Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics provides additional value to the student experience through new independent course
Ethics in Action is a new, project-based experience offered by the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics. Students take what they’ve learned in foundational ethics classes and explore ethical challenges within industries aligned to their interest areas in a deeper context — moving from theory into practice.
Taught by the Center’s Executive Director Thor Wasbotten, Ethics in Action brought together a small cohort of five students this semester to pilot the new independent study experience.
“These students are the first in what, I hope, will be a future of student engagement with the Center,” Wasbotten said.
The Ethics in Action course focuses on increasing awareness and experience in both ethical leadership and purpose-driven business education.
“My hope is that students are able to build their ‘moral muscle,’ and discover how the industries they want to enter handle ethical dilemmas,” said Wasbotten.
An Interdisciplinary Approach
Ethics doesn’t live in a single discipline, and neither does the Ethics in Action course.
Students across different majors chose various topics for their projects, from how young people build ethical intelligence in social media to examining how nonprofit leadership supports communities in need.
As the inaugural students are progressing through the course and developing their projects, their experience is transforming into a living lab for ethical leadership where they have a hand in shaping the future of the course itself.
In this setting, students don’t just learn from faculty, they learn from one another. A marketing major can gain insight into film industry ethics, while a legal studies student can learn about sustainability through a business lens.
Two of the students from the inaugural cohort, Jet Jurgensmeyer and Katie Kirstenpfad, are doing just that. Take a glimpse into their projects and highlights of their experiences.
A Human Touch in the Age of AI
Jet Jurgensmeyer
Junior legal studies major, music minor
Jurgensmeyer is using his lifelong experience in the film and television industry to explore how artificial intelligence should — and shouldn’t — be used in creative work. His article-based project, AI in Action, is designed to help creators navigate balancing technological innovation with the irreplaceable “human touch” that defines meaningful storytelling.
“There's something so special about having that human touch on a film project or a TV set,” he said. “AI is a great tool, but when people rely on it too much, we risk losing something important.”
Jurgensmeyer’s project reflects the spirit of the course itself: empowering students to apply ethics in real-world contexts and create resources to influence the future long after the class ends.
“You’re not just learning, you’re helping create something for future students,” he said. “We’re laying the groundwork so others can build on it.”
Rethinking Marketing Through Ethics
Katie Kirstenpfad
Sophomore marketing major
Kirstenpfad is developing best practices for how companies market responsibly and consumers identify authentic messaging.
“I wanted to create something practical,” she said. “Something people can actually use, whether that’s understanding marketing as a consumer or doing it more ethically as a professional.”
Relevance is what makes ethics compelling for Kirstenpfad, and the course format is pushing her to think more critically, listen more closely and stay actively involved.
“In class we get to participate in conversations and think deeply about topics that matter in real life,” she said. “No matter where you end up, ethics will always be important. I've experienced an added motivation to participate and learn something new to better myself.”
Shaping the Future of Ethical Leadership
Through the Ethics in Action course, Belmont students are contributing to a growing body of student-driven ethical inquiry and shaping the future how the Kennedy Center for Business Ethics will carry out its mission to create innovative programs and resources that serve the Belmont community as well as businesses and organizations.
All five students will present their individual projects during Belmont’s campus-wide SPARK symposium April 22.
Learn more about the programs in this story.