Center For Ethics - Disease: Representation, Research, and Rights

The prevention and treatment of disease is a key area to which significant resources are devoted; it thus invites myriad ethical questions. How do we decide, for example, which diseases receive priority in funding for research and education? How do such factors as gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and disparities between rich and poor influence such decisions--and shape approaches to healing? Who, in fact, should carry the financial burden of researching, preventing, and treating disease? Do the policies and practices of pharmaceutical, insurance companies, hospitals, and other corporate entities tend to increase or alleviate disparities in who receives treatment or preventive care? How are people who suffer from disease viewed and treated by society? To what extent are they perceived as disabled? How do the media, academics, and artists represent disease, and to what extent do they have a responsibility to advocate for more ethical systems of research and treatment? Finally, what are the global implications of these issues?

“Hate and the Uncanny Body: Treating ‘Rational Fear' with Feminist Ethics; Or, the Strange Cases of Nike and the Supreme Court”
Tuesday, 7 September • 7:30pm • Miller Forum, Moyer Hall
Lecture/Panel Discussion that will serve as joint kick-off Event for Center's Fall Programming and the Faculty Humanities Seminar on Disability Studies. Speaker: Dr. Diane Price Herndl, Department of English, Iowa State University. Her presentation, entitled “Hate and the Uncanny Body: Treating ‘Rational Fear' with Feminist Ethics; Or, the Strange Cases of Nike and the Supreme Court,” asks how we can treat the fear and loathing that many people exhibit when faced with the disabled or ill body. Three Muhlenberg faculty will offer comments on her presentation.

"Knowing Stephanie "
Wednesday, 8 September • 4:30pm • Martin Art Gallery, Center for the Arts
Opening reception for gallery show likely to focus (this is still tentative) on the work of photographer Charlee Brodsky whose work Knowing Stephanie visually documents one woman's experience with breast cancer. Show will run until October 31st .

“Closing the Global Equity Gap: Scaling Up Programs to Combat AIDS, TB, and Malaria in the Global South”
Tuesday, 14 September • 7:00pm • Miller Forum, Moyer Hall
Public Lecture by Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of Global AIDS Alliance and Muhlenberg Alum looks at one of the central global justice issues of our time and asks what is America's role in getting cost effective treatment programs and technologies to parts of the world where populations are being ravaged by disease.

“Fat Boys: The Unknown Story of Men and Fat”
Wednesday, 22 September • 7:30pm • Lithgow Science Auditorium (Trumbower 130)
Our obsessive interest in fat bodies today focuses on the size and acceptability of women's bodies. Yet for three thousand years of recorded history in the West, it was the body of the fat man that was the focus of fear and loathing -- and admiration. The story of this fascination with men's bodies (and the reason why women's bodies are today's obsession) is the tale told by Sander Gilman. With examples are taken from medicine, theology, and literary culture, there will be plenty of scope for discussion -- but be there and bring your body!!!!

Public Showing of documentary film “Sound and Fury” and talkback with the film's director, Josh Aronson
Tuesday, 28 September • 7:00pm • Miller Forum, Moyer Hall
The film follows the story of two families of deaf children who are trying to decide whether or not their children should have cochlear implants. Explores the various dimensions of deaf culture and how technology can be used to “cure.”

Mass Media and Health--Are the Messages Good for Us?.
Tuesday, 5 October • 7:00pm • Miller Forum, Moyer Hall

Dr. Nancy Signorielli of the University of Delaware will give a public lecture focusing on how the media, specifically television, as our nation's common and constant story tellers, often present young adults with very unhealthy messages relating particularly to drinking, smoking, violence, and body image.

National Lee Denim Day for Breast Cancer Awareness
Friday, 8 October
National Lee Denim Day for Breast Cancer Awareness. Center will co-sponsor campus-based breast cancer awareness efforts by students in Prof. Susan Kahlenberg's Health Communication course.

“Rainforest Conservation and the Search for New Jungle Medicines” by Dr. Mark Plotkin
Tuesday, 26 October • 7:00pm • Miller Forum, Moyer Hall
Dr. Mark Plotkin is an ethnobotantist and well-known author of Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice and, more recently, The Killers Within, a work that focuses on drug-resistant bacteria and new medicines from nature.

Disabilities Awareness Week
November 1-5
Disabilities Awareness Week. Center will likely co-sponsor a dance performance by a disabled artist as part of the week's events.

"The Business of Healthcare in Pennsylvania: Medical, Legal and Patient Perspectives"
Tuesday, 9 November • 7:00pm • Miller Forum, Moyer Hall
Healthcare professionals from the local community will debate various perspectives on issues such as medical liability, healthcare accessibility, physician responsibilities and patients' rights.

If you would like more information or want to participate in this upcoming program, please contact Dr. Judy Ridner.