‘Me Too Moment’ kicks off Ethics Lecture Series

A discussion about “Me Too Moment: Sexual Harassment and Professional Life” will be the first event in the spring 2018 lineup of the Leon S. Peters Ethics Lecture Series, from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, in the Alice Peters Auditorium, University Business Center.

A panel will discuss the challenges of working in professional fields affected by recent sexual harassment scandals. The panel will feature Faith Sidlow and Kelley McCoy, both of whom teach in the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism; dance professor Ruth Griffin, Department of Theatre Arts; Dr. Lisa Bryant, Department of Political Science; and Brett Sutton, attorney at law with Sutton Hague Law. Kathryn Forbes, of the Women’s Studies program, will moderate the discussion.

“This panel will allow students and the community to reflect on the ongoing problem of sexual harassment, including recent cases in a variety of professional fields — journalism, politics, entertainment, and so on,” said Dr. Andrew Fiala, director of the Ethics Center. “A variety of ethical issues are involved, including questions about reporting sexual harassment and holding people responsible for bad behavior — as well as the very basic issue of professional ethics and standards of professionalism. Our speakers will address these issues while providing insight from their own areas of expertise.”

The free, public series is sponsored by the Ethics Center with the support of the Leon S. Peters Foundation. This event is co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies program.

Remaining lectures in the series this semester include:

Bonner Center Character Education Conference

March 9, Fresno Convention Center’s Exhibit Hall; exemplary elementary schools from the Central Valley will be recognized for their work in character education. Breakout sessions will feature local experts discussing topics related to ethics, character, civics, and education. Dr. Hal Urban, author of “Lessons from the Classroom,” will give the keynote address. More information is available here. 

Catharyn Baird: An Ethical Nudge: Using Behavioral Ethics to Navigate Change

6-7 p.m., March 20, Alice Peters Auditorium, University Business Center; principles of behavioral ethics help identify organizational and individual core values. Ethical leaders can use this to nudge us in the right direction, coach us toward ethical excellence, and help organizations maintain ethical integrity. Catharyn Baird is CEO and founder of EthicsGame® and developer of Ethical Lens Inventory™. She is professor of business, Emerita, Regis University, Denver, Colorado.

Douglas Allen: Gandhi, Nonviolence, and Peace

6-7:30 p.m., April 4, North Gym 118; a discussion by one of the leading experts in the philosophy of peace and Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence. Allen will share insights about nonviolence developed through the course of his career. Allen is a professor of philosophy at the University of Maine. He is the author of 15 books including “The Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi for the 21st Century.” This event is co-sponsored with the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.

Mohammad Pournik, Moral Dilemmas of a Development Worker

6 to 7 p.m., April 10, Alice Peters Auditorium, University Business Center; economic development professionals face moral dilemmas: working with unsavory regimes while confronting prolonged humanitarian crises in the midst of war and political turmoil. Pournik will share his experience and reflect on the difficulty of cases such as South Sudan and Yemen. Pournik retired from the U.N. Development Program, where he worked on sustainable development and poverty reduction throughout Asia and the Middle East.

Peter K.J. Park: The Exclusion of Africa and Asia from the History of Philosophy

6 to 7 p.m. May 3, Alice Peters Auditorium, University Business Center; the academic canon is plagued by Eurocentrism. This lecture will critically examine this problem by focusing on the ways that European thought deliberately excluded Africa and Asia. Park is a professor at the University of Texas, Dallas. He is the author of “Africa, Asia, and the History of Philosophy: Racism in the Formation of the Philosophical Canon.”

A Celebration of Ethical Leadership Luncheon

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 9, North Gym 118; this event will honor recipients of Fresno State’s Ethical Leadership Award and the Better Business Bureau’s Ethical Business Awards, with a keynote address and public lecture by “Ambassador for Trust,” Mr. Michael Clayton. The celebration is co-sponsored with Lyles Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Better Business Bureau of Central California

The Ethics Center serves as the University’s hub of research, evaluation and practice for the ethical behaviors and thinking skills students need as they enter their chosen professions. Its mission is to understand and promote ethical leadership across the curriculum and within communities.

The center is supported by the College of Arts and Humanities. The lecture series is sponsored by a gift from the Leon S. Peters Foundation.

For more information, contact Fiala at afiala@csufresno.edu or 559.278.2124.