Ethics Roundtables

Ethics Roundtables are presented virtually in partnership with Felician University and are free and open to the public.

Fall 2025

Whose Speech, Whose Streets? Navigating the Ethics of Protest in Polarized Times
Wednesday, October 8 | 1:00–2:00 PM ET (Zoom link)

Across campus communities and city streets, voices are rising—demanding justice, airing grievances, and challenging power structures. As protest movements grow and public discourse intensifies, the right to speak freely increasingly intersects with questions of safety, equity, and institutional responsibility. This roundtable explores the ethical tensions at the heart of free speech, hate speech, and protest, particularly in contexts where expression is controversial, disruptive, or potentially harmful. Focusing on real-world cases—from campus protests and political demonstrations to debates over religious expression in public space—we will examine how ethical principles inform decisions about speech and dissent. Participants will consider the responsibilities of individuals and institutions in protecting expression while also responding to the social and ethical implications of that expression in diverse, pluralistic communities.

Bodies That Don’t Belong: Access to Health Care and Marginalized Persons
Wednesday, November 5 | 1:00–2:00 PM ET (Zoom link)

Despite advances in medicine and public health, deep inequities persist in access to care—particularly among marginalized groups such as transgender individuals, LGBTQ+ persons, women, people of color, and undocumented immigrants. These disparities are not only clinical or economic, but also deeply ethical. Structural racism, gender bias, anti-immigrant sentiment, and systemic neglect continue to shape who receives care, how that care is delivered, and whose suffering is acknowledged or ignored. This roundtable explores the ethical dimensions of health care access and equity. Drawing on real-world cases and interdisciplinary perspectives, we will examine how ethical frameworks—whether grounded in justice, compassion, or rights-based ethics—can help us better understand and address these disparities. Special attention will be given to the responsibilities of health care institutions, health care professionals, policy makers, religious communities, and educators in advancing health equity in marginalized populations.

Spring 2026

What Do We Owe Each Other? Ethics in the Age of Generative Tools
Saturday, March 7 | Hybrid – APPE Annual Meeting & Zoom

Eyes Everywhere: The Ethics of Being Watched
Wednesday, April 8 | 1:00–2:00 PM ET (Zoom)

 

---

Past:

Ethics Roundtables | Spring 2025

Virtual Realities, Real Ethics: Navigating the Digital Frontier
Wednesday, February 26th from 1:00pm – 2:00pm ET

Climate Justice: Ethical Responsibilities in Environmental Stewardship
Wednesday, March 26th from 1:00pm – 2:00pm ET

Ethics Roundtables | Fall 2024

The Politics of Differences: Can Conservatives and Liberals Have a Conversation?
Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Ethics in Action: Making Mental Health Care Accessible and Affordable
Wednesday, November 1, 2024

Ethics Roundtables | Spring 2024

Innovation with Responsibility: Ethics and the Applied Uses of AI
Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Inclusive Futures: Ethical Implications of AI and Its Impact on Marginalized Communities
Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Ethics Roundtables | Fall 2023

AI Content Creation: Exploring Ethical Implications and Responsibilities
Wednesday, October 25, 2023