Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl

The OU Ethics Bowl had two teams compete at the Oklahoma State Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl. Vignesh Anand, Demetri Davis, Jimin Kim, and Elijah Padden placed 4th. Jessica Kinsey, Victor Lu, and Rohit Nair placed 5th. They will compete as one team at the Texas Regional Ethics Bowl in San Antonia, TX in November. Their aim is to do well enough to earn a spot in the National competition in Spring.

What is Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl?

The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl is a debate competition sponsored by the Association for Practical and Applied Ethics. Ethics Bowl events center around discussing complex and pressing moral questions based on contemporary case examples. Unlike traditional debate, teams are not judged on the basis of oration; rather, students are evaluated only on their ability to present arguments that thoughtfully and thoroughly engage with the cases and the other teams’ arguments. Teams do not bring pre-written materials and generally remain seated with their team for the discussion; this tends to produce a casual and friendly environment during competition. There are two fall competitions—one at state, the other at regionals. Teams that place highly at the regional event win an invitation to travel to nationals to compete in the spring. 

The OU ethics bowl team meets once each week to talk through cases and prepare for competition. Discussing contemporary moral issues with your peers is the central activity of every practice. No prior experience with debate, ethics, or even philosophy is required. Students who join ethics bowl will learn how to think through tricky moral questions and how to use ethical frameworks to clarify them.

“Ethics Bowl is a meaningful experience that integrates friendship and learning. Not only did I develop a deeper conceptual understanding in ethical theories and its application, but I also developed friendship with everyone along the journey. I highly recommend everyone to get involved with OU ethics bowl.” 
-Ruiqi Wei, Senior in Philosophy and International Studies, ‘22

“Ethics Bowl was a highlight of my college experience; the practice in thoughtfully analyzing ethical problems and presenting them in a positive, conversational setting is tremendous for developing critical thinking and speaking ability!”
-Tre Halstied, Senior in History, ‘22

 How Can I Get Involved?

Those interested, or who want further information, should contact Layla Williams at williamsls1@ou.edu. An informational team meeting will be held at the beginning of the fall semester for any undergraduate students who want to hear more in person.