Campus Ethics: Opportunities for Students

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, one of Santa Clara University's three Centers of Distinction, is an outgrowth of the University's commitment to education in ethics, including the study of ethics in everyday life, in professional careers, and in society. This focus is one reason SCU is listed in the Templeton Guide, Colleges that Encourage Character Development.

There are many ways a student engages with ethical issues at Santa Clara. One is in the classroom. As part of the University's Core Curriculum, all undergraduates at SCU are required to take at least one course in ethics, often in ethical issues that arise in their chosen field of study. Most of our graduate programs also include an ethics requirement. Many students take two or more ethics courses, as this is one of Santa Clara's significant strengths.

Other avenues to explore ethics include:
Online Resources
Co-curricular Activities
Community Placement
Independent Research
Ethics Prizes

Online Resources
The easiest way for students to connect with everything that's happening on campus about ethics is to join the SCU Ethics Group in Facebook. The group sends invitation to events and includes discussion threads on the kind of ethical issues students face in their everyday lives, from cheating to alcohol to sex.

Other useful (and interesting) Web resources are:

Framework for Ethical Decision Making
Step-by-step guide with classic approaches to ethical dilemmas
The Technological Citizen
Student-run blog on questions at the intersection of ethics and technology
Cydent: Cyber-students and the Virtual Good Life
Web page featuring videos and discussions on students and the Internet
What Do We Mean When We Talk About Social Justice?

Five questions SCU students should ask

Co-curricular Activities
The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics sponsors various activities to promote ethical reflection and reflective ethical action.

The Good Life
Club for undergraduates focusing on ethics and student life
Hackworth Fellowships
SCU seniors lead ethics programming for their peers
Lectures, Conferences, and Other Events on Ethical Issues
A rich menu of talks, workshops, and presentations

Community Placements
With its emphasis on experiential learning, SCU offers several programs that bring students into the larger community to learn how ethical issues play out in the real world.

Health Care Ethics Internship
Students visit local hospitals and hospices
Pedro Arrupe S.J. Center for Community-Based Learning
Active engagement, research, and service oriented toward questions of social justice

Independent Research
Hackworth Grants for Research on Applied Ethics
Assistance for travel, purchase of materials, access to databases, etc.
Environmental Ethics Fellowship
Support for a student researching environmental ethics and sustainability

Ethics Prizes
Markkula Prize
Honoring a senior who has done outstanding work in applied ethics