Ethics Retreat

The Global Human Development Program hosts an off-campus Ethics Retreat weekend during the first month of the program. This weekend is designed to introduce a dialogue between the student cohort, faculty, and staff about what ethical dilemmas and situations such as corruption, outsiders looking in, racism and social justice can occur in the field, and what kinds of frameworks can be used to address them.

Many of our students cite the Ethics Retreat as a bonding experience that sets the tone for their peer and faculty interactions throughout the two year program.

“Having a weekend away so early in the program was a great way to get to know our fellow classmates and hear personal stories of field work from our professors.”
– Araba Sapara-Grant, GHD’19

“The Ethics Retreat was the first time we meaningfully came together as a class to answer the bigger questions – why do we do what we do, and how can we do so ethically? That weekend I realized the strength of GHD’s close-knit community and how lucky I was to be surrounded by caring and passionate students and professors.”
– Helen Moser, GHD’15

“Even though all of the students come from such diverse backgrounds, it was incredible to see just how personal international development is to us all.”
– Rebecca Heeb, GHD’19

Development practitioners work to improve the condition of humanity around the globe, and face the ethical quandaries posed by engagement in complex, vibrant, and often unstable environments.