EVENTS: Spring 2008

Monday, April 14th, 2008
Ethics in the Professions Series, "Ethics in the Workplace." Offered through UNC Human Resources' Training and Development Department, this course is an introduction to ethical decision making. Whether in the classroom, the office, or at home, we all have to make decisions that have important ethical implications. The goal of this course is to help participants learn how to identify ethical issues, think about them productively, and arrive at ethically sound decisions. To meet those objectives, participants will learn some introductory ethical theory that will provide a philosophical framework for exploring ethical questions. Then, using a number of real case studies, including participants’ own experiences, we will apply the philosophical framework to the situations in hopes of uncovering and resolving the relevant ethical conflicts. Participants will leave the course prepared to share their skills in ethical decision making with their colleagues.

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
Ethics in the Professions Public Seminar, "Doctors of Death? Exploring the Medical Ethical Issues of Capital Punishment." A panel of professionals, UNC faculty and students gather to discuss the ethical issues raised by the involvement of medical professionals in conducting executions. This event is coordinated in conjunction with UNC’s first year student summer reading book selection, "The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions," by Sister Helen Prejean. For a  further listing of capital punishment related events  across campus this year, please visit: www.carolinacreativecampus.org. Sponsored with the Department of Social Medicine and Difficult Dialogues. This event is free and open to the public. Location: Coker Hall Auditorium, 4:00 pm.

Friday, April 4th, 2008
Public Lecture, "Intrinsic Value, Environmental Ethics and Landscape," presented by Sven Arntzen, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Telemark University College in Norway, and currently a visiting scholar with the Global Environment Program at the Rhode Island School of Design. Professor Arntzen will be visiting various UNC classes on Thursday, April 3. Location: Caldwell Hall 105, 3:00 pm.

Thursday-Friday April 3-4th, 2008
Combating Sexual Trafficking: Prevention and Intervention in North Carolina and Worldwide. Concentrating on North Carolina, this conference targets law enforcement, service providers, health professionals, educators and the private sector to develop training approaches and to look at ways to identify victims and assist survivors. Organized by Carolina Women's Center in partnership with the School of Social Work, School of Law, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, the Office of Research Development, Parr Center for Ethics, state and community partners co-sponsoring this second conference in a series of annual conferences and lectureships on women’s issues.

Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Public Lecture, "Cloned Meat: Should We Be Concerned When It's For Dinner?" presented by Daniel Pomp, Professor in the Department of Nutrition and the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences. Professor Pomp will lead a forum to explore the potential risks to health safety and food security while offering a look at the science and technology behind the cloning process. Informal discussions in small groups will follow Professor Pomp's presentation. Sponsored by the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and the Parr Center for Ethics. Location: Morehead Planetarium, Banquet Hall, 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Ethics in the Professions Series, "Turning Dreams into Reality." Parr Center for Ethics Director, Jan Boxill will address the faculty and staff of the Medical School at East Carolina University.

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
Ethics in the Professions Series, "Ethics in Sports." Parr Center for Ethics Director, Jan Boxill will address a general community audience in Raleigh, NC, as part of Wake Co. Library's Adult Programs, focusing on the moral significance of sports in our society. Realizing that sports not only reflect society, but affect society, Dr. Boxill highlights the important role that sports play in promoting personal integrity, friendship and respect for others by discouraging violence, cheating and drug use.

Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
Public Lecture, "Loyalty and Morality," presented by Bernard Gert, Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College. Loyalty is often considered a virtue, but is also often thought to be incompatible with morality.  Professor Gert will examine this problem and show how it might be resolved. Sponsored by the Department of Social Medicine and the Parr Center for Ethics. Location: MacNider Hall 321, 12:00 pm.

Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl National Championship Competition. Having placed first at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ethics Bowl Competition, a team of undergraduates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will travel to San Antonio, Texas to compete in the National Championship. The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl combines the excitement and fun of a competitive tournament with a valuable educational experience for undergraduate students in a day-long event. The UNC Ethics Bowl Team is sponsored by the Parr Center for Ethics, Department of Philosophy, Division of Student Affairs, James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence and Campus Y.

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
Inaugural Breakfast, Bioethics at UNC-Chapel Hill (BUNC). A collaboration across disciplines, Bioethics at UNC is an initiative that bridges the study of bioethics as taught in the UNC School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences. Location: Kenan Field House, 8:30 am.

Thursday, February 7th, 2008
Ethics in the Professions Series Workshop, "A Class Divided: Recognizing Bias." Parr Center for Ethics Director Jan Boxill, will lead a workshop with the UNC Hospital Ethics Committee on the human tendency towards bias and its implications on diversity. This workshop will begin with a screening of the film "A Class Divided" to illustrate the insidious nature of discrimination. The film will springboard a discusion of diversity in the medical profession and the necessity for ethical diligence in dispelling prejudice. Co-sponsored with the UNC School of Medicine.

Friday, January 25th, 2008
Public Lecture, "Abortion and Human Nature," presented by Professor Don Marquis of the University of Kansas. Professor Marquis will be visiting various UNC classes on Thursday, January, 24. Location: Caldwell Hall 105, 3:00 pm.

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
Parr Center Fellow, Dr. Mark LeBar, will kick off Carolina Leadership Development's newest program, S.A.I.L. (Students Advancing in Leadership), with a talk on ethics in student leadership. S.A.I.L. is a unique semester-long experience designed for students who want to explore leadership and personal development through hands-on experiences, peer discussions, as well as speakers and workshops on applied topics in leadership under the umbrella topics of ethics, excellence, and engagement. For more information, contact lead@email.unc.edu.