This weekend students from across the nation will gather at DePauw for the sixth annual Undergraduate Ethics Symposium.
The process begins in October, when the Prindle Institute of Ethics sends out a call to professors, not only at DePauw, but at other universities as well, for both analytical and creative pieces on any ethical matter, which are due by the end of January.
From the 80 to 100 applicants, only about 24 students are invited to come to campus for the three day symposium, which makes the selection process very competitive.
"It's judged blind, so the DePauw students get no advantage over students from other universities," Bob Steele, director of the Janet Prindle Institute of Ethics, said.
Yet, even with the blind judging, approximately four or five DePauw students end up being invited to the symposium, and despite DePauw students being the majority of those invited, the symposium still draws students from across the nation. For the students who have to travel to DePauw, their travel expenses, meals and stay in the Inn at DePauw are covered by the benefactors of the symposium. They also cover the costs of bringing the scholars to campus.
For the first four symposiums, Charles and Anne Hillman were the benefactors. Starting this year and and for the next two years, the symposiums will be funded by Robert and Barbara Wells '66.
Steele estimates that, throughout the short history of the symposium, they have seen students from approximately 30 states, from public, private and Ivy League institutions alike. Some of the notable universities from last year include: Lake Forest College, Duke University, Iowa State University, Harvard University, Pepperdine University, Colorado College, University of Utah and University of Minnesota.
While Steele is the administrator for the symposium, philosophy professor Claudia Mills is the coordinator for this year's symposium.
Approximately three fourths of the applications submitted are analytical pieces, while one fourth are creative pieces including documentaries, poems, short stories and plays.
"We've even had a couple submissions in dance," Steele said. "Our belief is that the exploration of ethics should come from a number of different entry points."
Although the general topic for the symposium this year is environmental ethics, only about a half of the submissions are on the yearly topic. The remaining half is on any ethical issue.
"There usually are not enough undergraduates around the country who are necessarily focusing specifically on one topic," Steele said.
At least one of the three scholars speaking for the symposium typically specializes in the topic for the symposium, and one of them has a creative background. This year, the symposium will include Chris Cuomo from the University of Georgia, Robert Figueroa from the University of North Texas and Maurice Manning, a former professor of English at DePauw who is currently a professor at Transylvania University. These lectures are open to the entire campus.
"In many ways, this is the same kind of a conference that graduate students or faculty members from across the country would attend," Steele said.
According to professor Jeff Dunn, opportunities for this type of conference for students are rare but important.
"Instead of having the work you do in a class be the end of it once you turn it in, it's the idea that it's part of the process of leading to something bigger," Dunn said.
According to Dunn, this allows conversation on the student's work outside of his or her class, and quite possibly his or her university as well. As a result, these types of undergraduate conferences, although still rare, have grown in popularity.
Erik Wielenberg, professor of philosophy and philosophy department chair, will also be one of the seminar leaders. His main role throughout the symposium will be as one of the seminar leaders that will be leading a workshop with the papers. This workshop will consist of two sessions where he will work alongside some of the students attending the symposium to better their papers.
"One of the more exciting and stimulating things," Wielenberg, "is when you get to share your work with people outside of your class and outside of your university."
"Rather than just a professor reading their work and grading it, its being evaluated and discussed more widely in a more public fashion."