Midwest Ethics Symposium: Work, Productivity, and Meaning

The Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University will host the fifth annual Midwest Ethics Symposium April 13-15, 2027. This year’s theme is: Work, Productivity, and Meaning. The symposium will bring together researchers, professionals, and students to grapple with ethical questions about the future of work, about the value of productivity, and about the ways in which work might contribute to or detract from a meaningful life. 

We especially welcome submissions that fit one of the following three categories:

• Personal Meaning: How does work contribute to or detract from a meaningful life?
• Community Impact: What role does work play in bringing together communities for shared endeavors?
• Societal Impact: If work changes significantly, what does that mean for society and our identities that are often tied to the ability to do needed, useful, productive things?

Attendees and participants of the Midwest Ethics Symposium may also be interested in a Conference on Career Education, which will occur just before the Midwest Ethics Symposium at the Prindle Institute. This practical conference will bring together faculty and career services professionals to learn from each other about how we advise college students to think about their future life of work and about decisions they make in college to influence that future. It is co-hosted by DePauw University and Denison University.