The Program on Global Ethics and Social Trust is an international project based at Boston College that brings faculty together across disciplinary and institutional boundaries to address the ethical dimensions of urgent global issues and the implications for our academic, political, and religious communities.
Key elements
- Collaboration among predominantly Catholic research universities on five continents
- Interdisciplinary faculty working groups
- International conferences in summer 2024 and 2025
Working Groups
In the Program's initial phase, two working groups of scholars from research universities on five continents will investigate the role of ethics and social trust on two contemporary issues: how education serves at a time of threat to democracy and the problematic of climate refugees.
Featured Members
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Jonathan Laurence
Professor of Political Science and Director of the Clough Center for Constitutional Democracy at Boston CollegeDemocracy, Governance, and Education
“This is an opportunity for an exceptional group of thinkers to focus on the major political task of our generation: preserving democracy for the next generation. The challenge this working group addresses is global, and its members will bring international perspectives to bear on our central questions. I look forward to what our work will reveal about the most effective educational and formative experiences for maintaining resilient democratic systems.”
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Katharine Young
Associate Dean for Faculty and Global Programs, Professor, and Dean’s Distinguished Scholar at Boston College Law School
Climate Change and Migration
“There may be no ethical challenge more immense than that wrought by our changing, and in some places now unlivable, climate. Migration due to environmental degradation or extreme weather events is often forced on the world’s most vulnerable people, who are least responsible. Our Working Group brings together renowned experts from Boston College and across the world to grapple with this profound challenge, and I look forward to the insights that will come in bridging the environmental and earth sciences, ethics, human rights, social work and law.”
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M. Cathleen Kaveny
Darald and Juliet Libby Millennium Professor at Boston College Theology Department and Law SchoolDemocracy, Governance, and Education
“Recent Gallup polls show that Americans' approval of the U.S. Supreme Court is at an all-time low. Many people simply do not respect or trust the highest court in the land, which is the institutional embodiment of the rule of law in our democratic republic. As a law professor and ethicist, this phenomenon deeply concerns me. I am looking forward to exploring this and other problems with my colleagues in the working group on "Democracy, Governance, and Education," under the able leadership of Jonathan Laurence.”
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Linda Hogan
Chair of Ecumenics, School of Religion, Theology and Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin
Democracy, Governance, and Education
“I would like to see our future work as also being focused on asking what a redeemed politics might look like, and from this to give an account of what education, especially our different disciplines, can bring to the task of building a redeemed politics.”
Events
International Symposium on Forced Migration and Climate Justice
Christ University, Bangalore & Boston College
March 4 & 6, 2025
In collaboration with the Boston College Program on Global Ethics and Social Trust Working Group on Climate Change and Migration, the School of Law at Christ University, Bangalore, hosted two symposia on “Forced Migration and Climate Justice” in March 2025, providing a platform for global discourse on the critical nexus between climate change and forced migration.
Climate Change and Migration Working Group members Vidya Ann Jacob of Christ University and Maryanne Loughry, Noah Snyder, and Andrea Vinici, SJ of Boston College participated in each symposia, one of which was held in Kerala at the Christ University Nodal Office on March 4th, and the other at the Christ University Central Campus in Bangalore on March 6th.
The event aimed to foster interdisciplinary dialogues and inspire actionable solutions regarding climate migration through awareness, advocacy, and policy reform, reflecting both Christ University’s and Boston College's commitments to addressing global challenges.
The symposium featured panel and paper presentations showcasing the interdisciplinary efforts of both universities to address the intersections of climate change, migration, and vulnerability:
- The New Normal: Examining weather extremes and their impact on communities
- Psychological Impacts of Forced Migration: Highlighting mental health challenges faced by displaced populations.
- Emerging Legal Frameworks: Evaluating current laws and proposing reforms for climate migrant protection.
- Ethics of Climate Migration: Discussing moral imperatives for justice and equitable solutions.
Trivandrum Brochure: International Symposium on Forced Migration and Climate Justice (click to download)
Bangalore Brochure: International Symposium on Forced Migration and Climate Justice (click to download)
News
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