Ethics Center > Courses

Phil 281: The Evolution of Institutional Values: Lake Forest College, 1857-2007
The course is a collaborative research project, designed to describe, interpret, and assess the changes concerning its vision and mission that Lake Forest College has undergone since its inception. Students will examine a number of dimensions, from Lake Forest College records to accounts of the broader social environment, from examining official documents to interviewing members of the College community, from piecing together what happened at the College to searching for the causes and implications of events.  The goal will be to develop a report and web materials that capture some of the values debates and transitions that mark the College’s first 150 years.

Participation is by invitation only.  Interested students should contact Lou Lombardi, x5187 or 847-735-5187.  Students are expected to devote 5 hours per week to the project.   Much work will be done individually or in small groups, and students will be expected to schedule and budget their time effectively.  The group will meet regularly, to share information and insights.

General Areas to Explore
The project will begin with four broad areas for research.  For each area, there are two aspects to consider: (1) what happened at Lake Forest College and (2) what was happening in the larger community.  Our ultimate goal will be to unite these elements.

  1. The evolution of the College itself: Lake Forest was founded as a rather insular Presbyterian school training Christian men; how did it become a co-ed liberal arts college with an international focus?
  2. The evolution of the vision of the liberal arts (nationally and at Lake Forest): We have seen, for example, the expansion of subject areas to include Business and Communication as well multicultural studies.  At another level, alternative approaches to teaching are evident, with experiential as well as classroom options now common.
  3. The evolution of academic values, for example, with the emergence of a commitment to academic freedom and settled standards for academic research:  Our current standards of academic honesty have themselves evolved.  How and why did this occur?
  4. The relationship of the College to broader social movements (e.g., slavery, civil rights, women's rights, and now gay rights and immigrant rights):  The issues here can be conceived broadly in terms of social equality, which raise issues of religion, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and economic differences. 

Likely Types of Research and Presentations of Results
Each participant  will bring unique experiences, skills, and insights to the project, and we will seek to utilize each student’s particular talents

Expected Research Sources
Traditional journals and books
Archive materials
Web sources
Government documents
Interviews
Pictures, video, and audio sources

Expected Modes of Presentation
Written materials, both detailing the story of our values evolution and interpreting and assessing it
Oral presentations and panels highlighting specific aspects of the evolution
Web pages, combining written materials as well as pictures, audio, and video sources


Preliminary Report of Research Conducted in 2006-07 (pdf)