Detroit Mercy’s 21st annual Ethics Bowl for all undergraduate students will be held on Friday, Oct. 11, from 12-4 p.m. The Ethics Bowl is a competition inspired by TV’s College Bowl, but modified rules adapt the game to the subject of ethics. The competition is a campus-wide event at the University, which involves students, staff, alumni, faculty and administrators alike.
At the 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)
- Social and political issues (e.g., free speech, gun control, etc.)
Many students 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 as well. 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.
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.
For more information or to sign up to be a judge, contact Professor Martin G. Leever at 313-993-1135 or ethicsbowl@udmercy.edu or check out the website.
Register your team here!
