Teams of undergraduate students from across the region will gather at UCCS on Saturday, Nov. 12 to discuss ethical issues related to some of today’s most pressing issues as part of the Rocky Mountain Regional Ethics Bowl. More than 200 teams will compete across the country in a dozen regionals that will be held over the next few months, and collectively they’ll send 36 teams to a national competition next spring—called the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.
In an ethics bowl competition, teams deliberate real-life ethical dilemmas posed in a set of cases that they receive months in advance. This year’s cases include issues around animal rights, sports performance enhancing drugs, social media freedom of speech, and punishment for Emmett Till’s accuser. Judges ask probing questions and evaluate the teams’ efforts to analyze the case’s issues in a clear, focused and thoughtful manner, and help students understand and appreciate perspectives different from their own.
“Unlike debate, in ethics bowl, teams are not assigned ‘pro’ and ‘con’ sides of an ethical issue,” said Jennifer Kling, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and UCCS Ethics Bowl team coach. “Each team’s goal is to identify the various ethical considerations, analyze the importance of those and engage in civil discourse with another team that might expand the conversation based on its position or oppose it. Like in life, the cases are complex, difficult to resolve, and sometimes polarizing. Our goal with the ethics bowl is to help students see the value of continuing to engage with others despite difference, to understand more about views that differ from their own, and to help students think of collaborative solutions to solve societal problems.”
This year’s competition will be held from 9 a.m. at UCCS, in the University Center. Spectators are welcome to attend. Rounds will go to 5:30 p.m.
If you are interested in volunteering to help out with the competition, please contact Jennifer Kling at [email protected]. The competition is seeking judges and moderators.
The 36 teams that receive a bid to move on will be announced in early December and will compete in the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl® March 4-5, 2023 in Portland, Oregon.
For more information, visit appeieb.org.