Civil Discourse for Citizenship
CEHV's Civil Discourse for Citizenship program supports undergraduates in the practice of civil discourse. Our program is built around the "4Cs of Civil Discourse": Be Curious, Be Charitable, Be Conscientious, and Be Constructive. Students, educators, and others are encouraged to explore our free online Scarlet Canvas course about the 4Cs. CEHV also trains Civil Discourse Fellows to plan and serve as moderators in Civil Discourse Forums featuring speakers who disagree on contentious issues. We offer a 3-credit course on free speech and civil discourse (ARTSSCI 2400/E), a certificate program, and tailored workshops for students and staff outside the classroom. We also host a teaching endorsement for instructors called Ethical Disagreement and Civil Discourse through the Drake Institute. This work is pursued with generous support from the Derrow Family Foundation.
ETHOS - Ethics at Ohio State
ETHOS is CEHV's program supporting the new Shared Values Initiative at Ohio State. We helped to craft the new Ohio State Shared Values framework, and we foster discussion on those values through two main programs: the ETHOS Fellows Program, a 6-session discussion-based introduction to the shared values that also incentivizes fellows to pursue value-oriented programming in units across the university, and our Community Conversations, a series of moderated discussions on our shared values with leading national scholars.
CARE - Conversations About Research Ethics
CARE builds a community committed to research integrity through multidisciplinary and foundational discussion of cutting-edge ethical issues arising from research practice. Led by trained ethicists, the program hosts monthly discussion panels with external speakers and experienced Ohio State researchers on new developments in the field of research ethics. It also offers the CARE Training Program in the responsible conduct of research to support faculty, postdocs, and students in satisfying federal grant ethics guidelines.
COMPAS - Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society
COMPAS is a year-long series of interdisciplinary events on controversial topics of public concern such as immigration, sustainability, technology, and the role of markets. In 2023-2024 returned to past topics with COMPAS Directions: A Decade of Ethical Exploration. Our next program will be on the topic of "Work." The program aims to model complex and informed discussion of ethical challenges facing our society. Our related undergraduate COMPAS Course (ARTSSCI 2400/E) introduces students to principles of civil discourse and provides opportunities for engagement with COMPAS events.
Distinguished Lecture in Ethics
CEHV's Distinguished Lecture in Ethics series brings to campus thinkers who have been influential outside of the academy in addition to having made groundbreaking contributions to ethics or political philosophy. Past speakers have included Amartya Sen, Danielle Allen, Miranda Fricker, and Elizabeth Anderson. Over the years we have also partnered with others to host prominent speakers including Jeffrey Sachs, JD Vance, and Kwame Anthony Appiah.
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) undergraduate major
PPE is a fast-growing major crafted and led by CEHV steering committee members. The major trains students to combine insights from three disciplinary perspectives and introduces them to a wide range of political viewpoints. CEHV provides financial support to the program, which now has approximately 210 majors, and works to create opportunities for students to engage visiting speakers and learn about civil discourse through our Civil Discourse for Citizenship initiative and COMPAS Course. CEHV faculty also advise the associated undergraduate PPE Society student organization.
Outreach Programs and Partnerships
CEHV seeks partnerships with a variety of civic and community groups through grants and programming. Our newest outreach project connects with area schools to provide "Philosophy for Children" (P4C) opportunities.
These programs rely on the volunteer efforts of our faculty steering committee, support from our advisory board and affiliated faculty, staff, and graduate students, cooperative partnerships with other centers and offices at OSU, and the dedication of a small, committed staff. Find out more about who we are.
To help advance these and related efforts, you may donate here.
To hear more, join our mailing list. If you have questions or proposals, or would like to become an affiliate of CEHV, please contact CEHV director, Piers Norris Turner (turner.894@osu.edu).