Ethics Bowl

What is the Ethics Bowl?

The University of Detroit Mercy Ethics Bowl is an undergraduate competition inspired by TV's College Bowl, but modified rules adapt the game to the subject of ethics. In Ethics Bowl, a moderator poses questions to teams of three to five students. Questions may address ethical dilemmas regarding:

• classroom topics (e.g., cheating or plagiarism),
• personal matters (e.g., dating or friendship),
• professional ethics (e.g., in engineering, law, medicine), or
• social and political issues (e.g., free speech, gun control, etc.).

Each team receives a set of cases in advance of the competition, and questions posed to teams at the competition are taken from that set. A panel of judges rates answers in terms of intelligibility, focus, depth and judgment. No specialized knowledge in ethical theory is required to compete in or judge an Ethics Bowl.

Why Should I Compete in the Ethics Bowl?

The competition draws participants from every part of the University. Many students who initially compete for extra credit in a course are surprised at how much they enjoy Ethics Bowl, and often enthusiastically return to compete in subsequent years. Judges and moderators are drawn from faculty, staff, administration and alumni, many of whom return every year. In addition, the first-place team has the honor of representing University of Detroit Mercy at a regional Ethics Bowl and may go on to compete in the national Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, which takes place at the annual meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics in February.

When is the Ethics Bowl?

How Do I Compete in the Ethics Bowl?

• FIRST, form a team of three to five members.
• SECOND, submit an Ethics Bowl Team Registration Form.
• THIRD, download the Detroit Mercy Ethics Bowl Rules.
  
• FOURTH, watch the Detroit Mercy Ethics Bowl Informational Video.
• FIFTH, download the Ethics Bowl Cases

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