School of Communication

Sandra Borden

Sandra Borden
Professor of Communication
Office: (269) 387-0362
Location:
325 Sprau Tower, Mail Stop 5318
Mailing address:
School of Communication
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5318 USA
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Office hours:

Dr. Borden is on sabbatical during the 2026-27 academic year.
 

Education:
  • Ph.D., Mass Communications, Indiana University, 1997
  • M.A., Journalism, The Ohio State University
  • B.J., Journalism, The University of Missouri
Teaching Interests:
  • Communication ethics
  • Media criticism
  • Freedom of expression
Research Interests:
  • Journalism ethics theory
  • Virtue ethics
  • Comparative media ethics
Bio:

Dr. Sandra L. Borden is a Professor in the School of Communication and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University. Her work has been published in several scholarly books and journals, including:

  • Journal of Media Ethics
  • Communication Monographs
  • Communication Theory
  • Journalism: Theory, Practice, and Criticism
  • Communication and Media Ethics
  • A Philosophical Approach to Journalism Ethics
  • Ethics in Intercultural Communication
  • The Handbook of Mass Media Ethics
  • International Journal of Applied Philosophy
  • Teaching Ethics

Borden's book, Journalism as Practice: MacIntyre, Virtue Ethics and the Press (2007, Ashgate; 2010, Routledge) won the 2008 Clifford G. Christians Ethics Research Award and the National Communication Association’s 2008 top book award in applied ethics. Her other books are:

  • Ethics and Entertainment: Essays on Media Culture and Media Morality (co-edited with Howard Good, 2010, McFarland).
  • Making Hard Choices in Journalism Ethics (written with David Boeyink, 2010, Routledge).
  • Ethics and Error in Medicine (co-edited with Fritz Allhoff, 2019, Routledge).
  • The Routledge Companion to Media and Poverty (2022).
  • Media Challenges to Digital Flourishing (reprint of special issue of the Journal of Media Ethics, volume 38, issue 4, 2023) (2025, Routledge).

Dr. Borden is the former director of WMU’s Center for the Study of Ethics in Society and former faculty sponsor for the university’s Ethics Bowl team. She has held elected offices in the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum, the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Media Ethics.

Dr. Borden has received several honors, including:

  • U.S. State Department Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to Spain hosted by the University of Navarra in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
  • 2019 College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Achievement Award in Professional and Community Service.
  • 2010 College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research and Creative Activities. 
Curriculum vitae