New Books in Ethics, Politics, and Society Series
The Ethics Institute hosts informal faculty and student discussions and public lectures on new books in ethics throughout the academic year.
2026-2027 Book Discussions
Past Discussions
May 21, 2026, 5-6:30pm
Brandon Terry is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and the co-director of the Institute on Policing, Incarceration, and Public Safety at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. Terry will discuss his new book, Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope: A Tragic Vision of the Civil Rights Movement (Harvard, 2025).
Cosponsored by the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, the Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life, the Department of Government, the Department of Philosophy, and the Office of the Provost.
April 8, 2026, 12-1:30pm
Samia Hesni (Associate Professor of Philosophy, Dartmouth College) discusses their new book, Stereotypes and Scripts: How Language Shapes and Resists Expectations (Oxford, 2025). Lunch provided.
February 5, 2026, 12-1:30pm
November 13, 2023 at 6:30
Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 1:00pm
Manon Garcia is the author of We Are Not Born Submissive: How Patriarchy Shapes Women's Lives. A Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and a Junior Professor at Freie Universität Berlin, she has taught at the University of Chicago and Yale University. She received the Prix des Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco for the best book of philosophy published in France in 2022.
October 18, 2023, 8-9am
Lecture topic: The intersection of ethics and the political restrictions on reproductive health care for adolescents (inclusive of trans health care and abortion care)
Mary Ott, MD, MA, is Professor of Pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and a Faculty Investigator at the Indiana University Center for Bioethics. She is board certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and provides adolescent healthcare at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. She is also the Fellowship Director for Adolescent Medicine at Riley Hospital.
Dr. Ott's research interests are adolescent pregnancy and HIV prevention, pediatric research ethics, and adolescent consent and confidentiality. Her research includes implementation sciences approaches to community-based adolescent pregnancy preventions, adolescent contraceptive access, ethics of research with vulnerable populations, and global adolescent health. Her work has been funded by the NIH, the Society for Family Planning Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
Dr. Ott co-authored the influential American Academy of Pediatrics position statement on Contraception for Adolescents, is a member of the Guttmacher Institute's Editorial Advisory Committee for Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, and is the adolescent editor for the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatrics.
In case you missed it, Webex link here.
February 16, 2023 at 12:30
David Barnes, Chief AI Ethics Officer at US Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center
As Chief AI Ethics Officer, he advised the Army on incorporating ethics, law, and policy into Army AI design, development, testing, and employment, directly contributing to the development of the DoD AI Ethical Principles and the 2020 US Army AI Strategy.
September 21 at 8:00am
Dr. Opel's grand rounds topic will be on Shared Decision Making in Pediatrics.
Bioethics Consultation Service, General Pediatrics
Children's Title: Interim Director, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics
Academic Title: Associate Professor, Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care; Associate Professor, Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics
Research Center: Center for Clinical and Translational Research
May 5, 2022, 2:30-3:30
Understanding the Ethical and Legal Implications of Artificial Intelligence. At the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence lies a wealth of opportunity for business, labour, and society at large. Yet along with progress comes a host of ethical dilemmas. As a leading scholar and neuro-ethicist who has advised the United States Congress, NITA FARAHANY '98 considers what our neurological information is worth, and the implications of making it available to corporations, workplaces, and government.
Saturday, May 28 from 6-7pm
It is a work inspired by Manos Que Hablan (Hands that Speak), Dartmouth faculty member María Clara de Greiff's exploration of the lives of some of the farm workers of the Upper Valley. She writes, "It is impossible for the milk industry to sustain itself without the working hands and determination of migrants." Here is a special opportunity to listen to these stories of determination and to get to know members of your own community.
The performance will take place Saturday, May 28th at a farm in the Upper Valley (for reasons of safety and confidentiality, the precise location will be emailed out to all who RSVP the night of Friday, May 27) from 6pm-7pm, followed by and open mic, banda music, a chance to indulge in homemade food, and games.
We'd love for you to join us! Please RSVP here, and don't hesitate to reach out to Aidan Keys, Kristina Strommer, Lily Simon, or Professor Reyes with any questions.
DISCLAIMER: We encourage you to consider that farmworkers are "condemned to the shadows of invisibility, discrimination, racism, and structural and endemic violence." We are listening to the voices of marginalized people. Even though their stories are rich with humor, fond memories, and humanity, this violence is still present. Please do not share the names of the people you meet but the stories that they share. Please honor their visibility.
June 10 at 8am-9am
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medicine Grand Rounds
"Race Correction in Medicine: What are the Ethical Issues?"
June 10 at 8am-9am
Location: IN PERSON at DH, Auditorium E
Shawneequa Callier, JD, MA
Associate Professor
Department of Clinical Research and Leadership
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
May 10, 2022, 12-1pm
Beauty of Human Diversity
DH Auditorium E (WebEx option)
The exhibition features empowering portraits of people living with genetic differences to highlight beauty in diversity and contribute to fostering a more compassionate, understanding, and respectful community.
This project is a collaboration between Geisel's Ethics and Human Values program, the Ethics Institute at Dartmouth, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Arts and Humanities Program, and a nonprofit organization named Positive Exposure. The photography exhibition that will be coming DHMC (April 11-May 10, 2022) is entitled "The New Faces of Genetics and Beyond" The exhibition of approximately 30 portraits has travelled to numerous hospitals around the United States and the world, including the Mayo Clinic, Brigham and Women's Hospital and NYU Langone Medical Center. It was also featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in celebration of the Human Genome Project. (Spring, 2022)
May 13 at 5:30pm.at Collis Commonground
May 5, 2022, 2:30-3:30
You're invited to meet Nita Farahany '98 Duke University School of Law. She will discuss her career path since attending Dartmouth.
Her lecture follows at 4:30. Understanding the Ethical and Legal Implications of Artificial Intelligence. At the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence lies a wealth of opportunity for business, labour, and society at large. Yet along with progress comes a host of ethical dilemmas. As a leading scholar and neuro-ethicist who has advised the United States Congress, NITA FARAHANY '98 considers what our neurological information is worth, and the implications of making it available to corporations, workplaces, and government.
November 5, 12:05-1pm
Medical Student Grand Rounds and Geisel SOM's Ethics Interest Group will be collaborating this month to bring a presentation by our very own, Amal Cheema '23. We are looking forward to Amal sharing her thoughtful, passionate, and insightful research work with us in this interactive presentation. The focus will be the intersection of religio-cultural beliefs and organ donation, with an aim of providing insight into transplantation ethics in the context of sociopolitical and religio-cultural influences that shape health beliefs and practices.
Event is both in-person in Kellogg 200 and virtual via Zoom.
RSVP here for the Zoom link.
October 25, Noon-4:00pm
Decision-making capacity can be challenging to assess in patients with mental health diagnoses. Clinicians often struggle with the balance between a desire to respect autonomy and a duty to protect. In this conference, we will discuss challenges in decision-making capacity assessment involving adult and pediatric patients with mental health diagnoses (such as eating disorders). We will also discuss pragmatic management approaches, including invocation of a Ulysses clause.
At the conclusion of this learning activity, (at least 75% of) participants will be able to discuss current issues related to ethical dilemmas posed by patients with mental illness who are asked to make a health care related decision.
REGISTRATION:
The registration fee is waived for all. Advance registration is required for planning purposes.
To register, visit the event website: http://med.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/ce. For registration questions, please call (603) 653-1234 or email clpd.support@hitchcock.org.
The virtual conference meeting access link will be emailed to registered participants 24 – 48 hours prior to the start of the activity.
October 4, 2021, 1-2pm Wheeler Tent, Wheeler Lawn
The Ethics Institute will host a student discussion with Vikram Bhargava Assistant Professor of Strategic Management & Public Policy at the George Washington University School of Business, Monday October 4, 1-2pm Topic: "Hiring and Algorithms: Why Bother with Interviews?" Limit 15 students. Lunch will be served.
October 6, 2021 1-2pm, Hitchcock Tent, 18 Mass
A student discussion with visiting Montgomery Fellow Patty Gerstenblith, DePaul College of Law, Distinguished Research Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Center for Art, Museum & Cultural Heritage Law.
September 21, 2021, 5-6pm
Join us for a student discussion with Sonu Bedi, the Director of the Ethics Institute, about ethics and civil disobedience. Open to all first year students.
There will be a short reading required before the session.
April 7, 2021 at 12:15pm
Dr. Brian Cummings: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Attending, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Chair, Pediatric Ethics Committee
Medical Director and Vice Chair, MGHfCMassachusetts General Hospital for Children
"The Tragic Case of Little Charlie Gard: Lessons from Bioethics in the Media."
Here's a link from the BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-40554462
In case you missed this event, watch the Zoom recording here:
Meeting ID: 939 2822 3419
Passcode: 833279
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 12:15pm
Discussion with Dr. Cummings and Geisel and Ethics Institute students of the "The Tragic Case of Little Charlie Gard: Lessons from Bioethics in the Media"
Brian Cummings, MD
Dr. Brian Cummings is the chair of the Pediatric Ethics Committee at Mass General Hospital for Children.
Brian M. Cummings, MD, is a pediatric intensivist, as well medical director and vice chair for the Department of Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the executive director for the Clinical Process Improvement Leadership Program (CPIP) at Mass General Brigham. He received his undergraduate degree with honors at Boston College with a senior thesis on physician assisted suicide. He received his medical degree from University of Connecticut and completed his residency and fellowship training at MGH. A graduate of the HMS ethics certificate program, he leads the pediatric ethics committee at MGH. Brian's area of interests are pediatric, professional and organizational ethics and he has published various articles on pediatric ethical issues, quality and safety, and professional development.
November 12, 2020 at noon
Ethics talk hosted at Geisel. All are welcome!
Topic: Religion and Ethics in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Lunch Discussion with Zia Rahman, February 20, 2020 at noon
Zia Rahman
Join us at the Ethics Institute for lunch and discussion with author Zia Rahman, February 20 at noon. Zia Haider Rahman is the author of the critically acclaimed and prize-winning novel, In the Light of What We Know.
Zia was born in a Bangladeshi village and moved to England with his family, living first in a squat before being allocated project housing in inner London. After attending a north London state-funded school, Zia studied at Balliol College, Oxford, and at Cambridge and Yale universities. He holds postgraduate degrees in mathematics, economics and law, and was awarded the highest merit scholarship at the English bar. After a short stint as an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs, he spent several years as a financial services lawyer, anti-corruption activist and international human rights lawyer.
Undergrad Lunch with Vikram Bhargava, October 28, 2019, 12:45-2pm
Join us on October 28, 2019 at 12:45 in Haldeman Room 125 for lunch and discussion with Vikram Bhargava, Assistant Professor of Management at SCU's Leavey School of Business, will discuss the new ethical concerns raised by autonomous vehicles.
Undergrad lunch discussion October 23, 2019 12-1pm
The Ethics Institute welcomes this year's Montgomery Fellows, Frido and Christine Mann. Join us for an informal lunchtime discussion "What, If Anything, Do We Owe Our Blood Relatives?". October 23, 2019, 12:00-1:00pm, Blunt Alumni Center, Room 204.
