R.E.A.C.H. Initiative: Integrating Community and Curricular Ethics

FAIN: AKA-270131-20

Salisbury University (Salisbury, MD 21801-6837)
Timothy Stock (Project Director: September 2019 to May 2022)
Michele M. Schlehofer (Co Project Director: June 2020 to May 2022)

The development of an Ethics Across the Curriculum project to integrate ethics into professional training and to extend the reach of humanities programs into the community.

The humanities are at the center of a needful rethinking of the purpose of undergraduate education at our institution, as well as the public mission of state-assisted universities. Our proposal brings together, via a slate of new curricular and co-curricular resources focused on Ethics, ethics literacy and ethics agency. The project proposes two major elements of institutional revision: (i) Curriculum change aimed at harmonizing professional training with early exposure to philosophical and research ethics, and (ii) Integration of community ethics and instructional ethics curriculum. This grant will support the necessary planning to create a community ethics network, a program to support faculty via ethics across the curriculum faculty seminars, and planning the establishment of a public ethics resource center to be an anchoring partner between community-based organizations and university faculty and students.

Associated Products

Building Ethical Cultures through Community Research (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Building Ethical Cultures through Community Research
Author: Michéle Schlehofer
Author: Timothy Stock
Author: Jennifer Nyland
Abstract: The R.E.A.C.H. Initiative is a multi-year collaboration between the departments of Philosophy and Psychology at Salisbury University. The humanities are at the center of a needful rethinking of the purpose of undergraduate education at our institution, as well as the public mission of state-assisted universities. The R.E.A.C.H. Initiative brings together, via a slate of new curricular and co-curricular resources focused on Ethics, two major elements of institutional revision: (i) Curriculum change aimed at harmonizing professional training with early exposure to philosophical and research ethics, and (ii) Community-driven learning, where our immediate community has a say and a stake in the design of public-facing services, internships and programming.
Date: 04/23/21
Primary URL: https://cseplibrary.blogspot.com/2020/10/building-inclusive-ethical-cultures-in.html
Conference Name: Building Ethical Cultures in STEM

REACH webpage (Web Resource)
Title: REACH webpage
Author: Timothy Stock
Author: Michéle Schlehofer
Abstract: The R.E.A.C.H. Initiative is a multi-year collaboration between the departments of Philosophy and Psychology at Salisbury University. The humanities are at the center of a needful rethinking of the purpose of undergraduate education at our institution, as well as the public mission of state-assisted universities. The R.E.A.C.H. Initiative brings together, via a slate of new curricular and co-curricular resources focused on Ethics, two major elements of institutional revision: (i) Curriculum change aimed at harmonizing professional training with early exposure to philosophical and research ethics, and (ii) Community-driven learning, where our immediate community has a say and a stake in the design of public-facing services, internships and programming.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://www.salisbury.edu/academic-offices/liberal-arts/philosophy/reach.aspx
Primary URL Description: A public-facing website for the REACH initiative.

REACH Case study: "When to Vaccinate, When to Educate?" (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: REACH Case study: "When to Vaccinate, When to Educate?"
Author: Timothy Stock
Author: Michéle Schlehofer
Abstract: The following case represents ethical issues identified by the Community Ethics Network of the Salisbury University REACH initiative. The facts of the case are generalized and stipulated in such a way that the case represents a real-world ethics conflict at the same time that it does not disclose confidential information. The purpose of this case is for use in coursework and community discussions around vaccination and public health.
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

REACH Case Study: "Climate Change Book Club" (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: REACH Case Study: "Climate Change Book Club"
Author: Timothy Stock
Author: Michéle Schlehofer
Abstract: The following case represents ethical issues identified by the Community Ethics Network of the Salisbury University REACH initiative. The facts of the case are generalized and stipulated in such a way that the case represents a real-world ethics conflict at the same time that it does not disclose confidential information. The purpose of this case is for use in coursework and community discussions around the role of advocacy in science.
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Equality, Equity, Fairness, and Justice: Organizational Definitions and Distinctions (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Equality, Equity, Fairness, and Justice: Organizational Definitions and Distinctions
Author: Michele M. Schlehofer
Author: Tim Stock
Abstract: Social justice goals can oftentimes conflict with organizational goals and priorities (Mease, 2016), and nonprofit organizations can sometimes struggle to fulfill social justice missions (Shaw & Allen, 2009). This talk will present research on how representatives of community organizations understand concepts pertaining to social justice. Seven representatives of community-based organizations (CBOs), which included faith organizations, nonprofits, and local government entities, participated in a virtual focus group to discuss concepts pertaining to organizational ethics. During the focus group, participants were asked: “What is the difference between equality and equity? How do these terms differ from fairness?” and “What is justice? What is the distinction between performative justice and transformative justice? How do we know when we are engaging in transformative justice?” Participants’ conversations were video recorded and transcribed. Responses will be analyzed via thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2008). The findings have implications for psychologists working with CBOs to promote organizational and community justice, as well as for organizations looking to develop mission statements and organizational values centered around social justice concepts.
Date: 8/3/21
Primary URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i-I5g58fksLdn34ETH3q51FXMDsRtwFQ_Hqvw_XLLhg/edit?usp=sharing
Primary URL Description: Publicly viewable Google document of conference paper.
Conference Name: Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues

REACH Initiative at Salisbury University (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: REACH Initiative at Salisbury University
Abstract: Michèle Schlehofer, psychology, Timothy Stock, philosophy; Discussion includes a National Endowment for the Humanities grant which created the “Re-envisioning Ethics Access and Community Humanities (R.E.A.C.H.) Initiative: Integrating Community and Curricular Ethics.”
Author: Michele M. Schlehofer
Date: 5/4/21
Location: Salisbury, Maryland
Primary URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkBzQrkaJK4&t=4658s
Primary URL Description: Link to Youtube video of presentation.

Community Ethics: A Multi-Dimensional Framework (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Community Ethics: A Multi-Dimensional Framework
Author: Michele M. Schlehofer
Author: Tim Stock
Abstract: Community-centered ethical decision-making often fails to capture constituent feedback (Persad, 2017). In contrast, epistemic justice (Fricker, 2007) builds both critical social awareness (Congdon, 2017) and procedural justice (Tyler & Lind, 1988). To better understand community ethics, 23 people representing 17 community-based organizations participated in one of five focus groups. Focus groups lasted two-hours, and four to six participants each. All groups took place via Zoom, and were recorded. Participants discussed a series of questions, including “What comes to mind when you think of the word “ethics?” "What are the most important ethical values that guide your organization?" "Are the values of your organization ever in conflict with each other?" and “What values guide your leadership to act in the way they do and/or omit to do?” Responses were coded using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The findings indicate participants saw ethics along a multi-dimensional framework which varied along who their organization is accountable to (social norms or the community), the ecological level (society, the organization, or personal ethics), and where priorities are placed. Further, several values associated with ethics were identified, including integrity, equity, power, assumptions that people behave morally, law, and teamwork, among others. These findings indicate both some overlap with White supremacy culture (Okun, n.d.) and departure from it. Findings will be discussed in the context of improving community ethics.
Date: 6/23/21
Primary URL Description: (No public URL available)
Conference Name: Society for Community Research and Action

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