UIW Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Team

In the regional competition, college and university teams are asked to consider ethical questions regarding current controversial issues such as student loan debt, religious exemptions for schoolchildren’s vaccine requirements, or gun control, among other topics. In the context of the Ethics Bowl, “ethics” refers to the branch of philosophy that deals with questions about how we ought to live, both as individuals and as communities. Teams must consider responses to questions like “Should student loan debt be forgiven?” or “Should states permit religious exemptions from vaccine mandates?”

Each September, topics are distributed to teams in the Texas region. Then, throughout the fall semester, the UIW Philosophy faculty helps the team refine their understanding of the issues and work on the presentations that they will make before a panel of judges at the Texas Regional Ethics Bowl in November. The judges will evaluate each team’s presentations based on how clearly, comprehensively, and thoughtfully they analyze each case and its ethical implications.

Approximately 20 colleges and universities from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas compete at the Texas Regional Ethics Bowl each fall, with the top three teams earning a coveted invitation to the IEB National Championship, which takes place every spring