Undergraduate Certificate Program in Values and Public Life
OPPORTUNITIES:
Conversations
Students enrolled in the certificate program will be invited to a series of special events in the course of the year, including gatherings with faculty and visiting speakers. All events are by invitation only, and specific times and locations will be given to students admitted to the program.
Upcoming Events
There are currently no upcoming events scheduled at this time. Please check back for more information.
Past Events
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Friday, April 20th |
1:30pm - 2:45pm
Student Panel #1
Bruce Easop: “Human Rights and Universal Jurisdiction: Constituting the International Community”
Trace Feng: “Global Civil Society and Economic and Social Rights: the World Polity Perspective”
Daniel Schiff: “The Acquisition and Transmission of Beliefs Within Religious Systems”
3:00pm - 4:15pm Student Panel #2
Ben Cogan: "Disagreement and Democracy"
Cristina Martinez: "Aging Out of Foster Care in New Jersey"
Jacob Nebel: "Does Dworking's Moral Reading Rest on a Mistake?"
4:30pm - 5:30 pm
Keynote Speaker, Jeffrey Wieser '74
Jeffrey Wieser '74, is the President and CEO of Homes for Hope. He will discuss the ethical issues of responding to homelessness. Wieser brings a unique perspective as a businessman turned homelessness activist following a 30+ year career in international banking.
5:30pm - 6:30pm Dinner
Thursday, March 8th
Senior Thesis Workshop
"Articulating my thesis topic to a roomful of attentive listeners was incredibly helpful for me because I had to explain the motivation for the project as a whole and think clearly about how each of the smaller components contributed to the larger picture. The feedback, especially the questions from the other VPL students and the professors who sat in, helped me pinpoint and anticipate potential objections from my readers. My thesis was about 25% finished when I gave my presentation, so the comments I received were particularly influential and guided my writing as the rest of it came together. - Jane Abbottsmith, '12
Tuesday, March 6th
Senior Thesis Workshop
"I was blown away by the VPL senior thesis presentations. There were so many interesting projects -- from anthropology to religion to philosophy -- and the students' feedback to each other was excellent. I also enjoyed the opportunity to give feedback on projects in which I wouldn't normally be involved."
- Elizabeth Harman, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Center for Human Values
Thursday, February 23rd
Professor David Miller, Oxford University
"Are Human Rights Conditional?"
Tuesday, February 7th
Christine Bader, Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University
Friday, December 16th
Fieldtrip to Washington, DC
"Robert Weissman, the President of Pubic Citizen, challenged us to think critically about political issues like the recent Citizens United ruling and access to antiretrovirals in Africa. He offered an alternative perspective on these political issues and placed value on the interests of workers and citizens, rather than corporations. Meeting with him was thought-provoking and engaging." -Evan Larson '13
"Our lunch discussions with Mr. Allard, Mr. Gruenberg, and Senator Sarbanes were very timely, ranging from the merits and missteps of the Occupy movement to the ethical considerations implicit in handling the financial crisis. Ret. Senator Sarbanes even spoke to the current state of American politics, citing "principled compromise" as what's missing when congressmen would rather see our political system paralyzed than let the other side of the aisle win a single battle. There's nothing like learning about DC from some of the leaders who try to bring an ethical perspective to political debate." -Bruce Easop '13
"The VPL program had the opportunity to engage in both an informative and provocative discussion with Mr. Wodon at the World Bank on the role of faith-based organizations in African development. Though the involvement and impact of FBOs cannot be disassociated from the organizations' foundational values, pragmatic concerns hinder full commitment to moral congruence. Aspiring development workers, Mr. Wodon suggested, must tackle the difficult problem of operationalizing the theoretical concepts learned in the classroom." -Trace Feng, '12
Tuesday, December 6th
Cynthia Farrar, Purple States
"Cynthia Farrar, Executive Producer and CEO of Purple States, opened her VPL discussion with a look at ancient Athenian models of government and the potential for replicating these models in modern New Haven, CT. According to Farrar, the Athenians took seriously the meaning of "democratia," rule by the people, and instituted a lottery system that selected ordinary citizens for sessions of political deliberation. With Professor Farrar, we investigated the work of Purple States to replicate this model in New Haven and considered whether a group of deliberating citizens might voice more informed and careful thoughts than the standard opinion poll. In our conversation, we learned of the impact this design could have on political thought and decision-making in modern democracies." -Jane Abbottsmith '12
Tuesday, November 22nd
Senior Thesis Workshop
"Thanks for the useful workshop today. The point about constant contact
with the thesis flipped a switch for me." -Trace Feng, '12
Monday, October 17th
Nicole Gueron, Clarick Gueron Reisbaum LLP
"After re-imagining for us the wide-ranging path that had led her to her current work, Ms. Gueron provided us with a sincere account of the issues faced by those who practice law in the public sector. Ms. Gueron's account was inspiring, disabusing many of us of cynical stereotypes about work for the government, and convincing us that public values and ethics hold an important and esteemed position in this realm." -Bonita Robinson '12
Tuesday, September 27th
Professor Adina Roskies, Dartmouth College & UCHV LSR Fellow
"After briefly introducing us to her cutting-edge research in the overlap of neuroscience and philosophy, Professor Roskies described a real-world legal case, which sparked a gripping discussion on the thorny concepts of free will and self-control, the morality of punishment, and the contributions and limitations of empirical evidence. Professor Roskies' work bears witness to the importance of incorporating interdisciplinary approaches to the examination of vexed ethical dilemmas." -Mariana Olaizola '13
Tuesday, September 20th
Professor Philip Pettit, Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor for Politics and the University Center for Human Values
"Professor Pettit explored the philosophy of Republicanism by taking us on a journey from Ancient Rome through modern applications in the political realms of social justice, democracy, and international sovereignty. Along the way he invited us to critically examine our contemporary notion of freedom, while challenging us to see civic engagement as implicit in the republican conception of the citizen. To me, what really brought this message home was the discussion of his work with Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero, which proved that theory itself truly can be an agent of tangible political change." -Bruce Easop '13
Wednesday, April 27th
Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter, Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School
Hearing Professor Slaughter speak candidly about her experience in the State Department and her recent public stance on intervention in Libya was extremely interesting. She provided a window into the practical workings of politics, while also explaining the values and beliefs she uses to inform her policy recommendations. Her responses to students' questions showed what a dynamic and multidisciplinary thinker she is -- we're lucky to have her back at the University." -Evan Larson '13
Thursday, April 14th
Professor Gerald Mackie, UC San Diego & UCHV LSR Fellow
Thursday, February 17th
Professor Jonathan Wolff, University College London
Tuesday, February 1st
Elise Keppler, Senior Counsel for the International Justice Program, Human Rights Watch
Thursday, December 16th
Professor Charles Beitz, Director of the Princeton University Center for Human Values
Wednesday, December 8th
Dr. Varun Gauri, World Bank
"Dr. Gauri was an engaging speaker with impressive intellectual breadth. He helped me recognize similarities between economics and physics by describing the impact Cartesian philosophy had on his own transition between fields, and in so doing suggested an intellectual framework that puts together theoretical science with real-world outcomes that help others." - Zachary Slepian, 2011
Tuesday, October 26th
Professor Peter Singer, Princeton University
Friday, October 22nd
Lunch Gathering with Professor Lane
Service Project
The certificate program students will be invited to constitute themselves into one or more working groups to design and implement a collective service project, in collaboration with participating faculty and with the Pace Center for Civic Engagement. The University Center for Human Values will provide funding and support for such a group project or projects, which may include, for example, founding a website, designing a community teaching project, or organizing a student or community conference.
Summer Grants
The University Center for Human Values offers summer grants for students enrolled in its certificate program in Values and Public Life to pursue internships or projects in the field of the certificate, subject to approval by the faculty sub-committee for the program. These grants may be used for travel, housing, or other purposes supporting research, study, or participation in values-related projects, as detailed in the student's application. Details will be given to students admitted to the program.
Additional VPL Student Activities (Partial Listing)
Many students in the VPL program are involved in events outside of the Center that are related to human values. Upcoming events include:
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Please note: The is only a partial listing of events in which VPL students participate. .
Enrichment Materials
Below are a few recent books written by faculty associated with the University Center for Human Values, which can give students interested in the Values and Public Life program an introduction to research in this field. There is no obligation on applying students to read these particular books or to limit their conception of the field to books by Center faculty.
K. Anthony Appiah
The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen (2010)
Jose Luis Marti and Philip Pettit
A Political Philosophy in Public Life: Civic Republicanism in Zapatero's Spain (2010)
Peter Singer
The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty (2009)
Philip Pettit and Christian List
Group Agency: The Possibility, Design, and Status of Corporate Agents
Important Links
Application Requirements
Certificate Requirements
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