Kegley Institute of Ethics Special Lectures engage with timely topics in contemporary society, including topics in politics, education, the arts, and sciences. With these lectures, KIE aims to foster informed conversation and debate on pressing and emerging issues in our world. Examples of previous speakers include Edward Wasserman, John Quinones, Carlos Fuentes, Cynthia Cooper, Sasha Abramsky, and Robert Audi.
Upcoming Lectures
Past Lectures
September 2023: 19th Annual Fall Lecture, "Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism." Dr. Safiya U. Noble, Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies, Faculty Director of the Center on Race and Digital Justice (UCLA)
September 2017: "Fake News and the Threat to Democracy," featuring Dr. Edward Wasserman, Dean, School of Journalism, UC Berkeley.
February 2016: "Race, Religion & the US Political Climate," featuring Dr. Miguel De La Torre, Iliff Professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at Iliff School of Theology, Denver. This event was co-sponsored by The Honorable Leticia Perez, Supervisor, Kern County, 5th District.
January 2015: "The American Way of Poverty," New York Times notable author Sasha Abramsky.
January 2014: "If Steinbeck was a Farmer," featuring David "Mas" Masumoto, renowned organic farmer and author.
March 2013: "Coming Together: Engaging One Another in Civic Conversation," featuring Rich Harwood, Founder and President of Harwood Institute of Public Innovation.
February 2013: "The Role of the Human Element in Technology," TED Lecturer Ainissa Ramirez.
February 2011: "Whose Global Village? Reflections on Power and Imagination in Today's World," famed poet and essayist, Andrei Codrescu.
November 2009: "The Nazi Worldview and Its Impact on Medical Practice." A special lecture featuring Dr. Vejas Liulevicius, Director, Center for the Study of War and Society, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Co-sponsored by KMC and The Levan Center.
February 2004: "Ethics, Conservation and Field Biology: A View from the Trenches," featuring Phil Pister, PhD, renown field biologist and conservationist.
February 2002: "Terrorism, War, and the Politics of the Middle East," featuring Ray Geigle, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science and Former Dean, Arts and Sciences CSUB. With responses by: Greg Goodwin, Professor of History, Bakersfield College and Sayed Mohammed, M.D. Chief Psychiatrist & Neurologist Wasco Prison.
October 2001: "Power and Profit: The History and Ethics of California's Energy Crisis," featuring Dean Florez, California Assemblyman - Chair of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee with expert commentators.
February 2001: "Liberal Democracy and the Place of Religion in Politics," featuring Robert Audi, PhD, Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
November 1996: "Silicon Snake Oil: A Skeptical View of Computing," featuring Clifford Stoll, PhD, Astrophysicist and Celebrated Author.
