“The ethics of intellectual property rights in a wired world” will be the topic of discussion at Coastal Carolina University’s Tea and Ethics session set for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22 in the Recital Hall of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

This discussion will be led by Dylan Wittkower, lecturer of philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Barbara Burd, dean of library services. Participants will focus on these questions and others: What are intellectual property rights? Is it legal or moral to copy and share digital files? and Who sets the limitations for copyright activities? Wittkower and Burd will discuss the moral basis of intellectual property rights and copyright legislation in our digital age.

Wittkower earned a Ph.D in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Before accepting his position at Coastal Carolina University, he taught at Sweet Briar College, Virginia Tech, the University of Missouri, St. Louis and the University of Maine, Orono. Wittkower’s research has primarily concentrated on issues of technology and political philosophy.

Burd earned a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree from the State University of New York, Albany, and a Ph.D in leadership studies from Regent University. Her areas of expertise include culture and change in academic libraries, assessment, using technology in libraries, and information literacy.

The discussion is sponsored by the University's Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values. The purpose of the center is to cultivate and promote awareness in the community of the importance of personal and professional integrity. For more information, contact the center director, Claudia McCollough, at 843-349-2440.