The Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies Programs at UA Little Rock host the annual Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl. The 13th Annual bowl will take place on February 1, 2025, on the UA Little Rock campus. See below for registration information.
2024-25 Regional High School Ethics Bowl cases are available here.
The Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl organizers have narrowed this set of cases to the following possibilities: 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, and 15. The remaining cases will not be used.
Learn more about the High School Ethics Bowl.
Interested in participating? Let us know!
Overview
Differing from long established debate competitions, the Ethics Bowl is a venue that encourages collaborative engagement in serious moral discourse. Teams consider and discuss cases drawn from current events, which range from social and political issues (voting rights, capital punishment, gun control), to environmental concerns (sustainable growth and development), to professional worries (hiring practices, workplace safety), to issues arising in the classroom (grade inflation, plagiarism). Teams have a couple of months to prepare the cases, though they do not know which of the cases they will discuss nor the specific question posed for a given case until they face another team.
Teams from high schools across the country compete at the regional level, and winners then go to the national competition where one team emerges victorious. Emphasis is on reasoning and the ability to engage in civil, rational discourse rather than on persuasion and rhetorical technique. The scores of three judges who are recruited from both the academy and the local community determine winners. The competition can be fierce and the winning margins tight. Still, the atmosphere is unceasingly civil and collegial.
Registration
Registration for the 2025 Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl is now open! Submit the online form here to register.
Each year, all participating schools must register both with the UA Little Rock School of Human Inquiry and with the National High School Ethics Bowl organization.
Note that while the Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl does not charge a registration fee, the National High School Ethics Bowl organization requires a registration fee in order to be counted as a participating school and to be eligible to compete in the National bowl should your team win the Arkansas bowl. Please go online to pay this fee and for more information.
(If the national fee presents an obstacle to your school participating, please contact us or the NHSEB.)
Contact Information
Dr. Jana McAuliffe (jxmcauliffe@ualr.edu)
Dr. Michael Norton (mbnorton@ualr.edu)
School of Human Inquiry
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Stabler Hall, Room 301
2801 S. University Ave.
Little Rock, AR 72204
501-916-3173
