Maguire Ethics Center Newsletter Fall 2011

In Gratitude to Thomas Mayo

The 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Memoria and public consciousness surrounding the events of September 11, 2001. See page 6 for more details.

Friday, October 14, 2011

26th Annual Conference of the Professions* This year’s conference will examine the role of social media in the clergy, law and medical professions.

SMU Half-Time Tribute from the SMU Mustang Band SMU v. UTEP Saturday, September 10, 2011 Ford Stadium

What Happened? A Historic Account

The Day the Whole World Watched

Seyom Brown, Ph.D., John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies Wednesday, September 7th, 2011, 3:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall

Sunday, September 11, 2011, 6:00p.m. – 7:15p.m.

“Haunted Memories and Complex Loyalties”* A Maguire Public Scholar Lecture by William Abraham, Ph.D. Thursday, September 8, 2011, 4:00p.m. – 5:00p.m. Hosted by The SMU Faculty Club * RSVP required

Ending the Cycles of Violence Sponsored by the Embrey Human Rights Program and Dallas Peace Center, this interfaith panel will focus on the topics of forgiveness, healing and compassion Friday, September 9, 2011 McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall

Moderator: Rita Kirk, Ph.D., Director, Maguire Center Matthew Wilson, Ph.D., “The Intersection of Religion and Politics”

Seyom Brown, Ph.D., “How the World Has Changed” McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall

SMU Service of Remembering President R. Gerald Turner and Chaplain Stephen Rankin, Presiding September 11, 2011, 7:30p.m. – 8:30p.m. Dallas Hall

Share Your Thoughts; Preserve Your Memories

October 21-22, 2011

At Issue: Ethics, Trust & Transparency – Business, Government and the Case for Voter Concern* The conference will provoke debate on the current state of trust in business and government and how it may affect the coming 2012 elections. Specifically, the conference will focus on what business leaders and economic policy makers have done, and what more they can do, to ensure transparency in financial reporting and to recognize the interests of multiple stakeholders. Fundamentally, we want to consider what relevant institutions - business, government, and education - should or should not do to affect positive change, financial stability, and, ultimately, economic growth.

* RSVP Required

2 We’ve Got a New Look 2 Public Scholars

3 Maguire & Irby Family Public Service Interns 4 Should We Consider Ethics Before Starting a War? 4 The Shrinking Realm of Public Reason

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

5 In Gratitude To Thomas Mayo 5 Maguire Teaching Fellow Honors Costese Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility Southern Methodist University PO Box 0316 Dallas, Texas 75275-0316 maguire_ethics@smu.edu

Dr. Cortese’s major areas of research and teaching are ethnoviolence, ethnic and race relations, media, ethics, and gender, social problems, social policy, and the culture and environment of Costa Rica. He is the author of more than 45 scholarly articles, essays, and books, including Ethnic Ethics: The Restructuring of Moral Theory (1990), Walls and Bridges: Social Justice and Public Policy (2004), Opposing Hate Speech (2006), and Provocateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising (3rd ed., 2007). His new book, Contentious: Conflict on Race (University of Texas Press, in press), examines Mexican immigration, racial profiling, capital punishment, and affirmative action. Cortese’s current book project will focus on ethnoviolence and human rights (University of Pennsylvania Press, Human Rights Series). As a Fulbright fellow in Japan in 1990 and 1991, Cortese taught courses on ethnic diversity in the United States, and has also taught maximum-security inmates at Illinois’s Pontiac Correctional Center. He is the director of the new SMU Abroad program in Costa Rica, “Culture and Environment in Costa Rica.”

Visit our website smu.edu/ethicscenter.

Anthony Cortese

What’s Inside

3 Common Reading

National Security vs. Civil Liberty* Stimulating dialogue and reflection on the need to effectively pursue U.S. national security imperatives - without undermining the country’s historic commitment to human rights. Co-sponsored by the John G. Tower Center for Political Science and the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility.

Advancing the Mission

Robin Lovin, Ph.D., “Politics, Morality & Ethical Responsibility in a Terror-Afflicted Society”

smu.edu/ethicscenter.

Find us on Facebook at MaguireEthicsCenter.

The goal of the course is to promote ethical reasoning, global engagement, and diversity proficiency in students. Ethnoviolence is an act (or attempted act) motivated by group prejudice and intended to cause physical or psychological injury. These violent acts include intimidation, harassment, group insults, property defacement or destruction, and physical attacks. The targets of these acts involve persons identified because of their race or skin color, gender, ethnicity, religion, or other physical or social characteristic of groups such as sexual orientation.

As the Maguire Center’s third director over a 16 year history, Professor Mayo applied his stalwart character and management skills to advancing the center’s core mission. We are truly grateful for his unyielding commitment to the Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility, and warmly look forward to his continued success in teaching at the Dedman School of Law.

September 8-11, 2011

Thursday, September 8 – Sunday, September 11 Meadows Museum Sculpture Garden

Connect with Us.

Each year the Maguire Center seeks to honor and support one or more SMU faculty members who develops a new course relating to ethics or who adds an ethical dimension to an existing course. For the 2011-2012 academic year, the Maguire Center selected Professor of Sociology Anthony Cortese, Ph.D. Cortese, with the guidance of a self-selected interdisciplinary group of colleagues, Cortese will design a course entitled “Ethical Perspectives on Ethnoviolence” for Spring 2012.

Professor Mayo reached out to SMU’s many schools and departments resulting in joint venture lectures and programs in the areas of religious ethics, human rights, ethics and the arts and bioethics.

William Abraham, Ph.D., Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies, will deliver a lecture on “Haunted Memories and Complex Loyalties” at the SMU Faculty Club from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Plaza Memorial: A Meditative Space

Follow Us on Twitter @SMUmaguireCtr.

Tony Cortese selected as 2011/2012 Maguire Teaching Fellow

Cary M. Maguire presents Thomas Mayo with service award

Public Scholar Lecture*

Want to know more about the Maguire Center?

Many contributions to the ethical life of SMU have been made under Mayo’s leadership that deserve recognition. He assumed the directorship in 2005, succeeding Professor William F. May (1995-1998) and Professor Richard O. Mason (1998-2005). Professor Mayo expanded the number of public service internships sponsored by the center, broadening its visibility on campus and utilizing the enormous talents of SMU students to serve the greater good. In addition, he established ongoing collaborative relationships with both the North Texas Bioethics Network and the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture, and supported the enactment of a new university curriculum that includes an ethics component in our new Pillars offering.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Fall 2011, Volume 16

SMU President R. Gerald Turner and The Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility invite the SMU Community to Participate in the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 Memorial Events

Or, give us a call at 214-768-4255.

The Maguire Center offers our appreciation and bids a fond farewell to our outgoing director, Dedman School of Law Professor Thomas Mayo, who completed five and a half years of service in December 2010.

Upcoming Events for Fall 2011

The Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 Memorial Events

6 Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 Memorial Events

“A university does not fully discharge its responsibility to its students and the community at large if it imparts knowledge (and the power which that knowledge eventually yields) without posing questions about its responsible use.” Founding Director Bill May penned those words. They are inscribed on our wall. They remind us of the importance of our mission. Over the 16 years since our founding, the ethics center has laid the groundwork for the discussion of ethics by partnering with SMU’s colleges, faculty, staff and students to drive the conversation within our community. We could rant about the unethical behaviors that fill our news headlines each day but this center takes a different approach. Rather than harping on poor choices, this center celebrates those who model ethical behavior. The tribute to Ruth Altshuler and the stories of this year’s Maguire and Irby Family Foundation Public Service Interns serve as testament to those who work to make a positive difference in our world. We must cover with equal vigor the positive virtues we want modeled if we are ever to chart a path for others to follow. Rather than offering simplistic solutions to ethical dilemmas, the center encourages discussion and debate on contemporary issues so that we may consider the competing ethical paradigms and the way those frames impact the choices of those who conscientiously try to enact their values. The discussion

of this year’s common reading for first year students, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the article by Maguire Chair of Ethics Robin Lovin, and the questions posed by founder Cary M. Maguire serve to provoke those discussions. We hope you will join the discussion. Rather than be satisfied with how far we have come, we push on to inculcate ethical standards in our students. The new university curriculum establishes “Philosophical & Religious Inquiry and Ethics” as one of the five pillars upon which students build their academic coursework. We are excited about what the future holds. On January 1st, I became the fourth director of the center. Together with assistant director Candy Crespo we pledge our best efforts. We look forward to your ideas but mostly, we look forward to your participation.

By Rita Kirk, PhD, Director, Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility

J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award

Nancy Strauss Halbreich, Sally Sharp Harris, Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler and R. Gerald Turner When the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility sought to honor an exemplar of devotion to the welfare of others, the definitive choice was Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler, the 2011 recipient of the J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award. With her distinctive record of imparting inspiration to the SMU community and presenting tireless service at national, state, and civic levels, Altshuler was honored at a sold-out luncheon ceremony held March 10th at the Martha Proctor Mack Grand Ballroom at SMU’s Umphrey Lee Center. In attendance was a distinguished group of leaders including former First Lady Laura Bush, SMU President R. Gerald Turner, Maguire Ethics Center Director Rita Kirk, philanthropist Nancy Strauss Halbreich, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure founder and CEO Nancy Brinker. Mrs. Altshuler was introduced by her daughter, Sally Sharp Harris. see Jonsson page 2

Jonsson

We’ve Got a New Look continued from page 1

Altshuler has been an iconic pioneer of campus involvement, serving as co-chair of the Second Century Campaign Leadership Council, co-chair of the Campaign for SMU, and former chair of the Board of Trustees. She is the longest serving member of SMU’s Board of Trustees. A new summer internship at the Maguire Ethics Center was established in her honor; the chosen undergraduate, computer science student Meera Nair, spent the summer in India working with special needs children.

Nancy Brinker, Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler and former First Lady Laura Bush Altshuler is a nationally recognized leader that was appointed to the Library of Congress Trust by President George W. Bush and to the U.S. Commission for UNESCO by Secretary of State Colin Powell. The J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award is given annually to an individual who epitomizes the spirit of moral leadership and public virtue. It is named for the founder of Texas Instruments and former Dallas Mayor (1964-1971) J. Erik Jonsson. Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler joins the esteemed company of past winners Bob Buford, Ronald G. Steinhart, Michael M. Boone, Zan W. Holmes Jr., Roger Staubach, Caren Prothro, Tom Luce, Dr. Ron Anderson, Jack Lowe Jr., William T. Solomon, Stanley H. Marcus, Dr. Charles C. Sprague, and Curtis W. Meadows Jr.

One of our primary goals is to build greater awareness of the center among the SMU student body. To meet this transitional goal, we have developed and expanded our strategies for visibility, beginning with a new logo, a new website, and a renewed enthusiasm for social media outreach.

In June, we debuted the organization logo you see here. This new design celebrates the dignity of ethical pursuit and echoes the visual impact of the SMU logo. The banner insignia with an inlaid capital M is a graphic representation announcing the Maguire Ethics Center’s presence and commitment to university-wide, ethics-related education. We’ve also made fresh, engaging changes to our website that offer a visually appealing and informational digital landscape. Our new homepage features easier navigation for finding information on student involvement, faculty honors, and community programs, plus a multimedia library, a newsroom, and the new common reading microsite. This year’s common reading selection for all first-year students is Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, an absorbing history of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine. You will surf your way through author interviews, investigative bulletins from leading universities, a Twitter feed, a Law and Order plot description, and much, much more. We invite you to read the book along with our entering students, then share your thoughts and opinions on this controversial true story that has powerful ramifications today. Prominently displayed on our redesigned homepage is a column entitled “Connect with Us,” where you can find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and download, listen, and learn from SMU On iTunes U. Fueled by the social interaction

inherent in today’s new and emerging media, our Facebook page is a hub of relevant news in the field of ethics, including blog posts by interns in overseas study programs, ethical dilemmas uncovered by SMU research scholars, and current reports from leading national newspapers. Our Twitter feed provides immediate updates from inside the ethics center, such as event preparations for esteemed speakers, but you’ll also read tweets on the dubious behavior of famous personalities that are often amusing, and sometimes quite alarming. Our iTunes library puts lectures from some of the best minds in the country at your fingertips, and you can watch and listen at your own convenience. Available downloads include “Saving a Garden in the Midst of War” from Kabul architect Ajmal Maiwandi; “Cognitive Enhancement” from renowned theoretical philosopher Thomas Metzinger; and “Lone Star Tarnished: A Critique of Texas Public Policy” from Maguire Scholar Cal Jillson, professor of political science at SMU. We hope you will have a rich, thoughtprovoking experience on the new ethics center website.

Should We Consider Ethics Before Starting a War?

2011 Common Reading Sparks Conversations in Ethics Across Campus The Maguire Center is proud to announce that for the first time, it’s hosting the microsite and facebook pages for SMU’s Common Reading. The Common Reading Program is an established start-of-school tradition at SMU. Incoming first-years receive the book during the summer at AARO and are asked to read it before the start of the fall semester. Faculty, staff, and returning SMU students host book discussions and first-year writing courses use the book as part of their curriculum.

Now that we are in three wars at the same time perhaps it might be worthwhile for us to consider the ethics of starting a war. There has been a lot written about “just wars”, and we had a clear purpose in starting the American Revolutionary War. But in a complicated interrelated world, perhaps there are some ethical considerations we should think about before starting a war such as:

This year’s Common Reading is the best selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It’s a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. Visit the Common Reading microsite at smu.edu/commonreading or find us on facebook to join the discussion.

All events are free and open to the public.

Cal Jillson, Ph.D. Professor of Political Science Lecture: “Lone Star Tarnished: A Critique of Texas Public Policy” Download the full lecture on the Maguire Center’s iTunesU site.

William Abraham, Ph.D. Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies Lecture: “Haunted Memories and Complex Loyalties” September 8, 2011 SMU Faculty Club 4:00 – 5:00p.m.

Do we have clear objectives for the war? And are those objectives clearly stated to the American public before starting the war? And, does the American public buy into those reasons? What is the ultimate outcome and cost to the American people including post war reconstruction (and not just the cost of successful conclusion of hostilities)? Can we afford that cost? Would some of threat cost be better spent on poverty and education in America?

Maguire and Irby Family Public Service Interns Since 1996, over 90 students have been awarded summer intern stipends for public service and research in ethics. Students have served more than 100 agencies throughout the United States and 11 other countries. This summer, three undergraduate and three graduate students from five SMU colleges spanned two continents to work in vastly diverse internship placements. Follow their journeys at blog.smu.edu/studentadventures

2011 Maguire & Irby Family Foundation Public Service Summer Interns

Have we thought through carefully what the ultimate objective is for the war? Or is this war one that will be subject to constant mission creep?

by Cary M. Maguire

Aden Abiye, an undergraduate majoring in accounting and markets & culture, interned at DFW International Community Alliance in Dallas, where she updated six guides for new Americans, assisted in the creation of a Dallas Latino festival, and planned workshops for newly arrived international families.

Sunghoon Chung, a graduate student studying economics, interned with HIS BridgeBuilders in Dallas, where he evaluated the economic impact of South and West Dallas economic development programming.

Laura Oei, a graduate student studying counseling, interned at Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County in Plano, where she planned and executed the Back-to-School Fair Project.

Jacob Stewart, an undergraduate majoring in theatre, interned at Studio@620 in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he created and produced a children’s theatre performance, directed a production of Kenneth Lonergan’s “This Is Our Youth,” and worked collaboratively with a culturally diverse population to discuss ethical issues related to children’s lives.

Public Scholars From the Center’s earliest years, we have showcased the University’s most exciting scholars in our Public Scholar lecture series. Many of the Public Scholar lectures have been published (in slightly revised format) in our An Occasional Paper journal series.

Is there a perceived immediate threat to the American national security interest?

Meera Nair, an undergraduate majoring in computer science, interned at ReachSwasraya in Kerala, India, where she cultivated a process for tracking the individual development of special needs and handicapped children, modernized the website, and promoted and sustained inclusive education.

Kelly Vowell, a graduate student studying piano performance and pedagogy, interned with the West Dallas Community School, where she created a self-sustaining summer music enrichment program.

What is the real end game of the war (for example, is it really about oil?) as opposed to the stated mission by the government?

Once we start the war, are we going to aggressively pursue it to a quick conclusion for the safety of our military personnel or are we going to allow the State Department to require the military to hide one hand behind its back like we did in Vietnam? Is this war about regime change? And do we have the right to require regime changes around the world just because some leader is offensive to us? Will history judge this to be a worthwhile war? And did we consider a number of ethical considerations before starting the war?

Oscar Wilde said, “as long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.”

The Shrinking Realm of Public Reason Contemporary political thought has given much attention to “public reason.” Before we can think together about policy and priorities, we need some agreement on what will count as an acceptable argument. Appeals to the interest of a particular economic group or cultural community probably will not work, if the aim is general agreement on a national policy. Claims about what God requires will not work in a public that includes both believers and unbelievers. An argument based on human nature might be persuasive, but only if it appeals to basic facts about human nature like vulnerability to illness or the need for self-respect that are apparent in ordinary human experience. Philosophers have worked out elaborate theories about the minimal requirements of public reason, but there is a descriptive dimension to the concept, as well as a theoretical one. At any given time, for any given public, there is a range of ideas that count in making decisions about what the laws ought to require, what to expect from government, and what we owe to one another. Theories may set out the requirements of public reason in permanent form, but in practice the range of reasons that will persuade a public expands and contracts, grows and shrinks over time. Sometimes, our public reason is expansive, encompass-

ing aspirations like opportunity and dignity. We need not agree on what opportunity entails and what dignity includes. The point is that these are concepts we can argue with and about. Everyone agrees that they make a difference when we are trying to decide what justice requires. At other times, public reason contracts, and the list of ideas that we can use as the basis for public arguments shrinks. It is not just that we disagree on policy and priorities. We lack a vocabulary for explaining our policies and priorities in terms that might be persuasive to others. We have no way to argue about what we ought to do. It seems that right now the realm of public reason is shrinking. Ethical concepts have almost disappeared from discussions of budgets and policy, and the aspirations which have been a large part of our public life no longer provide a focus for discussion. Opportunity and equality, community and individuality, progress and tradition are not things that we know how to talk about in public. Of course, we do not all agree on these things. We never have. Opportunity and equality and progress and tradition are in tension with each other, and what we argue about is precisely how those tensions ought to be resolved in law and policy. But we need a common language in which we can try to persuade one another about the things on which we differ. When

the realm of public reason shrinks too much, the only thing we can talk about is how much things cost. The shrinking realm of public reason does not mean that people will stop making decisions. It means that they will only be able to talk about those decisions with people who agree with them. Arguments are provided to strengthen the convictions of those who are already convinced. Public choices, when they have to be made, are based on who has the most votes or the most power. There are winners and losers, but no one is persuaded. It is important to have a place to talk about policies and priorities. That is why freedom of speech is so central to democracy. But it is equally important to have a language for those discussions that is rich, expansive, and aspirational. Public forums like the Maguire Center are one place where public arguments happen, but it may be that their most important function is to expand the realm of public reason that makes real arguments and real agreements possible.

Robin Lovin, Ph.D. Maguire Chair of Ethics