Kenan Institute for Ethics
The Kenan Institute for Ethics is an interdisciplinary home for faculty, students, and staff dedicated to understanding and negotiating the moral challenges of our time through the energetic and capacious pursuit of good.
Good judgment, good character, good citizens, good government, the greatest good, the common good… We speak often of good, but in the absence of agreement about what we mean when we deploy the word. Good pursuits are passionate arguments about what it means to be human—about who we are, what we are doing, and what we ought to do.
Read more about good pursuits in this letter from our director, and explore stories about our programs below.
Good Life
Offering transformational educational experiences to students, alumni, and the public
How Duke Engineers are Building Character from Day One
As part of the Character Forward initiative, Dr. Michael Rizk integrates character development into Engineering 101 design projects, helping students grow as both engineers and people.
An Inspiring Gift to Help Students Grow
The Kenan Institute for Ethics has received a major gift from Danielle Moore T’85 and the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation to support the institute’s educational initiatives for undergraduate students.
Good Community
Building bridges from classroom and campus to local and regional communities
Good Pursuits with Mike Wiley
From state to state and school to school, actor and playwright Mike Wiley uses the power of performance to bring challenging histories to life. In this Good Pursuits feature, he reflects on how theater can spark empathy by inviting audiences to walk in someone else’s shoes.
First-Year Students Reflect on Benefits of Kenan-Affiliated FOCUS Programs
In a recent article in The Chronicle, Duke's student-run news organization, first-year students said that two Kenan-affiliated FOCUS clusters provided “hands-on learning” opportunities and a sense of “community” during their first semester at Duke.
Good Society
Assessing and imagining institutions that meet the needs of our common life
How Split-Second Decisions Lead to Gun Violence — and How We Can Stop It
Gun violence is a complex problem, but University of Chicago professor and Duke Graduate School alum Jens Ludwig says that his research points to some effective interventions.
Photography Exhibit Explores “Coexistence” between Humans and Elephants in Thailand
An exhibit of photography by Chelsea Decaminada Memorial Fellow Dhruv Rungta depicts the fraught relationship between Thai pineapple farmers and the elephants who devour their crops.
