The Ethics and Social Justice Center

Commonwealth Ethics Lecture

The Ethics and Social Justice Center at Bellarmine University invites proposals for the 2026 Commonwealth Ethics Lecture.

The goal of the Ethics Lecture series is to promote ethics education across the curriculum. Bellarmine University is committed to being a place of personal, academic, spiritual, and ethical formation and growth. The Ethics and Social Justice Center supports these goals by encouraging critical reflection, dialogue, and constructive action on contemporary ethical issues in society.

Upcoming Faculty Research Talks

The Ethics and Social Justice Center seeks proposals for our faculty research initiative. We need to get the word out to the Bellarmine community about what faculty are doing! Faculty colloquies provide a space to exchange ideas, foster student engagement with faculty research, and promote learning across the university. Please apply for this great opportunity to share your research and your community-engaged scholarship with students and your colleagues!

Eligibility: All part- and full-time faculty affiliated with a college or university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are eligible to submit a proposal. We welcome all disciplines, and we strongly encourage people from various backgrounds to submit a proposal. Group and panel proposals are also welcome. We are especially interested in interdisciplinary dialogue and topics.

The author of the selected proposal will receive an honorarium in the amount of $1,000.00. All travel expenses, lodging, and food will be compensated up to $500.00. 

Download the Call for Faculty Proposals Flyer

How to Apply

We welcome proposals that address an interdisciplinary ethical question or problem about issues related to the world, AI, and what it means to be human. We especially welcome proposals that intersect these themes with regional issues.

Please prepare an abstract of approximately 750-1000 words for blind review. Electronic submissions are required and may be sent as an email attachment to Dr. Kate Johnson at kjohnson@bellarmine.edu. Word or pdf formats are preferred. Please write “Commonwealth Ethics Lecture Submission 2026” in the subject line of your email.

In the body of the email, please provide your name, institutional affiliation and title, contact information (email, address, phone), and title of your lecture.

Deadline

Abstracts will be accepted until 11:59pm EST on Friday, January 23, 2026. The author of the winning proposal will be contacted by February 12, 2026.

The Commonwealth Ethics Lecture is tentatively scheduled at Bellarmine University on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

Please direct all inquiries to Dr. Kate Johnson at kjohnson@bellarmine.edu.

Visit our website at: http://www.bellarmine.edu/ethics-and-social-justice 

 
2025 Prize in Bioethics and SJ essay contest CFP

Mission

The Ethics and Social Justice Center aims to promote excellence in ethics education, stimulate ethical awareness and reflection, and facilitate ethical inquiry. Motivated by the vision of Bellarmine as a place of personal, academic, spiritual and ethical formation and growth, ESJC aims to enhance critical reflection, dialogue and constructive action on contemporary ethical issues in society. We support the “evocation of moral qualities of leadership” as expressed in the Charter of Purpose of Bellarmine University and is an expression of the University’s dedication to these values and an extension of its commitment to these tasks. It is the specific mission of the ESJC to initiate and sustain a program of ethics education throughout the curriculum, and extending beyond the Bellarmine campus. In light of Bellarmine’s history and tradition, its concern for the promotion of Catholic social teachings and its commitment to the educational, cultural, and service needs of the Louisville region, the Ethics and Social Justice Center shall seek to provide reflective and empowering resources to faculty, students and the community.

Objectives

The purpose of the Ethics and Social Justice Center is to provide a program of ethics education and activities that enhance and promote the vision of Bellarmine University. Drawing on the expertise of scholars from different disciplines, including civic and community leaders, the Center participates in the investigation of contemporary moral issues that confront all human beings by providing forums, workshops, lecture series, seminars, and strategic partnerships to the university and the community.

Faculty Events    

Contact Information

Kate Johnson, Ph.D.
Director
Associate Professor of Philosophy
kjohnson@bellarmine.edu