COMPAS: Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society

The COMPAS theme for 2023-2024 is COMPAS Directions: A Decade of Ethical Exploration


COMPAS (Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society) consists of a year-long series of interdisciplinary events on a controversial topic of public concern. The COMPAS program aims to model civil and informed discussion of core ethical challenges in a way that universities are uniquely positioned to promote. 

The COMPAS program consists of a series of conferences, colloquia, and other events aimed at promoting critical reflection and respectful debate on the COMPAS theme. In addition to featuring public leaders and distinguished scholars from many universities. Over the years, COMPAS has partnered with dozens of departments, units, and university programs.

Previous COMPAS topics include Immigration (2011-12), Public/Private (2013-14), Sustainability (2015-16), Inequality (2016-17), Religion in Public Life (2017-18), Technology (2018-19), What Is America? (2019-20), COVID-19 (2020-21), Markets and the Open Society (2021-2022), and Education in Our Democracy (2022-2023).