While the University has several free-standing ethics centers and programs within certain disciplines, the Ethics Across the Curriculum Program encourages the exchange of information and resources among these independent units.

"It was requested by a number of people who were interested in the role of ethics at a university and who wanted to link the different ethics centers," said John Kavanaugh, SJ, director of the program. "The University is so big, and a lot of people don't know what is going on in other parts."

The program aims to influence the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels of education in several ways. For example, it will provide professors a forum for discussing ethical dilemmas and methods of decision making. The program also will provide opportunities for faculty to become more informed about the theoretical foundations of ethics.

"It will provide resources for professors who have no background in ethical theory and will better equip them to deal with the ethical dilemmas they face within their disciplines," said Donna Werner, program coordinator.

The Ethics Across the Curriculum Program also will focus on developing an environment for faculty in which they can explore ethical issues relative to the classes they teach. Faculty will be encouraged to develop curricular materials that address the ethical issues within their disciplines.

The program has been under consideration since the 1996-97 school year, when a number of faculty members formed a group to explore how ethics could best be taught and coordinated across the University. From this group, an advisory committee was developed to guide the program. The committee consists of 25 members from 14 academic areas of Saint Louis University.

The Ethics Across the Curriculum Program will sponsor lectures and other activities to complement the program. "The Interface of Ethics, Medicine and Law," a lecture by interim Provost Sandra Johnson, and "What's Ethics Got to Do with It?" a workshop event, are both scheduled for May.

Top