The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Philosophy has received a $1,622 grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council to host the sixth annual Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl.

The event enhances critical thinking skills in high school students and helps them engage in important ethical dialogues. The event will also benefit teachers who seek to incorporate ethical reasoning into their lesson plans.

The Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl is led by Drs. Jana McAuliffe and Michael Norton in the Department of Philosophy. Together, they will plan, advertise, oversee, and help evaluate the Ethics Bowl. This event allows students to participate in team-based ethical reasoning, persuasion, and communication.

“Competing in the Ethics Bowl requires students to develop arguments that support what they believe to be right and practice disagreeing in ways that are thoughtful and productive,” McAuliffe said.

The 2018 Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, in the Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development on the UA Little Rock campus.

“The High School Ethics Bowl is a unique event that brings together some of the brightest, most impressive students from across Arkansas, and our department is pleased to have the opportunity to organize it each year,” Norton said.

The winner will be eligible to compete in the National High School Ethics Bowl.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Upper right photo: Students from Little Rock Central High School won the 2017 Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl and represented Arkansas at the National Bowl.

Contributing Writer/ Lydia Perry, Editor, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs