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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Ethics Bowl One of Top Teams in Nation

SCU Ethics Bowl Team a Top Competitor in Nation

SCU Ethics Bowl Team a Top Competitor in Nation

Erick Ramirez

The following is a Guest Blog Post by SCU Assistant Professor of Philosophy Erick Ramirez. 

SCU Ethics Bowl team members (left to right): Lia Petronio, Kelly Fradet, Anthony Mejia, Jeffrey Kampfe, Miles Elliott,
and Alexa Williams

Results from Nationals in Baltimore

Earlier this month, Santa Clara University's Ethics Bowl team participated in the National Ethics Bowl Competition held in Baltimore, and they have once again made us proud. SCU lost only one round at Nationals, to Whitworth College, who would go on to be undefeated. SCU also tied in their round against 3rd place winner Clemson University.

The SCU team not only won all their other matches, but proved again they are one of the top teams in the nation. This would not be possible without the support the Ethics Center provides each year, and we look forward to continuing to demonstrate that SCU is one of the premier universities in the country for applied ethics. 

More About the Ethics Bowl

The Ethics Bowl is an interdisciplinary and intercollegiate applied ethics debate competition first held in 1996 by the Association of Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE). Students throughout the country meet every December to compete in one of ten regional competitions, all trying to earn an invitation to compete in the March Nationals. The California regional competition is the largest of its kind in the country and therefore one of the most competitive. 
 
The Ethics Bowl is structured around real-time applied ethics deliberation. Every September, APPE delivers 15 cases based on recent ethical controversies, and these form the core of the competition. Cases can range from the ethics of self-driving cars, to assessing the existential risks of solar storms, to social media etiquette, and more. 

Ethics Center past staffer Patrick Coutermarsh began SCU's Ethics Bowl program in 2012. Ever since, SCU teams, supported by coaches in the Philosophy Department and the Ethics Center, have quickly risen to become one of the best ethics bowl programs in the country. Only the top four teams from the California regional competition are invited to participate in Nationals. SCU ethics bowl teams have qualified to participate in Nationals in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Teams from SCU won the California regional competition in 2018 (and also placed in third that same year). At the National level, teams from SCU earned 9th place in 2015, 4th place in 2017, and won the National championship in 2018, the first time for any west coast team. 
 
Editor's Note:The SCU Ethics Bowl team is coached by Assistant Professor of Philosophy Erick Ramirez, and Director of Technology Ethics Assistant Director of Brian Green. The Ethics Center is a proud co-sponsor of the team each year. 
 
 
Mar 18, 2019
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