Faculty of Arts

Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics

The Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics (CPAE) at the University of Manitoba promotes research and discussion on a wide range of ethical, social, political and legal issues. The centre sponsors public talks and forums which foster free and open debate on topics of interest to academics, students and the public.

Close up of one hand reaching out to help another with the sky in the background and the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics logo.

Upcoming events

  • Democracy in Peril: A Way Forward Against Authoritarianism

    We live at a unique, and dangerous, time in modern history. Democracy is in retreat around the world, and authoritarian leaders are on the rise. There is an urgent need to understand what is happening – and also to find hope for a way forward. Democracy in Peril will bring the world’s leading thinkers on authoritarianism to Winnipeg for a series of public lectures at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The series will offer a diagnosis of our current situation, and move towards action for the future.

  • Marci Shore, University of Toronto
    "What's Living and Dead in Fascism?: Thoughts from a Post-truth World"

    Thursday, April 16, 2026
    Doors open 6:30 p.m. 
    Keynote 7:00 p.m. 
    Audience Q&A 8:30 p.m.
    Program ends 9:00 p.m.
    Buhler Hall, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, 85 Israel Asper Way
    Talk is free. All are welcome.

    Register for this event

  • Headshot of Marci Shore.

Learn more about the topic and Dr. Shore

The last chapter of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is set long after the totalitarian hell described by The Handmaid in her diary has passed; now historians sit in a room discussing the source text. They are professional, appropriately self-reflective: “We must be cautious about passing moral judgment, surely we have learned by now that such judgments are of necessity culture-specific.” Everything is correct, even banal—and yet the scholarly detachment feels disconcerting. In the years after 1989 and the fall of communism, being a historian of Eastern Europe often felt like finding oneself in the last chapter of The Handmaid’s Tale. In November 2024, in the final days before the American presidential elections, a new political ad appeared; it was aimed at women who might be persuaded to vote for Kamala Harris if this could be concealed from their husbands. The ads pictured couples arriving at the polls, women smiling reassuringly at their men, going into the polling station, then exchanging silent glances with other women. They would mark their ballots for Kamala. Their husbands would never know. The subtext was violence; these were women who were afraid of their partners, yet had found a way to resist. It was a scene right out of the underground in the Republic of Gilead. Now we are no longer in the last chapter of The Handmaid’s Tale—now we are thick in the middle of the plot—with some new postmodern twists.

Marci Shore began a position as Chair in European Intellectual History at the Munk School at the University of Toronto in 2025. She was previously professor of history at Yale University; she is also a regular visiting fellow at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna. In spring 2025 she guest curated, together with Oksana Forostyna, the Kyiv Book Arsenal with the theme “Everything is Translation.” She is the translator of Michał Głowiński's The Black Seasons and the author of Caviar and Ashes: A Warsaw Generation's Life and Death in Marxism, 1918-1968, The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe. A new edition of her book, The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution, was published in 2024. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship for her forthcoming book about phenomenology in East-Central Europe In Pursuit of a Certain Truth: The Lives and Loves of a Central European Idea.
 

  • Jason Stanley, University of Toronto
    "Preserving Canadian Democracy"

    Wednesday, April 29, 2026
    7:00 p.m.
    Buhler Hall, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, 85 Israel Asper Way
    Talk is free. All are welcome.

    Registration for this event coming soon

  • Headshot of Jason Stanley.

Learn more about the topic and Dr. Stanley

No democracy is completely safe from the fascist forces ravaging the world today. Canada is even more imperiled because its neighbour has fallen.

Formerly a Professor of Philosophy at Yale before leaving the US in 2024, Jason Stanley is now the Bissell-Heyd Chair in American studies in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. The descendant of Holocaust survivors and a leading expert of authoritarianism, Jason has dedicated his life’s work to studying the ideologies and structures that enable and conceal injustice. His essential bestseller, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, identifies the ten pillars of fascist politics and their enduring prevalence in society today. His most recent book, Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future covers authoritarian attacks on education worldwide and the university's role in protecting democracy.

Who we are

Photo of 3 men in close conversation.

Directors

Neil McArthur
Director
Professor, Department of Philosophy

Sarah Hannan
Associate Director
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Studies

R.J. Leland
Associate Director
Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy

Arthur Schafer
Founding Director
Professor, Department of Philosophy

Advisory Board

Neil McArthur
Department of Philosophy; Director, CPAE

Arthur Schafer
Department of Philosophy; Founding Director, CPAE

Sarah Hannan
Department of Political Studies; Associate Director, CPAE

R.J. Leland
Department of Philosophy; Associate Director, CPAE

Kathleen Buddle, Department of Anthropology

Dimitrios Dentsoras, Department of Philosophy

Nancy Kang, Women's and Gender Studies Program

Simone Mahrenholz, Department of Philosophy

Rhonda Martens, Department of Philosophy

Sarah Teetzel, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management

Associates

David Alper, Faculty of Social Work, St. Boniface University

Brenda Austin-Smith, Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media

Benita Cohen, Faculty of Nursing

David Churchill, Department of History

Jerome Cranston, Faculty of Education

Peter Denton, Department of History, Royal Military College of Canada

Dimitrios Dentsoras, Department of Philosophy

Bruno Dyck, Faculty of Management

Royce Koop, Department of Political Studies

Lisa Landrum, Faculty of Architecture

R.J. Leland, Department of Philosophy

Orly Linovsky, Department of City Planning, Faculty of Architecture

Erik Magnusson, Department of Political Studies

Kenneth McKendrick, Department of Religion

Dana Medoro, Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media

Adam Muller, Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media

Rob Shaver, Department of Philosophy

Sarah Teetzel, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management

David Watt, Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media

Media

The Centre’s members draw from both the Philosophy and Politics departments, and possess expertise on a wide range of ethical, political and social issues. They are happy to speak with members of the media, both on background and to provide comment for publication or on air.

If you would like to speak to someone from the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics regarding media opportunities, please contact Director, Neil McArthur at neil.mcarthur@umanitoba.ca.

Fellowships

The Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics offers graduate and research fellowships to students and academics and encourages applicants from all fields to apply.

Deadline for applications is annually on March 15 for the coming academic year.

Ethics Research Fellowship (for faculty)

The Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics invites applications for its annual Ethics Research Fellowship. The fellowship is open to UM faculty and instructors at any rank (UMFA or non-UMFA), and we encourage applications from researchers in all fields. The fellowship aims to support research in the field of ethics. It also aims to encourage researchers in other fields to consider the ethical implications of their work, to integrate ethics into their research practices, and to promote understanding of ethics as it relates to their areas of study.

Successful applicants will be appointed as Research Associates of the centre. They will be granted release time stipends for three credit hours of teaching or the equivalent. Alternatively, the applicant may, instead of the stipend, choose to apply for financial support of up to $6,000. In that case, a draft budget will be required, detailing how the grant money would be spent. At some point following the conclusion of the fellowship period, recipients will be asked to present their research findings at a public lecture sponsored by the centre. A final written report describing the outcome of the research must be submitted within two months of the end of the term of the fellowship.

The choice of the successful applicants will be based upon the qualifications and publication record of the applicant and the significance of the proposed research.

Applicants must submit a research proposal of not more than 500 words. The proposal should indicate the nature and significance of the topic, the applicant’s qualifications for addressing the topic and the type of publications expected to result from the research. They should also submit a curriculum vitae.

If the applicant is applying for release from teaching, they must also obtain a letter from the head of their department, indicating that the department is willing to reduce the applicant’s normal teaching load in return for stipendiary replacement funds. Alternatively, the applicant may arrange for the department head to contact the Director via email to provide the necessary assurance.

Previous fellowship winners are eligible to apply. However, priority will generally be given to applicants who have not previously held fellowships.

Applications, and all supporting material, must be submitted electronically no later than March 15 to:

Professor Neil McArthur
Director
Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics
Neil.McArthur@umanitoba.ca

Ethics Graduate Fellowship

The Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics invites applications for its Ethics Graduate Fellowship. The fellowship is open to UM graduate students, at any stage of their programme, and we encourage applications from students in all fields. The fellowship aims to support graduate students who research in the field of ethics. It also aims to encourage students in other fields to consider the ethical implications of their work, to integrate ethics into their research, and to promote understanding of ethics as it relates to their areas of study. Two fellowships will be awarded.

Successful applicants will be granted a $4,000 stipend.

The choice of the successful applicants will be based upon the qualifications and publication record of the applicant and the significance of the proposed research.

Applicants must submit a research proposal of not more than 500 words that indicates the nature and significance of the topic specifically as it relates to ethics, the applicant's qualifications for addressing the topic and the contribution the project will make to the student's overall research progress. They should also submit a curriculum vitae. Applications are judged by their contribution to the field of ethics broadly considered (including social and political theory).

Applications, and all supporting material, must be submitted electronically no later than March 15 to:

Professor Neil McArthur
Director
Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics
Neil.McArthur@umanitoba.ca

2025 Fellowship Recipients

Michayla Carlson, Masters' student, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, UM

Alhassan Meriga Ishaq, Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) student, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, UM

Jennifer Hedges, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work, UM

Read more about 2023 Graduate Fellow Nabil Iqbal's research in UM Today

Read more about 2022 Graduate Fellow Dimitar Tomovski's experience in UM Today

The Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics has a mandate to promote interdisciplinary research on applied ethics in all areas of practical and professional life. Funding for these research fellowships is provided by the Imperial Oil Ethics Endowment Fund.

Blue graphic with text: Funding opportunity. Conducting research in ethics? Or, thinking about how ethics integrates into your research? Become a fellow at the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics.

Community and outreach

Glassen High School Ethics Essay Competition

Each year, The Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics and the Department of Philosophy sponsor the Glassen High School Ethics Essay Competition. The contest is open to all Grade 11 and Grade 12 students in Manitoba and the writer of the winning essay receives a $1,000 award.

The 2026 competition is now open. Submission deadline is May 15, 2026. Competition theme is "Given the risk of concussions and other serious injuries, should we forbid children and teenagers from playing contact sports such as hockey and football?"

Eligibility

The contest is open to all Manitoba high school students who are registered in grade 11 or 12 at the time of the contest deadline.

Essay requirements

The essay is to be a maximum of 1000 words, in English, typed and double spaced, with normal margins.

Title page content and essay footnotes are NOT included in the word count.

Do NOT include a header within the essay that contains the student's name or school name.

Include the following information in the body of the submission email: the student's name, contact information, school name, name of the sponsoring teacher and essay word count.

Pages of the essay must be numbered.

Essays must consist of original work by the student. Students may consult other sources, but any references to another author's work must be credited with full citations and footnoted.

Essays that are not on topic, that fail to answer the essay question or that violate the above stated requirements will not be considered.

Submission

Essays must be submitted to glassencontest@gmail.com using an email subject line of "ETHICS ESSAY - <student name>" by 11:59 pm CT on the contest deadline. Confirmation will be sent back to applicants upon successful submission. Entries received after this date will not be considered for the competition.

Each contestant may submit only one entry.

Include the following information in the body of the submission email: the student's name, contact information, school name, name of the sponsoring teacher and essay word count.

Essays will be judged according to the quality, depth and originality of the thoughts expressed, the organization of its ideas, and clarity of its expression. The most important component of a good philosophical essay is that it is fair-minded and shows the writer's ability both to consider the other side of the issue, and to anticipate and respond to criticisms of their position.

Helpful tips to write a good essay (PDF)

Competition sponsored by:

The Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics, UM
Department of Philosophy, UM
The Glassen Endowment Fund

 

  • Kids playing tackle football

If you require a document in this section in an alternate format, please submit a request to neil.mcarthur@umanitoba.ca. Please note that documents owned or created by external partners outside of the University of Manitoba are the responsibility of the external individual or organization.

Past Glassen Essay Competition winners

Manitoba High School Ethics Bowl

The Ethics Bowl is a competitive event for students in grades 11 and 12 from across Manitoba. Students are given case studies that present ethical issues and must craft a response by looking at all sides of the question. Though it is similar in some ways to a debate competition, it is meant to provide a positive alternative to debates. It prioritizes careful argument, understanding and collaboration over confrontation. The Bowl encourages deeper critical thinking by examining Canadian and international issues, with the aim of finding the best solution possible. Winners of the Manitoba competition move on to the National Ethics Bowl.

This event is co-hosted annually with the Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties. 

 

  • Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties logo

The 11th annual Manitoba High School Ethics Bowl

February 14-15, 2025
University of Manitoba

1st place: École secondaire Kelvin High School

Student resources and opportunities

Philosophy and Ethics Centre Student Associations (UM PSA&ECSA)

The Philosophy and Ethics Centre student associations work together to present activities and information and help to connect students with the Department of Philosophy. They offer talks, movie nights, a summer reading group and an annual student conference.

Follow UM PSA & ECSA on Instagram

Follow UM PSA & ECSA on Facebook

Courses on ethics and politics

Our directors and associates teach classes covering ethics and politics topics at the undergraduate and graduate levels primarily through the departments of philosophy and political studies but also in areas such as religion, health sciences, English, history and architecture. Consult the course schedules of these departments and faculties for details on specific classes.

View the Academic Calendar

Research

Headshot of Dr. Neil McArthur standing against a wall.

Neil McArthur

Professor McArthur writes and comments on a variety of ethical issues. His current research focuses on sexual ethics and on philosophy and sexuality. He is particularly interested in the intersection of sex and technology. He is also interested in LGBTQ issues, alternative sexual identities, and issues relating to the rights of sexual minorities. He is the author of the book The Ethics of Sex (Routledge, 2022) and co-editor (with John Danaher) of Robot Sex: Social, Legal and Ethical Perspectives (MIT Press, 2017). His work on digisexuality has been frequently discussed in the media, and he was recently profiled in the cover story of the May 2022 issue of Harper’s Magazine: “Ghosting the Machine: Robots, Virtual Reality, and the Future of Sex.”
https://neilmcarthur.com/
Headshot of Sarah Hannan standing outside.

Sarah Hannan

Sarah Hannan is an Assistant Professor in Political Studies and also currently holds a visiting position at the Australian National University, School of Philosophy, Research School of Social Sciences. She earned her DPhil from Oxford University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Ethics In Society.
Sarah primarily works in contemporary moral and political philosophy. She is currently focusing on the morality of procreation and parenting, and has published on the topic in Theory and Research In Education. She also co-edited Permissible Progeny?: The Morality of Procreation and Parenting (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015). Some of her other research interests include: autonomy, bioethics, and philosophy of education.
RJ Leland speaking at a panel event.

R.J. Leland

Dr. Leland’s research is in political philosophy and ethics, in particular, how equality puts moral and political constraints on various types of special relationships.
He wrote a dissertation on how political liberalism tries to render the value of political community compatible with moral, philosophical, and religious diversity and is developing the ideas in a series of papers. He is also interested in the morality of bearing and rearing children, and in ethical questions surrounding discrimination (especially discrimination in "personal" spheres like sex and romance).
Headshot of Dr. Arthur Schafer in front of dark blue background.

Arthur Schafer

Arthur Schafer’s current research is focused primarily in the fields of bioethics, though he also publishes in moral/social/political philosophy. He has written extensively on biomedical conflicts of interest and other problems related to the ethics of research on human subjects. His list of publications includes articles on privacy, freedom of expression, prisoners’ right to vote and the allocation of scarce medical resources.

He is author of The Buck Stops Here: Reflections on moral responsibility, democratic accountability and military values, and co-editor of Ethics and Animal Experimentation. He is also co-editor of Fragile Freedoms: The Global Struggle for Human Rights.
Headshot of Dr. Neil McArthur standing against a wall.
Headshot of Sarah Hannan standing outside.
RJ Leland speaking at a panel event.
Headshot of Dr. Arthur Schafer in front of dark blue background.

Donations

CPAE gratefully accepts donations from individuals, corporations and other organizations which help support its vision, goals and objectives. Donors will receive a receipt for income tax purposes.

Complete the form at the link below. In the "Direct my gift to" field, choose "Enter a fund name". In the "Enter a fund name" field, type "Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics".

Donate to CPAE

For more information on making a donation to CPAE, please contact donor.relations@umanitoba.ca.

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Contact us

Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics
352 University College
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

neil.mcarthur@umanitoba.ca