Informal Discussions


The Foote Chair in Ethics, through the Center for the Study of Ethical Issues, coordinates a number of informal discussions during the academic year. These discussions are open to all Hiram students, faculty, and staff. Past topics have included:

Liberty and Security

    Break-out groups addressed the following issues:

  • Patriotism or Totalitarianism?
  • The War on Drugs as a Model for the War on Terror
  • What's It Like to Live with Terrorism?
  • Bioterrorism: Hype or Real Danger?
  • Jihad versus or via Democracy
  • Patriotism, Fear, and Self-deception

The War

    Break-out groups addressed the following issues:

  • What Them Foreigners Think
  • Supporting Our Troops and Dissent
  • The History behind the Conflict
  • Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction
  • Democracy & Imperialism or Policing the World -- Compassion or Empire?
  • "Those Sissy French" -- The Rhetoric of Masculinity in America's Push Towards War with Iraq
  • What Religions Think about War, and Why

Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism: Issues for Conservatives & Liberals

What You Just Don't Understand: An Informal Discussion of Abortion

Palestine and Israel

The Terry Schiavo Case: An Informal Discussion of Euthanasia and Related Matters

Money: Who Gets It and What Difference It Makes


Additional Information