UNDERGRADUATE WORKING GROUP

On Integrity

The Undergraduate Working Group is an opportunity for undergraduate students to discuss the necessities of deep thinking and good intellectual work.

The Fall working group, "On Integrity,” will provide students with resources for understanding what it means to be a person of integrity in both personal and professional contexts.  Through conversations with Senior Fellows and faculty, we will discuss habits of thought, work, and behavior that ground our ability to act with integrity in all areas of life. Some questions may include: What does integrity require of us? Is it possible to be the same person — to act in the same way —  at home, in the classroom, and with fellow students and faculty? What is the value of — and challenges to — living with integrity? And how do we practice living honestly, in both private and in public?

We ask that students commit to attending all scheduled events (see below for more details). This program is free for students.

Please reach out to info@binst.org with any questions.

Dates: throughout the Fall 2024 semester

Location: Berkeley Institute (2134 Allston Way, 2nd floor)

  • Session 1: Personal and Professional Integrity

    facilitated by Dr. Dena Fehrenbacher

    Monday, September 30 from 5:30-7:00PM

    What does it mean to have an integrated life? Should we be the same person in our academic work and in our personal life — and if so, how do we do that well? In this first session, our working group will consider definitions of integrity and the unity of life it presumes. In addition to the theoretical, we'll discuss practical ways to think about how our professional or academic work might be productively integrated with the rest of our selves.

  • Session 2: Ceramics Workshop

    at Berkeley Art Studio

    Friday, October 11 from 1-4PM

    In the context of an art studio, we'll explore concepts of unity, wholeness, beauty, integrity and community.

  • Session 3: Truth and Personal Integrity

    facilitated by Prof. Miguel García-Valdecasas

    Monday, October 21 from 5:30-7:00PM

    Honest individuals are characteristically concerned with the truth. That is, they value truth more than they value certain tangible and intangible goods such as wealth, comfort, health, or reputation. They do it because they believe that respect for objective truth ranks higher than many other comparable goods of human life. But why? In what sense is truth always preferable to deceit? How does it lead to integrity? In this session, we'll examine the connection between truthfulness, authenticity, and personal integrity.

  • Session 4: Ethical Dilemmas and Integrity

    facilitated by Dr. Monica Mikhail

    Monday, November 4 from 5:30-7:00PM

    The ability to navigate ethical challenges and uphold integrity demands more of us than we might expect. It is not always easy to identify the right course of action and oftentimes even more difficult to commit to acting with integrity once we know what we ought to do. How can we cultivate the skill to make sound judgments in advance of situations requiring it? In this session, we discuss practical tools and strategies for ethical decision-making and the principles that underpin integrity in various contexts.

  • Session 5: Dinner Conclusion

    Our last session will conclude the conversations of the semester.

    Monday, November 18 from 5:30-7PM