That same year, he entered the University of Chicago where he became a doctoral student in philosophy under the direction of George Herbert Mead.
[4] Viewing semiotics as a way to bridge philosophical outlooks, Morris grounded his sign theory in Mead's social behaviorism.
[5] Morris's system of signs emphasizes the role of stimulus and response in the orientation, manipulation, and consummation phases of action.
Among the vast Morris collection at the IAT are 381 titles of books and journal articles regarding pragmatism, logical empiricism, poetry, ethics, and Asian studies.
While on sabbatical from the University of Chicago in 1934, Morris traveled abroad, visiting Europe and meeting working philosophers such as Bertrand Russell and members of the Vienna Circle, like Rudolf Carnap, Otto Neurath, and Moritz Schlick.
While presenting a paper in Prague at the Eighth International Congress of Philosophy, he discussed his hopes for a union of pragmatism and positivism.
[3] Sympathetic to the positivist's philosophical project, Morris became the most vocal advocate in the United States for Otto Neurath's "Unity of Science Movement".
During the 1930s, Morris helped several German and Austrian philosophers emigrate to the United States, including Rudolf Carnap in 1936.