Your Centre for Practical Ethics Restructures

The York Centre for Practical Ethics is currently undergoing a restructuring and renewal.  This process is being guided by a Steering Committee of six. The Committee has been active since meetings of YCPE affiliates in the fall of 2010. The members of the Steering Committee are Ian Greene (Chair), Henry Jackman, Robert Kenedy, Greg Levine, James Simeon, and Idil Boran. The Steering Committee, in association with the Centre’s affiliates, is drafting an action plan for 2011-2012 and revised mandate.

The Steering Committee has organized a Seminar Series which hosted presentations on December 15, 2010 and January 25, 2011. There are eight more seminars in the winter term of 2011 which will begin on March 3. Please click on the “events” button in the left column for further information. 

The YCPE currently has forty-eight faculty affiliates at York University, and four external affiliates (including practitioners and faculty). As well, we have several graduate student affiliates. If you would like to become affiliated with the Centre or put on our email list, please send an email to Ian Greene (igreene@yorku.ca).

Centre's Mandate

The Centre for Practical Ethics organizes workshops and conferences on practical ethics, and develops professional programs to service community organizations. An internal newsletter is also produced by the Centre to keep the research community in practical ethics at York University informed of its activities and the developments in the field. Finally, it also lends its support to grant applications. It was established in 1994 to further research in the field of practical ethics and to support the teaching of practical ethics at York University. One of the Centre's goals is to raise awareness of practical ethics and to facilitate the integration of ethics into the everyday life of the community it serves, including businesses, government, and the professions. Since its inception the Centre has been housed in McLaughlin College.

Areas of Research Interest

• Ethical Theory/Practical Ethics
• Ethical Politics
• Legal and Judicial Ethics
• Public Policy Ethics
• Environmental Ethics
• Business Ethics
• Research and Academic Ethics
• Ethics in International Relations
• Teaching of Practical Ethics
• Ethics in Sport
• Healthcare Ethics

Administration

The centre is administered by a director, an executive council and a board of directors. The Centre also each year normally has two Graduate Assistants assigned to work with the director.

Funding for Practical Ethics

Research is largely funded by individual research grants. Some support funding is provided by York University and McLaughlin College.

Agencies that fund work in this area are:

Social Science Humanities Research Council
Medical Research Council
Canadian Genome Program
US Human Genome Project