "The Population Activist's Handbook." Pellegrom serves as president of Pathfinder International. Pathfinder International is a leading international family planning organization with a mission to increase the number of individuals who have access to, and voluntarily use, quality family planning and reproductive health information and services. Pellegrom has led organizations in times of political opposition and on three separate occasions has led his organization into litigation against the U.S. government. He serves on the board for World Neighbors and is the immediate past board chair of the Brush Foundation and InterAction. Among other publications he has written pieces for The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun and The New York Times. He also provides testimony at Congressional hearings and at other public forums. Friday's presentation is by Dr. Luis Gonzalez, whose talk is titled "The Tangled Web of Contemporary Professional Ethics" and begins at 1 p.m. in Room 1115 of Moore Hall. Gonzalez earned his master's in philosophy from WMU in 1994 and, like Pellegrom, is back to take part in the University's recognition of Distinguished Alumni. Over the course of the past two decades, Gonzalez has been a philosopher while also serving as an attorney, a professor, an Air Force captain and a minister. Since 2002, he has been on the faculty of Sinclair Community College, where he serves as associate professor of philosophy. Gonzalez returns to WMU to share the life and professional experiences that have entangled him in the interdisciplinary web of professional ethics. His presentation will focus on the experiences that highlight the practical complexities of contemporary professional ethics, conflicts and resolutions and the importance of the "outsider." Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Thursday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m.--Daniel Pellegrom, president of Pathfinder International, 3508 Knauss Hall, "Population, Poverty and the Decisions We Make Right Now." Friday, Oct. 3, 1 p.m.--Dr. Luis Gonzalez, associate professor of philosophy, Sinclair Community College,1115 Moore Hall, "The Tangled Web of Contemporary Professional Ethics." Thursday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.--Jeff Halper, co-founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, 1035 Fetzer Center, "An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel," which is the 2008 Winnie Veenstra Peace Lecture. Thursday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.--Dr. John Corvino, associate professor of philosophy, Wayne State University, Fetzer Center, "What's Morally Wrong with Homosexuality?" Thursday, Oct. 30, 4 p.m.--Dr. Chris Buford, professor of philosophy, University of Akron, 210 Bernhard Center, "Advancing an Advance Directive Debate." Wednesday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m.--Dr. Ronald Kramer, WMU professor of sociology, 210 Bernhard Center, "From Guernca to Baghdad: The Normalization of State Terrorism." Friday, Dec. 5, 5:15 p.m.--Dr. John Doris, professor of philosophy, Washington University, St. Louis, location and title to be announced. Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu WMU News |