Episodes

  • EP 37: Civil Discourse Across Difference

    EP 37: Civil Discourse Across Difference
    Dec 5 2025
    David Paul, Chair of the Department of Philosophy, and Jennifer Townsend, Executive Assistant for the Lee Honors College, joined host Sandra Borden, Director of the Ethics Center, to talk about why we should try to talk across difference about difficult issues and how can we do so with civility and respect. Paul and Townsend have been doing work in this space as two of the co-chairs for Western Michigan University’s chapter of the Heterodox Academy, also known as HxA. Along with fellow co-chair Jeff Breneman, they were awarded the 2025 HxA Community Excellence Open Inquiry Award. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.
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    26 mins
  • EP 36: Ethical Implications of the Korematsu Case

    EP 36: Ethical Implications of the Korematsu Case
    Nov 18 2025
    Dr. Karen Korematsu, the executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, joined host Kathy Purnell, an Ethics Center affiliate and the director of the Human/Civil Rights Law Center, on October 10, 2025. They talked about the special exhibit, “Am I An American or Am I Not?” that opened October 12 at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and continues through January 4, 2026. The exhibition’s title comes from Fred Korematsu, who famously challenged the mass imprisonment of more than 125,000 Japanese Americans during WWII. Edited by Jayla Bryan.
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    39 mins
  • EP 35: Interrogating Foundations and Practices in Research Ethics

    EP 35: Interrogating Foundations and Practices in Research Ethics
    Apr 27 2025
    Host Jayla Bryan, the Ethics Center's intern, talks to the team behind the Center's National Science Foundation grant (Award #2316197): Dr. Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s director and a professor in the School of Communication; Dr. David Hartmann, chair and professor in the Department of Sociology; and Dr. Susan Stapleton, emeritus professor in the Department of Chemistry. The grant funded a conference in February 2024 to gather a diverse group from the STEM and responsible conduct in research communities to raise awareness about how privilege manifests in research and how its negative impacts can be addressed.
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    23 mins
  • EP34: Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism

    EP34: Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism
    Apr 8 2025
    Ryan Scrivens, assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, joined host Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s director, on April 3, 2025. They talked about his research on terrorism and extremism, as well as the ethical issues involved in working with former extremists to prevent and counter violent extremism. Dr. Scrivens was the 2025 Winnie Veenstra Peace lecturer. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.
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    17 mins
  • EP 33: WMU Ethics Center's 40th Anniversary

    EP 33: WMU Ethics Center's 40th Anniversary
    Mar 17 2025
    The Ethics Center’s founding director, Michael Pritchard, and longtime Center Advisory Board member Ronald Kramer joined host Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s current director, on March 13, 2025, to talk about the Ethics Center’s mission and history on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.
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    49 mins
  • EP 32: A Life Well Lived - Kalamazoo Photovoice exhibit

    EP 32: A Life Well Lived - Kalamazoo Photovoice exhibit
    Mar 11 2025
    Award-winning photographer Jeri Love and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members Kris Locke and Jim Bennink joined host Sandra Borden, the Ethics Center’s director, on March 10, 2025, to talk about an exhibit created by participants in an OLLI Photovoice workshop as part of the A Life Well Lived – Kalamazoo event series. Produced and edited by Jayla Bryan.
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    25 mins
  • EP31: Therapy Dogs and Ethics

    EP31: Therapy Dogs and Ethics
    Dec 5 2024
    Angie Moe, a professor of sociology at Western Michigan University, joined host Olivia Munoz, the WMU Ethics Center's intern, on December 2, 2024. They talked about the role of therapy dogs, how to ensure access to their services and how to treat the dogs ethically. Dr. Moe, who specializes in interpersonal victimization and trauma-informed survivorship, works with the Therapy Dog Clinic at Western Michigan University. Produced and edited by Olivia Munoz.
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    38 mins
  • EP30: The Ladies Library Association's Abolitionist History

    EP30: The Ladies Library Association's Abolitionist History
    Dec 2 2024
    Sharon Carlson, president of the Ladies Library Association in Kalamazoo, joined host Ashley Atkins, Ethics Center affiliate and associate professor in the Western Michigan University Department of Philosophy, on November 20, 2024. They talked about the association’s abolitionist history. The Ladies Library Association was only the third women’s club in the United States and the first public library in Kalamazoo.
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    26 mins