Moral Reflection and the Public University

Three Stories from Literary Theory

A Dinner Talk with Dr. Dena Fehrenbacher

We aren’t in the habit of talking about moral reflection in the context of the public university – and there are plenty of reasons why it would be extraneous, problematic, or logistically difficult to do so. At the same time, intellectual life and, indeed, any disciplinary subject does not exist in a vacuum; to study any subject is to confront moral questions about what is worth knowing and why, values that shape our methods, and who one is becoming in relation to the work itself.

This talk will explore how the task of moral reflection and formation might ultimately rest on students and scholars themselves. To this end, this talk will discuss some points of reflection that students and scholars across disciplines might ask in relation to their academic work if we are to take seriously the moral life in the context of the university. We’ll draw examples of this reflection from varied and sometimes unexpected sources, including literary and cultural theory. Additionally, this talk will crowdsource from the wisdom of the Berkeley Institute community, inviting participants to contribute their own ideas: what additional questions should we be asking ourselves if we are to do work that we understand as good?

This event is open to students, recent graduates, BINST alumni, and faculty. Dinner will be provided. RSVP is required.

Date: Monday, March 2, 2026

Time: 5:30PM - 6:45PM

Location: Berkeley Institute (2134 Allston Way, 2nd floor)