Vol.24, No. 03	Sept. 18, 1998

New Seminar on Ethics Is Offered to All Ph.D. Candidates

By Suzanne Trimel

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is offering its first-ever ethics seminar for Ph.D. candidates in all disciplines.

The course developed from symposia moderated by GSAS Dean Eduardo Macagno last year on "The Teaching of Ethics at the Graduate Level."

Last fall and again during the spring semester, Macagno brought together graduate students, GSAS faculty and faculty from Columbia's professional schools, including business, medicine, law and journalism for discussions about ethics and professional responsibility.

"For a few years, biology Ph.D. students have been required to take a course in ethics and it occurred to me that they are not the only ones who would benefit from a discussion of ethics at the graduate level," said Macagno.

"Those who receive the Ph.D. at Columbia will be leaders, whether within academia or outside academia," he continued. "They should become conversant with the principles used by professionals in order to make ethical decisions."

The new course, "Ethical Dimensions of Research and Teaching," is taught by Philosophy Professor Thomas Pogge, who collaborated a decade ago with the late Columbia Journalism Professor Fred Friendly on a course based on the PBS series "Ethics in America."

The new seminar enrolls about 10 students who are candidates for the Ph.D. in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The class meets weekly for two hours on Monday evenings.

The course will address broad ethical challenges in research, teaching and the academic world. For example: When is deception ethically justified in research? Does research sponsored by industry compromise academic freedom? Does the family of a celebrity have the right to edit a biographical manuscript to address privacy concerns? What recognition should go to a graduate student whose data are instrumental to a professor's work?

Sophia Wong, a research assistant who worked with Pogge to develop the course, said the seminar is a pilot project and may be used as a basis for future offerings. Faculty who are interested in the subject are encouraged to contribute a lecture or to lead discussions on a particular ethical dilemma pertinent to their discipline.