World Affairs

Over the past two weeks, reports of a Liberian man with Ebola being treated in Dallas have captivated our public discourse. Some worry that this may be a “Patient Zero” situation, and that the outbreak will soon transcend borders to become a global epidemic. While this fervor has taken place at home, however, even more … Continue reading "Ebola: No Longer a Microscopic Problem"

The White House announced that it has adopted a looser policy on airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. The United States has been conducting airstrikes against ISIS, and a strike allegedly killed a dozen citizens in Syria. A spokesperson for the National Security Council, Caitlin Hayden, said that President Obama’s policy of only … Continue reading "Striking Syria: Civilian Casualties"

The thought of global climate change is quite unsettling. No one wants to actually believe that our planet is heating up so much that there are enormous droughts in the Midwest, destructive storms off the coasts, and massive flooding as icebergs melt and water levels rise. The average American already has too much on his … Continue reading "Climate Change? Really?"

When I say CLIMATE, you say CHANGE. In the conversations about the environment, things seem to be doing just that…changing.

The outbreak of Ebola in Western Africa has captivated the international community since it began in February 2014. Although Ebola has broken out before, this is the largest outbreak ever. It is suspected that over a thousand people have died, and many more continue to fall ill. Some of them have been American citizens. Two … Continue reading "ZMapp: The Solution to Ebola?"

Come out to the Prindle Institute on Wednesday, September 17 at 8 PM for an outdoor screening of the 2014 documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali. Movie snacks will be provided including apple cider and DIY s’mores around Prindle’s fire pit. Bring blankets to enjoy this film on the Prindle Courtyard lawn as you get a closer look at the … Continue reading "Prindle and Conflict Studies to host ‘The Trials of Muhammad Ali’ outdoor screening on September 17"

This article, by DePauw History professor David Gellman, originally appeared in Historians Against Slavery on August 15, 2014. If all the great abolitionists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were cryogenically frozen, who would you reanimate to help liberate the world from the scourge of slave labor and human trafficking today? Frederick Douglass? William Lloyd … Continue reading "Abolitionists Unfrozen"

What do people talk about when they talk about Nelson Mandela? Carolyn Holmes, ’06, asked this question at last week’s symposium on the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The answer may not be as straightforward as you think. For decades, Mandela has been a symbol of justice, hope and dignity for the nation of … Continue reading "Deconstructing Nelson Mandela’s Legacy"

Prindle Intern Suzanne Spencer ’14 reporting on $14.4 million in new gifts in Spring 2014, including an estate gift from Janet Prindle for continued programming at The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics

Turn on CNN. The anchor is most likely dissecting what may have happened to missing Malaysian flight 370 or the ferry that sunk off the coast of South Korea. The two disastrous events have prompted extended coverage on many television networks. The question becomes: does the information deserve such extended coverage, or is it merely … Continue reading "The Media and Tragedies: Coverage of Flight 370 and the Sewol Ferry Accident"

If education is competitive, getting a job is even more competitive. Most college students are pressured to join clubs, to play on teams and to take on leadership positions. We’re told that travel experience, studying abroad and having an internship or two will set us ahead. All of this, of course, on top of your … Continue reading "Cost of a Resume: Competing to Get the Job"

“What obligations do we have to our adversaries? Do virtue and integrity enhance or impede our quest for victory? Is competition an obstacle to or an essential component of a meaningful life? How should competition be effectively regulated?” These questions and others will be addressed by visiting students and scholars from across the country in … Continue reading "Competitive College: Does competition help or hinder our academic performance?"

How important are college rankings? As prospective students size up educational institutions, what is it that attracts them, their parents? Time and time again, we’ve seen DePauw’s name on the top party school list across the nation, but does that invalidate the academic standard we hold ourselves to? A new list was recently published by … Continue reading "The A-Listers: Can College Rankings Define a School?"

It’s exciting and uplifting to see so many of our alumni set out to make positive changes in our society once they graduate. This week we’re highlighting one of our many alumni who went on to be social entrepreneurs. True Hero Ties donates 50% of the sale of the tie to a veteran’s charity of the … Continue reading "Alumni Venture to Benefit Veterans"

This one is from the archives. We’re going through our recent history and curating as many of the interesting videos that discuss ethical issues. In 2010, Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica, delivered the Ubben Lecture at DePauw. View an interesting excerpt here. He talked about issues related to poverty and higher education. Let … Continue reading "Former President of Costa Rica delivers DePauw Ubben Lecture"

In light of recent discussions on campus, I’d like to offer up my own understanding of privilege.

Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, participated in an Oxford University style debate on whether or not the The president has constitutional power to target and kill U.S. citizens abroad. She argued against the motion. Arguing for the other side were Alan Dershowitz and Michael Lewis, both Harvard Law School professors. You … Continue reading "Debate: Should the President Be Able to Kill US Citizens Abroad?"

With great anticipation for TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie’s visit radiating throughout DePauw’s campus, I had to do a double take every time I saw the words “Conscious Capitalism” broadcast on posters. The term “conscious capitalism” has arisen out of the assumption that through making ‘helping’ fashionable, we are somehow working to end poverty. The reality, … Continue reading "TOMS: When ‘Conscious Capitalism’ is Not Enough"

On Sunday, March 2nd, Blake Mycoskie, the president and founder of TOMs will deliver a speech about his story and his revolutionary Buy One Give One (BOGO) business model. I don’t need to point out that the Ubben Lecture Series has a reputation for bringing in impactful speakers from varying fields. The Ubben guests I’ve … Continue reading "Ubben Lecture by TOMS founder offers chance to think and act"

We have all seen the stories about the less-than-perfect conditions of the 2014 Winter Olympic games. There are stories of un-flushable toilets, malfunctioning snowflakes, and even an athlete breaking out of a jammed bathroom door like something out of a Kool-Aid commercial. Despite all of this, you can’t say that the Russian government didn’t try … Continue reading "Sochi Olympics’ ethical problems overshadow spirit of cooperation"