Ethics Bowl: What do barking dogs, biological weapons, experimental surgeries, and access ramps all have in common? They all present moral difficulties of just the sort that people have been trying to solve for thousands of years. Ethics Bowl is a type of value-driven debate that is meant to provide practice wrestling with just such questions. In this session, students will learn (1) how to think about morals in the abstract, (2) how to apply moral reasoning to particular cases, and (3) how to present conclusions effectively.
Students will do drills and play games designed to build confidence in the basics of public speaking. They will work with members of the UMBC Ethics Bowl Team to develop an understanding of and appreciation for moral theory. They will work with each other in small groups to apply these larger principles to specific cases. Finally, on the last day of class, there will be a formal, judged debate that parents can come watch.
LUNCH: Students staying for full day or for both morning and afternoon sessions can bring or buy their lunch. All students will eat lunch on campus in The Commons, a small food court.
“It taught me more on how to have conversation and disagree constructively.” -Patrick M., SEA 2024 Student
“The last debate on Friday with the judges was my favorite activity because we received helpful feedback” -Micah S., SEA 2024 Student
“We learned a lot about ethical theories and their application in debate.”-Aaron B., SEA 2024 Student
