A UNC Charlotte team won third place in the nation in the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition on Feb. 22 in a contest designed to consider complex, contemporary ethical issues.
Teams from over 100 universities and colleges had competed in regional competitions earlier this year, and 32 regional finalist teams from those contests came together for the national event in Costa Mesa, California. This is the highest a UNC Charlotte team has ever placed.
The competition was held during the annual meeting for the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. The top two teams were from Taylor University and Whitworth University.
UNC Charlotte’s team consisted of Ashley Williams, Lloyd Wymore, Jerry Butler, Michael Haag, Carston Allen and Derek Creason, all philosophy majors or double majors.
Team Draws From Theory, Life Experiences
“Our favorite cases were the ones about capitalism, patriarchy, and issues with the distribution of wealth in our society,” team co-captain Williams said. “We studied every inch of the cases so that we would be prepared for any question the judges asked. We felt like the national cases were more about problem solving than using good ethics, but even with that, we managed to go with our gut in terms of applying ethical theories and using examples from our own lives or things we’ve experienced in our communities.”
The team used work from critical theorists to support solutions and arguments, in addition to pulling from their community-based experiences.
“I firmly believe that every profession seeks people who are articulate and who can think on their feet,” said team advisor and philosophy instructor Beth Mason. “Ethics Bowl participation provides that, along with valuable experiences that bring out the best thinking and work habits in students. I’m proud to see these hard-chargers recognized for all their hard work and effort that extended far beyond our class meeting times.”
Department, Ethics Center Lend Support
The Department of Philosophy and the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics provided the team with resources. Along with coaching from Mason, team members often met with professors to seek their professional input on the arguments they constructed.
At the competitions, the teams argue and defend their moral assessment of some of the most troubling and complex ethical issues facing society today. Prior to the competition, each team receives summaries of cases that raise ethical issues. At the event, they answer questions about the cases and are judged on their answers.
The competition focuses on selected cases developed by APPE ethics faculty, researchers, and professionals and covers a wide range of disciplines including business, engineering, journalism, law, medicine, and social work. In the competitions, students demonstrate their ability to understand the facts of the case, articulate the ethical principles involved in the case, present an effective argument on how the case should be resolved, and respond effectively to challenges put forth by the opposing team as well as the panel of expert judges.
Words: Lynn Roberson, CLAS Communications Director
Images: Courtesy of Ethics Team
